06 - Helen, Elden, Jaz

On Thursday the 10th, we all went to visit Daybreak 18 Teahouse. There, taught by a very lively owner and his assistants, we learned how to properly brew tea in Taiwanese fashion. We first start out with precisely putting dried tea leaves into the tea pot using a thin wooden stick. Then we take hot, but not boiling, water and flush the tea once. This means pouring in the hot water and immediately pouring it back out. Next, we start the actual “first brew,” where we pour hot water into the tea pot and let it steep for around 30-40 seconds depending on how strong you want it. Before pouring into our cups, we first need to wash/temper the cups. We wash both the drinking and smelling cups (cups that were taller and held the aroma of tea even when the tea was poured out) with hot water. All of the used water from the first flush of the tea leaves and the cup cleaning get poured into a specialized water basin bowl. Now, it’s finally time to pour our tea. We first pour into the smelling cups, then take the drinking cup with a wider base, place it on top of the smelling cups, and do a flipping and twisting maneuver to get it in the drinking cup. This brewing process can be repeated almost 10 times with the same leaves without majorly compromising flavor!

During our experience, the owner also read us Taiwanese poems about tea — that he wrote himself — and stories of the origins of the tea. That day we believe we tried a dried oolong and a non dried oolong, so a lot of the poems and stories were about the legends of oolong and the oolong dragon. Many people also bought tea and ceramics there to bring back to America!

Afterwards, we went to a Taiwanese restaurant. Zoe, in her blog, said that “the yu beng 油飯 we had reminded me of food I have made at home, and I was glad to have tried a more traditional one as my grandma has since changed and evolved the recipe to suit her family's tastes better. Although I liked the one at Amei, I will always love the one I grew up with.”

meichun liu

On Friday the 11th we had our final project presentation. Everyone set up their posters and prototypes up on boards in a large lecture hall. Seeing everyone’s hard work so beautifully displayed was very satisfying. Everyone created very interesting proposals at intersection of Taiwan inspiration, US market and sustainability. For a project with such a short turnaround the outcome was very impressive! 

After everyone has finished presenting and the judges gave their comments there was time for final remarks. Many people shared heartfelt moments and impressions the program left on them. Alexa commented in her blog, “This day felt so bittersweet since I was so proud of My team and our design but I also knew that our time in Taiwan was really coming to a close.” This program has been such a great opportunity to learn and connect across cultures. 

After remarks the presentation finished with a delicious spread of tea, sandwiches and small desserts and we all took the opportunity spend more time with our Taiwan peers before we needed to leave the next day.  

On the final day of our program, we met up in the cafe below our hotel. Getting some of our last coffees or milk teas before many of us boarded the high speed rail to head back to Taipei and head in several different directions. 

The breakfast was full of great conversation and sharing our favorite moments of the program. 3 weeks sounds long but it wasn’t enough.

Saying goodbye to the Taiwanese students was hard, knowing that it would be a long time before we saw them or even the chance that we might not see them again. We said our last words and gave out loads of hugs before getting rushed off to the train. We hustled onto the train with only one small hiccup (a ticket switch that made the whole process a little crazed). Erin, Katelyn, and Jaimie ended up splitting off first into Taoyuan. Chandaline, Zoe, Bethany, and I got off in Taipei and had 2.5 hours to get another caffeinated bev and snacks! 

All in all, the program was truly a one of a kind experience. With memories full of sweets (mango ice, milk tea, and more), motorbike rides, new friends, and sustainable design. Where I think all of us will no longer use one time use water bottles from our hotels anymore and all of us will take the time to think about circular design in our future projects.