Lin Mao Sen Tea Company (林茂森茶行), Taipei, Taiwan

Top: High Mountain Oolong Tea
Bottom Left: Chrysanthemum Tea
Bottom Right: Oriental Beauty Tea

Updated 05 Sep 2021:

Added tips when ordering by email and that English is spoken at both stores mentioned in this article.

Original 27 Sep 2020 article:

I am not a coffee drinker, having never acquired the taste. Consequently, I have always consumed Asian tea both by itself and with meals. When I was growing up, the tea choices were Oolong (烏龍茶), Jasmine (茉莉花茶), and Bo Nay (博奈茶; a type of Pu-Erh (普爾) tea). You poured boiling water over the tea leaves to make the tea. The teas were purchased at the local Chinese market and the main criteria for selection were quantity and price, with taste and fragrance never being a consideration. If you think of tea in terms of purchasing wine, the tea I grew up on was the equivalent of "2-Buck Chuck" (for those not familiar with this term, this phrase is used to describe the US$2 bottles of wine that can be purchased at a famous food specialty chain store in the USA). Like tea, there are better and more expensive bottles of wine, but for everyday use, "2-Buck Chuck" is perfectly acceptable.

As with wine, Asian teas have distinct flavors, fragrances, and are graded, with a wide range of prices. Making tea does not always mean always using boiling water, but choosing the correct temperature to maximize the flavor and fragrance depending upon the tea. Also making tea is not limited to just the physical act of making tea, but is elevated to an art and is part of a long standing Asian tea culture, with one of the most well known arts being the Japanese Tea Ceremony (茶道, chadō, "The Way of Tea").[1]

In Japan and Taiwan (among other places in Asia), a full range of tea varieties and prices are available for purchase at local tea specialty shops, some having been in operation for over 100 years. The quality of the teas available in Japan and Taiwan far surpass any Asian tea that can be purchased in the USA. Tea in Asia is bought depending upon fragrance, taste, and freshness. One of my favorite tea shops in Taipei is Lin Mao Sen Tea Company (林茂森茶行). Established in 1883, the shop sells a full range of graded Taiwanese teas at various price points. Due to the global pandemic, international travel to Asia is not possible from the USA. Since visiting Taiwan is not an option, ordering and purchasing tea is still possible since Lin Mao Sen Tea accepts remote orders and ships overseas.

Please read the rest of the article to find out more about buying Taiwanese tea and this tea shop in Taipei.

Dong Ding Oolong Tea
Left: USA Store Bought (NT$292/US$10/600g)
Right: Lin Mao Sen Tea (NT$1000/US$34/600g)

Why not just buy Asian tea in the USA?

Asian teas can be bought in the USA at any Asian market. Why bother to travel to buy or order tea from Taiwan? If you look at the above picture, Dong Ding Oolong tea, produced in Taiwan, is used as an example of tea that can be bought in the USA and in Taiwan. The price of the tea bought in Taiwan is over three times the cost from a USA store, not including the cost of going to Taiwan or shipping costs. Does the tea bought in Taiwan taste three times better than that sold in the USA?

Life's too short not to drink good tea!

Cost is only one aspect to consider and since taste is subjective, there's no way in my mind to quantify that factor. Having tasted both versions of Dong Ding Oolong tea, I found the tea bought in Taiwan to be much better tasting and more flavorful than the USA store bought. The taste difference is due to the composition of the two teas. The Taiwan bought tea consists only of rolled whole leaves spheres, while the USA bought tea has leaf pieces and stems. So while both teas are Dong Ding Oolong, the quality of the Taiwan bought tea is much higher. The higher quality tea accounts for the better taste and flavor, as well as the higher price. So if you're an avid tea drinker like me, the Taiwan bought tea is worth the cost and effort to obtain.

2018 and 2019 Taipei Visits

Before I discuss my visit to Lin Mao Sen Tea in October 2019, I have to talk about an earlier visit to Taipei in October 2018, when I visited their nearby competitor, Lin Hua Tai Tea Company (林華泰茶行). Lin Hua Tai Tea was also established in 1883, which also makes it one of the oldest tea shops in Taipei.[2] The two tea shops are actually located on the same street and on the same block, separated by one building. When I visited Taipei in October 2018, I walked by Lin Mao Sen Tea on my way to Lin Hua Tai Tea, intending to come back, but never did until my next trip on October 2019. English is spoken at both stores.

The Lin Hua Tai Tea shop is more traditional, with the sales in the front, and the tea storage and factory in back (you can request to go into the back of the shop to examine tea). The Lin Mao Sen Tea shop is more modern, with the sales floor and tea storage integrated into a contemporary design. In both shops, tea is stored in large barrels (they look like 55-gallon barrels), with the price on the lid, and you are encouraged to view and smell the tea in the barrels.

As I understand the story of the two tea shops, originally there was only one tea shop and two brothers, which became two tea shops after "a difference of opinion". So today, while the two tea shops are within sight of each other, each are still run independently. Both shops sell excellent tea and have English speaking staff, but each has slightly different tea inventories and each shop is operated with slightly different philosophies.

Taipei Tea Buying Experiences

Lin Hua Tai Tea has more of "an old school" feel to it, both in the shop and how it operates. Labeling this tea shop as such should not imply anything negative, since my experience with them has been nothing but positive. The Lin Mao Sen Tea shop, as was said earlier, has a more modern look and feel, and I've also had nothing but a positive experience with them also. In my opinion, Lin Hua Tai Tea is more of a tea shop where you'll be asked what tea do you want and you have to be more active in asking questions in order to obtain information on the tea. I especially like their Alishan High Mountain Oolong tea, which I knew to ask for because I drank this tea on my China Airlines (a Taiwanese airline) flight to Taiwan. Otherwise, I would have never known about this tea.

Lin Mao Sen Tea is a place where it was "let us show you the teas that we have", answer any questions about the tea, and are more than willing to offer you a freshly brewed sample of a tea you are interested in buying. Lin Mao Sen Tea also has a more modern approach to customer service, in that English instructions were also offered on how to brew the tea and a price list for the teas that they sell, as well as an email address if you have any questions. They also were willing to ship tea overseas via a request to that same email address. As you take the opportunity to examine and smell the barrels of tea, the sales person is trying to determine which type of tea you prefer. For the teas that you express a preference for, they offer suggestions for similar teas that they sell. There's no sales pressure or obligation to purchase tea (the same with Lin Hua Tai Tea), as they are more than happy to help expand your knowledge of tea. You will learn about teas that you didn't know existed. I ended up buying more tea at Lin Mao Sen Tea in 2019 than I did at Lin Hua Tai Tea in 2018. I like their Jasmine, Pouchong (recommended by the sales person), and Oriental Beauty (bought through email; more about this later) teas.

Buying Taiwanese Tea In-Person

In my opinion, tea can be purchased at two types of shops. The first being shops that sell pre-package tea for retail purchase, and the second being on-demand purchase wholesale/retail shops. I've bought tea at both types of shops in Taiwan and one is no better than the other, but determining which type of tea shop you purchase from usually depends upon location and convenience. There are more pre-packaged retail tea shops than there are on-demand wholesale/retail shops, so it's easier to find pre-packaged retail shops since many are located in major tourist areas and shopping centers. Both type of shops offer the ability to taste the tea before buying and, in general, the prices tend to be lower at the on-demand wholesale/retail shops because having a wholesale business means that their retail markup doesn't need to be as high. The on-demand wholesale/retail shops mainly package their tea in large bags (vacuumed-packed where appropriate) when you buy and there's more flexibility in the amount of tea you can buy. The pre-packaged retail tea shops offer their tea already packaged in bags at fixed quantities, as well as tea packaged in cans appropriate for gift giving.

I find buying tea at on-demand wholesale/retail shops, like Lin Mao Sen Tea, more interesting because of the atmosphere of being surrounded by the large number of tea barrels. I am also impressed by the sheer quantity and variety of teas for sale, as well as having the tea packaged in front of you while you're in the shop. As was mentioned earlier, each tea barrel has the price of the tea on the lid. The price on the lid is based on 600 grams (approx. 21 oz.), which is the equivalent to the traditional Chinese unit of mass of one catty or jin (斤).[3] The amount of tea you purchase is up to you, and if you buy 600 g. of a particular tea, you can request that the tea be packaged in four 150g (approx. 5.3 oz.) or two 300g (approx. 10.6 oz.) packages. Opening one of many smaller vacuum-packed tea packages is better than having to open one large tea package, exposing all the tea to oxidation. The unopened smaller vacuum packed tea packages preserve the freshness of the tea, which remain sealed until needed.

The tea is packaged into bricks, which I labeled as tea before packing them into my luggage for my flight back to the USA. The vacuumed-packed tea packages are foil bags, which helps preserve the freshness of the tea, but makes the package opaque to X-rays. This is likely the reason why my checked luggage was searched by US Customs after my return flight landed in the USA. So just be aware that a search of your luggage is a heightened possibility when bringing back "bricks" of tea.

Top: 150g Chrysanthemum Tea Package
Bottom Left: 150g Vacuum-Packed Dong Ding Oolong Tea Package
Bottom Right: 150g Oriental Beauty Tea Package

Buying Taiwanese Tea Via Email

Lin Mao Sen Tea, and other tea shops, offer the opportunity to purchase tea remotely if you physically can't come to the shop. Lin Mao Sen Tea will also ship overseas, which is convenient in this pandemic year. I have not extensively searched for Taiwanese tea shops that also ship overseas, but having read other Taipei-based tea shop reviews, this practice is not unique. I found out that Lin Mao Sen Tea shipped oversea when I visited the shop in 2019. The sales person mentioned this (since he knew I lived in the USA) and, at the time, I silently thought that overseas shipping was nice, but I probably would never use it. Little did I know, almost one year later in the the midst of the pandemic, that this would be the only way to get tea from Taiwan.

The Lin Mao Sen Tea website currently does not allow online purchases, does not contain a full list of the teas available for purchase, and is vague on how to order tea and the payment methods accepted. After emailing, asking questions about the above, it turns out to order tea from them is actually quite easy (I just did it), as the entire process is done through email.

To start the order process, contact Lin Mao Sen Tea through their website contact page or via email (the details are listed in the Lin Mao Sen Tea Company (林茂森茶行) Information and Access section). You should request a copy of their latest price list, which contains the available tea varieties and their price points in New Taiwan Dollars (NTD or NT$). You will receive a reply by email containing the price list with recommended teas and price points highlighted. As it turned out, the price list I received in 2019 was still valid, but was updated mid-year 2020 to reflect new tea offerings. Please note that the prices mentioned below are accurate as of the published date of this article and are subject to change.

The price list is just that, a price list with no description or details on the teas available for purchase. If you physically could go to the store, you could seek the shop's advice, smell the tea from the barrels, and taste the tea properly prepared. So choosing a tea from a price list, sight (smell, taste) unseen, is difficult. Unless you are a tea expert (which I am not), my best advice is to select from the recommended tea and price points in the price list after extensive internet research. In choosing the tea, keep in mind how you plan to drink the tea. The Taiwanese consume tea alone to fully savor the fragrance and taste. If you plan to consume the tea with meals, the fragrance and taste of the tea could be affected by the food, so purchasing a tea that has delicate characteristics would not be advisable.

Tea Price Points (Grades)

For a particular tea, there are various 600 gram price points which reflects the grade of the tea. Teas in the price list range from one price point up to ten price points, with many in between. The higher the price point means a better the grade of tea, but purchasing the highest grade of tea may not always be the best option. For instance, Lin Mao Sen Tea sells ten grades of Jasmine tea, ranging from NT$80 to NT$2400 (approx. US$2.75 to US$83) for 600g. First of all, you should only purchase a tea you can afford and enjoy, and secondly, it only makes sense to purchase a higher grade of tea if you can tell the difference in fragrance and taste. Unfortunately, making the latter determination can only be done in person at the shop.

Since I've visited their shop and had the opportunity to smell the fragrance of some teas at various price points (grades), ordering tea from them is not so mysterious. For instance, I was able to smell the top three grades of Jasmine tea during my 2019 visit. I didn't buy the top grade (i.e. most expensive) Jasmine tea because I found the second to the top grade was more fragrant.

Once the decision has been made as to which teas to purchase, send email with the type of tea (e.g. Jasmine), quantity (150g, 300g, 600g, or more), tea package size (e.g. you can buy 600g of a particular tea and have it packaged in four 150g packages), price point (e.g. NT$2400/600g.), and cost in NTD for the amount of tea ordered. Shipping and handling costs cannot be calculated until the total cost and weight of tea is known by Lin Mao Sen Tea. 

• Tip: Request the tea to be packed in 150g packages (i.e. two for 300g, four for 600g) rather than one big package with all the tea so that only one 150g package at a time is opened to keep the remainder fresh until needed.

• Tip: Be sure to request that the English names of the tea be written on the packages unless you can read Chinese.

An email reply will be returned containing the cost of all the tea ordered, together with the shipping and handling costs, and payment information. If the order is not to your liking at this point, you may adjust or decline to place the order by sending email to Lin Mao Sen Tea.

Payment by PayPal

Lin Mao Sen Tea accepts PayPal for payment in NTD, which was my preferred method. If you want to use another payment method, you will have to ask Lin Mao Sen Tea in your initial email if that form of payment is accepted. If you use PayPal, the order's handling charge, mentioned above, will be what PayPal charges Lin Mao Sen Tea to use the service. The reply email to your order will include the PayPal account that Lin Mao Sen Tea uses. Once you know PayPal account to pay for the tea, you can send money to Lin Mao Sen Tea's PayPal account by entering the cost in NTD and see the cost in your currency (in this case US Dollars (USD)). When you complete the transaction, you have the option to use PayPal's NTD to USD currency conversion rate, or if your PayPal account is linked to a credit card, the conversion rate used by the credit card company (which is not displayed). In general, the best conversion rate is offered by the credit card company and that's the option I used. After transferring the money via PayPal, Lin Mao Sen Tea will send a reply email confirming the payment receipt and shipment information. The tea shipped the same day after receiving confirmation of the money transfer.

Shipment by DHL

Lin Mao Sen Tea uses DHL to ship overseas. Shipping the package from Taiwan to the USA is not inexpensive, and will depend upon the amount of tea (actually the weight) ordered. So I cannot tell you exact shipping costs for a specific amount of tea or how much tea to order, but ordering a small amount of tea is certainly not cost effective. As was mentioned earlier, Lin Mao Sen Tea will send you the total cost of the order, including shipping and handling, once you place the order. In my case, I ordered 3 kg. (6.6 lbs.) of tea (remember I like tea!), and the shipping and handling cost was 17.5% of the total cost. Since I'm unable to travel to Taiwan this year and I don't know when I can visit again, I probably bought more tea remotely than if I had just visited their shop (not to mention that it would not be possible to put that much tea in my luggage!).

The good news is that shipping time is relatively quick. DHL allows the option to track shipments so you're able to see the route the package takes. The package arrived in six days, but would have taken five days if DHL had not needed one more day to deliver, probably due to their increased workload.

Final Thoughts and Favorite Taiwanese Teas

In closing, visiting the tea shops in Taipei is the best way to learn about and buy tea, even if you don't consider yourself a tea drinker. Even if you don't buy any tea, not only will you find a no pressure sales environment, you'll be able to learn about tea, examine the tea in the barrels, smell the fragrance of the different teas, choose the right tea grade (price point) for you, and taste test before buying. One thing that I haven't mentioned, is that all the tea shops also sell tea pots, cups, and other accessories. So not only can you buy excellent tea, you can also leave well equipped to make and consume it.

Finally, I'd like to leave you with a list of my favorite Taiwanese teas, in no particular order:

• Alishan High Mountain Oolong Tea
• Oriental Beauty
• Honey Scented Black Tea
• Jasmine
• Pouchong

Lin Mao Sen Tea Company (林茂森茶行) Information and Access

Name:

• Lin Mao Sen Tea Company

• 林茂森茶行

Address:

• No. 195-3, Sec. 2, Chongqing N. Rd., Taipei 10359, Taiwan

• 10359台北市重慶北路二段195-3號

Access:

• Take the Taipei Metro Zhonghe-Xinlu (Orange, 中和新蘆線) Line for Huilong (迴龍站) and get off at Daqiaotou Station (大橋頭站).

• Take Daqiaotou Station (大橋頭站) Exit 2 and then walk 5 min. (350 m, 0.2 mi) to Lin Mao Sen Tea.

• Lin Hua Tai Tea Company is one building down the block on the same side of the street at No. 193, Sec. 2, Chongqing N. Rd.

Hours, Phone Number, and Email Address:

• Hours

• 8:30-21:00 (open everyday)

• Phone Number

• +886-2-25579887

• Email Address

• service@linmaosen.com

• Use this email address to order or contact Lin Mao Sen Tea, or use the Lin Mao Sen Tea Contact Us web page (listed below).

Websites:

• Lin Mao Sen Tea (Chinese) website:

• http://www.linmaosen.com/

• Lin Mao Sen Tea Contact Us web page (Chinese):

• http://www.linmaosen.com/contact.php

• Use this web link to order or contact Lin Mao Sen Tea, or use their email address (listed above).

• Plan your trip at the Taipei Metro English website:

• https://english.metro.taipei/

• Under Metro Guide, choose Route Map and Timetables to see a bilingual English/Chinese system map.

• Under Metro Guide, choose Fare & Travel Time Inquiries to see the fare and travel time between two stations.

Map:

References

[1] Wikipedia. "Japanese tea ceremony". Last modified: 11 Sep 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_tea_ceremony.

[2] Lin Huatai Tea Company. "Lin Huatai Tea Company". Last accessed: 19 Sep 2020. http://linhuatai.okgo.tw/.

[3] Wikipedia. "Catty". Last modified: 19 Apr 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catty.

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