Editing Taiwan (section)
===Tea and coffee=== [[Image:TimeForTea BubbleTea.JPG|thumb|Pearl milk tea and pudding milk tea, [[Chiayi]]]] Taiwan's specialty teas are '''High Mountain Oolong''' (高山烏龍, ''Gao-Shan Wulong'') - a fragrant, light tea, and '''Tie Guan-Yin''' (鐵觀音) - a dark, rich brew. Enjoying this tea, served in the traditional way using a very small teapot and tiny cups, is an experience you should not miss. This way of taking tea is called ''Lao Ren Cha'' (老人茶) - 'old people's tea', and the name is derived from the fact that only the elderly traditionally had the luxury of time to relax and enjoy tea in this way. Check the small print when visiting a traditional tea house though: in addition to the tea itself, you may be charged a cover (茶水費, literally "tea-water fee") for the elaborate process of preparing it as well as for any nibbles served on the side. One should also try '''Lei Cha''' (擂茶; Léi Chá) a tasty and nourishing Hakka Taiwanese tea-based beverage consisting of a mix ground tea leaves and grain. Some stores specialize in this product and allows one to grind their own lei cha. '''Pearl milk tea''' (珍珠奶茶 ''Zhēnzhū nǎichá''), aka "bubble tea" or "boba tea", is milky tea with chewy balls of tapioca added, drunk through an over-sized straw. Invented in Taiwan in the early 1980s and a huge Asia-wide craze in the 1990s, it's not quite as popular as it once was but can still be found at nearly every coffee/tea shop. Look for a shop where it is freshly made. Chatime is the first Taiwanese catering brand to receive the "Brands of the Year" at the World Branding Awards in 2014. The '''cafe culture''' has hit Taiwan in a big way, and in addition to an abundance of privately owned cafes, all the major chains, such as Starbucks, have a multitude of branches throughout major towns and cities. Some chains, such as Cama Coffee, roast their beans on site (you can watch them do it during off-peak-hours). Hot drinks will be served in plastic cups, as styrofoam cups have been banned in Taiwan for their bad bio degradation. Iced drinks, especially at high humidity times, will come in an extra plastic bag to catch condensing moisture.
Retrieved from "https://wikitravel.org/en/Taiwan"