Taiwan’s Tea Culture: A Daily Ritual of Flavor and Connection
In Taiwan, tea isn’t just a drink—it’s a way of life. From bubble tea shops on every corner to the gentle aroma drifting from quiet tea houses, tea is part of daily rhythm. Taiwan’s tea culture began in the late Qing Dynasty during Emperor Qianlong’s reign, when immigrants from Fujian(福建) and Chaoshan(潮汕) brought tea-making skills that gradually shaped Taiwan’s own tea traditions. Unlike the strict, formal Chinese tea ceremony, Taiwan’s style is more casual and relaxed—focusing on the color, aroma, and taste of the tea, and the cozy feeling of sharing a pot with friends and family.
Modern Taiwanese tea culture preserves the sophistication of traditional gongfu tea while adapting to modern life’s pace. Whether you’re brewing high-mountain tea at home or chatting with friends at a tea house, drinking tea has become a natural and warm way to socialize. Even in daily life, bubble tea and fruit teas continue Taiwan people’s love for tea in a different form. You could say that in Taiwan, tea isn’t just about taste—it’s one of life’s little pleasures that accompanies you through each day.
If you want to dive deep into Taiwan’s tea culture, take a trip to Maokong in southern Taipei. Built into the mountains and dotted with tea gardens and tea houses, this is Taipei residents’ favorite weekend getaway. Take the Maokong Gondola for stunning views of the Taipei Basin and surrounding mountains as you head straight into the heart of tea country.
Want to know more about Taiwanese Tea Culture? Check these out!
The Complete Guide to Chinese Tea Culture: How to Brew Chinese Tea & Explore Taiwan’s Best Tea Gardens
Taiwan Tea Culture Guide: Discover Pinglin Tea Museum & Old Street | 4 Restaurants & 3 Tea Farms Recommendation
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a booking or purchase, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work!
Table of Contents
From Tea Culture to Tea Mountains: Welcome to Maokong
Maokong, this mountain oasis on Taipei’s outskirts, has become a healing sanctuary in many people’s hearts with its blend of tea gardens and natural scenery. But did you know? The name “Maokong” actually has a rich and interesting story behind it.
The first character “猫” (māo) in “Maokong” happens to mean “cat” in Chinese—has that caught the attention of cat lovers yet? However, the most widely accepted explanation for how “Maokong” got its name relates closely to topography and Taiwanese pronunciation. In the early days, streams here carved out many natural potholes of various sizes in the rocks, called “皺空” (liâu-khang or jiâu-khang) in Taiwanese. Since “皺” (wrinkle) and “猫” (cat) sound similar in Taiwanese, plus the local terrain’s ups and downs resemble a cat curled up in the mountains, it gradually evolved into “Maokong.”
Now that you know how Maokong got its name, it’s time to see how to spend a perfect day in Maokong! The perfect Maokong journey starts at the Taipei Zoo—Taiwan’s largest zoo, home to giant pandas, koalas, and Taiwan’s endemic species. After exploring the zoo, hop on the gondola for a seamless and relaxing trip that lets you soak in some rare greenery on the city’s edge.
Whether you want to escape the city hustle or find inspiration for a slow travel day, Maokong is the perfect choice. This guide will take you from Taipei Zoo, aboard the Maokong Gondola, deep into Maokong’s tea country to experience the full mountain lifestyle of picking tea, brewing tea, and tasting tea—perfect for travelers who want to sip some tea and just chill~
If you’d rather skip the zoo and dive deeper into Taiwan’s tea culture, consider combining your visit with nearby Pinglin, another famous Taiwan tea region. This Klook package includes both Maokong and Pinglin attractions, with activities like visiting tea gardens, experiencing tea ceremonies, tea tasting, and touring the Pinglin Tea Museum, all with a bilingual local tour guide. No need to plan your own itinerary or transportation—it makes the trip easy and comfortable, totally chill!
Essential Transportation for Maokong Tourism: The Maokong Gondola
The Maokong Gondola is Taiwan’s first aerial tramway designed specifically for sightseeing—it’s not just transportation, but a visual and spiritual journey. The full 4.03-kilometer route takes about 20 minutes one way, reaching a maximum height of about 300 meters above ground. During this journey, you can enjoy both Taipei’s cityscape and beautiful mountain scenery—it’s like getting everything in one go. If you come at night, you can see Taipei’s brilliant night lights, which is even more beautiful! Just note that operating hours end at 9 PM!
So how do we get to the Maokong Gondola? Take the Taipei MRT Brown Line (Wenhu Line) to the last stop, Taipei Zoo Station, then walk about 5 minutes to reach Maokong Gondola – Zoo Station. Then we can ride the Maokong Gondola to visit all of Maokong’s attractions, since the gondola stations conveniently connect all these spots. Let’s see what stations there are:
Maokong Gondola Stations:
- Zoo Station: Starting point, near the MRT exit
- Zoo South Station: Access to Muzha Zoo
- Zhinan Temple Station: Access to the famous Taoist holy site Zhinan Temple
- Maokong Station: Final stop, entering the tea country’s core area
Cabin Options:
- Regular Cabins: Four-sided viewing windows, suitable for all visitors, with wide-open views
- Crystal Cabins: Transparent glass bottom for looking down at the valley below—a more thrilling experience. Requires queuing, with longer wait times on weekends.
Tickets & Discounts:
- Single Trip Ticket: Perfect for one-time visitors. Regular cabin full fare NT$180; Crystal cabin upgrade adds NT$50 per person per trip
- Day Pass: Regular cabin full fare NT$300; Crystal cabin upgrade adds NT$50 per person per trip
- If you have an EasyCard, you can pay directly with it: EasyCard purchase link
- You can queue to buy tickets on-site or purchase in advance on Klook: Gondola Tickets on Klook
When riding the Maokong Gondola, remember to check weather conditions, as bad weather (thunderstorms, strong winds, fog, etc.) may cause temporary shutdowns. After reaching Maokong Station, you’ll enter the heart of tea country, ready to slowly explore this mountain sanctuary’s natural and cultural charms.
Maokong Must-Visit Attraction Station One: Taipei Zoo
We recommend starting your Maokong day trip at Taipei Zoo. As Taiwan’s largest zoo, covering 165 hectares, the park is built along the mountainside with paths designed to follow the natural terrain, naturally leading visitors into a lush biological exploration journey. This isn’t just a children’s playground—it’s a shared childhood memory for many Taipei people. The park showcases natural ecosystems, and walking through it feels like being in a miniature version of Earth’s ecosystem.
The zoo is divided into six major exhibition areas, each with unique ecological themes that let visitors easily tour the world’s ecological landscapes:
- Taiwan Animal Area: Taiwan black bears, pangolins, muntjacs, and other local star animals
- Asian Tropical Rainforest Area: Malayan tapirs and gibbons living under tall rainforest trees
- African Animal Area: Giraffes, zebras, and African lions roaming the wide savanna
- Australia Area: Kangaroos hopping freely and koalas resting peacefully
- Desert Animal Area: Camels and desert foxes showing adaptation to extreme environments
- Aviary: Colorful tropical birds displaying stunning plumage
Don’t miss the zoo’s star attraction—the panda family! Currently, there are three pandas: mother “Yuan Yuan” and her two daughters “Yuan Zai” and “Yuan Bao.” Although “Tuan Tuan” passed away in 2022 due to illness, Yuan Yuan’s family continues to meet visitors at the “Shin Kong Special Exhibition Hall” (Panda House), carrying on their conservation and education mission.
To visit the pandas, you need to get a numbered ticket when entering the zoo—quantities are limited daily, so we recommend heading there right when the zoo opens. The best viewing time is 9:00-11:00 AM when the pandas are most active. Remember to follow the rules inside—no flash photography and keep quiet to avoid disturbing these adorable national treasures. Watching Yuan Zai munch bamboo cutely or Yuan Bao playfully rolling around always brings a smile to your face.
Besides giant pandas, other must-see highlights include:
- Penguin House: Year-round temperature of 8-10°C, creating an Antarctic-like environment where you can watch penguins glide through water
- Children’s Zoo: Close encounters with goats and rabbits, perfect for family visits
- Shuttle Train (fee required): Convenient for visitors who find long walks tiring
Zoo Visit Tips for an Easier Trip:
- Best visiting time: 9:00-11:00 AM when animals are active and crowds are smaller
- Transportation: Take MRT Wenhu Line to Zoo Station, then walk about 5 minutes
- Energy-saving tip: The park is huge—make good use of the shuttle train (NT$30/adult per ride)
- Water refills: Bring your own water bottle; drinking fountains are available throughout the park
- Dining suggestion: Park restaurants are pricey; we recommend bringing light snacks for picnicking
After finishing your zoo exploration, walk about 5 minutes from the main entrance to reach Maokong Gondola – Zoo Station and begin your aerial journey.
Maokong Must-Visit Attraction Station Two: Zhinan Temple & Camphor Tree Trail (Visit if You Have Time)
The attractions here aren’t as appealing to me compared to the other two spots, so if you’re short on time, I wouldn’t really recommend stopping here. I personally prefer leaving more time to explore the zoo and experience tea drinking. However, since the Maokong Gondola passes through this station anyway, if you want to spend a little time looking around, it’s very convenient. If you’re interested, 1-2 hours here would be plenty.
Maokong Attraction Recommendation: Camphor Tree Trail
Maokong isn’t just about tea gardens—it also has natural trails perfect for light hiking. The Camphor Tree Trail connects the Maokong Gondola station with various tea gardens. The route is gentle with plenty of shade, making it a popular spot for photos. Along the way, you can look out over tea gardens and distant mountain views.
One way takes about 20-30 minutes with easy difficulty, perfect for a leisurely stroll. If you have more time, you can extend to the “Camphor Tree Ancient Trail,” which is about 1.2 kilometers long—this was the main route tea farmers used to transport tea. Tall camphor trees on both sides form a natural tunnel, and along the way you can see air raid shelters from the Japanese era and century-old tea factory ruins. It’s designed as a loop taking about 40-60 minutes and is easy to walk.
Maokong Attraction Recommendation: Zhinan Temple
Zhinan Temple is an important Taoist holy site in the Taipei area, dedicated to Lü Dongbin and established in 1895. The palace architecture is magnificent, blending traditional Chinese and Taiwanese local artistic styles with a solemn atmosphere. Must-see highlights include stone and wood carvings in the Three Rivers Hall, feng shui layout of the Dragon and Tiger Halls, and the observation deck in the rear hall, from where you can see Taipei 101 and Xinyi District’s night view—especially beautiful at sunset. Every year on the third day of the third lunar month (Lü Dongbin’s birthday), there are grand temple festival activities, offering a great chance to experience Taiwan’s religious culture.
Maokong Must-Visit Attraction Station Three: Tea Country Tour
Now for the main event of your Maokong trip! Maokong was once one of Taipei’s largest tea-producing areas, with tea-making history dating back to the late Qing Dynasty when Fujian Anxi tea farmers introduced Tieguanyin tea plants. They discovered that the elevation here (400-600 meters), misty clouds, and fertile soil were perfect for tea cultivation.
During the Japanese era (1895-1945), Taiwan’s tea industry developed systematically, and Maokong became an important production area for Wenshan Baozhong tea and Tieguanyin. After the war, as Taipei rapidly urbanized, Maokong began its industry transformation, successfully transitioning from tea production to become a popular tourist destination while still preserving traditional tea-making crafts and slow-living rhythms, making it a rare tea country sanctuary in the city.
Tea Varieties: Two Representative Famous Teas of Maokong
Maokong is best known for Wenshan Baozhong Tea and Tieguanyin, each with distinct flavor characteristics. Wenshan Baozhong is a lightly fermented (15-25%) green tea with emerald color touched with gold, clear and bright tea liquor. When brewed, it releases the fresh fragrance of orchids and osmanthus, with a refreshing sweet taste and obvious sweet aftertaste.
Tieguanyin is a medium-fermented (40-60%) oolong tea with tightly curled leaves shaped like iron pearls. After brewing, it has rich osmanthus and ripe fruit aromas, with mellow and lasting tea liquor and a unique “rock essence” that leaves a lasting impression. For brewing, use 95-100°C hot water, about 30 seconds per steeping, and it can be steeped 7-8 times.
Activity Experience: Tea Picking and Processing
In Maokong’s tea gardens, visitors can enjoy the complete experience from picking to processing tea, feeling the birth process of tea leaves. In late spring and early summer, tea fields are lush green with tea bushes covered in tender green buds like emeralds in morning light. Put on a bamboo hat, carry a bamboo basket, walk into the tea mountains, and personally pick those “one bud, two leaves” tea shoots—the tea-scented air is intoxicating.
After picking, visitors can tour local small tea processing workshops to understand the complete process from withering, fixing, rolling, fermenting to roasting. Some tea factories combine modern technology with traditional crafts, showcasing tea-making essence and even offering DIY tea-making experiences where visitors can personally make their own tea products, deeply experiencing the charm and craftsmanship of tea.
Experiences usually last 1-2 hours and are typically available during harvest season (April-May, with some tea gardens also opening for winter tea picking in November-December) by reservation. Most experiences require advance booking.
Recommended Experience Tea Gardens:
- Mei-Jia Tea Garden(美加茶园): Facebook
- Hanser Tea House(寒舍茶坊): Official Website
Tea Art Experience & Tea-Flavored Cuisine
Many tea houses offer both tea art experiences and tea-flavored cuisine incorporating tea into dishes. Some tea houses also serve tea snacks like mung bean cakes, sesame glutinous rice balls, and tea-flavored egg rolls, paired with a pot of slightly bitter yet sweet good tea—unforgettable. Maokong’s food culture cleverly incorporates tea elements into daily cooking, developing unique tea-flavored cuisine.
Must-Try Foods:
- Tieguanyin Tea Eggs: Egg whites absorb tea aroma with rich layers
- Tea Oil Chicken: Slow-cooked with fresh-pressed tea seed oil, tender and fragrant
- Baozhong Tea Fried Rice: Tea aroma infused in rice, each grain distinct
- Tieguanyin Stewed Chicken Soup: Nourishing without being greasy, clear and fresh
- Wenshan Baozhong Tea Ice Cream: Perfect fusion of milk and tea aromas
- Tea Cookies: Crispy and aromatic, perfect as souvenirs
Recommended Tea-Flavored Restaurants:
1. Yaoyue Tea House (邀月茶坊)
This is a tea house with no dining time limits that operates 24 hours, so you can experience drinking tea under the moon and chatting freely with close friends—pure bliss. Besides tea, they also serve meals, so you can have some tea snacks while drinking tea, plus hot dishes and soup options for full meals. Signature dishes include tea oil cabbage, tea-flavored baked eggs, and tea vinegar salad with pineapple shrimp balls.
Address: No. 6, Lane 40, Section 3, Zhinan Rd, Wenshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 116
Phone: +886 2 2939 2025
Hours: Monday-Sunday 24 hours
Official Website | Reservations
2. Sih Ye / Maolan (四爷的店/猫懒)
Maokong’s “Sih Ye” is a great place to enjoy delicious food while admiring mountain forest views. The interior uses palace-style decoration with private booth seating for an ancient scholarly atmosphere. The signature Tie-Guan-Yin Chicken Hotpot is highly recommended. For a more relaxed atmosphere, head upstairs to “Maolan”—both restaurants belong to the same group with the same menu, differing only in decor style. “Maolan” has outdoor seating perfect for drinking tea while enjoying beautiful scenery. Both restaurants offer views of Taipei 101, though not all seats have the view, so confirm sight lines when making reservations.
Purchasing NT$500 vouchers in advance gives you 20% off, but using vouchers requires advance reservation and notifying the restaurant.
Maokong Sih Ye
Address: 2nd Floor, No. 16-2, Lane 38, Section 3, Zhinan Rd, Wenshan District, Taipei City
Phone: 02 2234 0140
Hours: 10:00~22:00, Closed Mondays (except first Monday of each month and national holidays)
Food served until 21:00
Official Website
Maolan
Address: 3rd Floor, No. 16-2, Lane 38, Section 3, Zhinan Rd, Wenshan District, Taipei City
Phone: 02 2939 5938
Hours: 10:00~22:00, Closed Mondays (except first Monday of each month and national holidays)
Food served until 21:00
3. Mei-Jia Tea Garden (美加茶园)
Besides tea picking and processing experiences, Mei-Jia Tea Garden also offers tea art experiences and various tea-flavored foods. If you want a one-stop experience, Mei-Jia Tea Garden is the most suitable option. Plus, it’s currently the only restaurant in Maokong that insists on using self-produced tea in their dishes.
Purchasing voucher for set meals offers a 20% discount. But please note that the voucher does not include a reservation service. To use the coupon, you must call the restaurant at least one day in advance to make a reservation and inform them that you will be using the voucher.
Address: No. 19, Lane 38, Section 3, Zhinan Rd, Wenshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 116
Phone: +886 2 2938 6277
Hours: 10:30 am–10 pm, Closed Mondays
Facebook
4. Found Your Tea (找茶屋)
This place is not only pet-friendly but also has super chill decor—it’s gorgeous for photos. I personally recommend it for afternoon tea with the girls, where you can admire beautiful views while having cake with tea. Besides offering various tea drink options, they also have delicious tea-flavored foods to taste. Must-try: Tieguanyin Cheesecake!
Found Your Tea also provides vouchers that offer discounts when purchased in advance. Once you buy this voucher, you can book your preferred date and time directly. If you miss your slot, walk-ins are still possible, but no-shows during business hours won’t be eligible for a refund.
Address: No. 33-5, Lane 38, Section 3, Zhinan Rd, Wenshan District, Taipei City (directly opposite Zhengda Tea Garden)
Phone: 02-29398622
Hours: Closed Mon-Tue (except national holidays), Wed-Fri 12:00-20:50, Sat-Sun 10:30-20:50
Facebook
5. Mountain Tea House (山中茶)
When mountain breezes blow and sunlight falls on the semi-open third-floor seating, the unobstructed view takes in all the greenery and sky. In such an afternoon, enjoying a table of freshly made local home cooking with tea art experiences and various tea-flavored foods is undoubtedly a perfect choice for relaxing and enjoying nature.
Address: 2nd & 3rd Floor, No. 33, Lane 38, Section 3, Zhinan Rd, Wenshan District, Taipei City 116
Phone: +886 2 2234 4688
Hours: 11 am–8:30 pm, Closed Mondays
Facebook | Reservations
Summary: How Should You Spend a Day in Maokong?
My most recommended Maokong day trip route starts in the morning at Taipei Zoo to see the pandas and penguins, then take the Maokong Gondola up the mountain—the mountain forest scenery along the way is truly beautiful. At noon, enjoy a relaxing lunch at a Maokong tea restaurant and try the local tea culture cuisine.
After lunch, you can visit tea gardens and arrange tea picking and processing experiences if interested. In the afternoon, find a tea house to sit down, drink tea, rest, and chat. In the evening, you can take the Maokong Gondola down the mountain to enjoy Taipei’s night view, or go to Zhinan Temple’s observation deck to see Taipei’s beautiful scenery—both sunset and night views are enchanting.
Oh, and if you’re coming in summer, remember to bring mosquito repellent—Taiwan’s tiny black mosquitoes are no joke!
