A cup of fine local tea and the goodwill behind every sip stem from the steadfast dedication of Alishan tea farmers. At Yi Cha Workshop, we practice natural farming, letting the leaves remain unadorned—neither luxurious nor exaggerated. Guided by the spirit of honoring heaven, cherishing the land, and crafting honest tea, we simply want to share the happiness found in drinking tea.
Director Lin Ying-jiao inherited the family business from scratch. Learning what makes Taiwanese tea exceptional was, and remains, an arduous journey, yet every step was taken with grounded resolve. Starting from her own tea garden, she mastered planting, picking, crafting, roasting, and finally marketing—opening a branded teahouse and personally enforcing the strictest quality control, determined to let customers taste genuine, unmistakably Taiwanese tea. There has never been a secret formula: only persistence, and more persistence.
Asked about the toughest part of this entrepreneurial path, Lin says it was understanding the profound science of “managing a tea garden.” In the early days, the harvest season often brought a shortage of workers, and panic would set in. Recalling those hardships now, she can smile and say, “It was worth it.” That experience lets her declare with confidence to every consumer: “The tea you drink, we grew ourselves.” This promise embodies her respect for customers and for fine local tea, and it paved the way for the Yi Cha brand. Clean, unpretentious packaging—nothing overly ornate—keeps the focus on the tea itself, returning to the original ideal of healthy, unburdened tea drinking.
The star of our shop is Taoxi Black Tea, whose name plays on the word “likable.” Its design revives the old tea-seller’s package and features an ancient map of “Peach City.” Crafted from Qingxin oolong plants grown on Alishan at latitude 23.5° N, the tea is gentle and unassuming, yet offers a rich, shifting rhythm—much like the authentic character of Chiayi people. Through fresh perspectives on tea drinking, we invite younger generations into the world of Taiwanese tea, carrying on an unending mission: to let a true cup of Taiwan tea reveal its full story.
Recommended items: Taiwan Tea No. 18, English scones
