Dishes
Old-style black tea
古早味紅茶
Also called: 紅茶 · 雙全紅茶 (Shuang Chuan black tea)
Black tea shaken with caramelised sugar, sold from small stands in Tainan.
What it is
Black tea sweetened with sugar cooked to a caramel colour, then shaken so it foams. It is served cold, warm or hot, at full or half sweetness.
Where it comes from
According to the city tourism site, Shuang Chuan in Tainan was founded in 1949 by a man who had learned to use a cocktail shaker while working at a Japanese-run restaurant in the colonial era. It uses black tea from Yuchi in Nantou, from a variety improved under Japanese rule.
How it is made
At Shuang Chuan the tea is brewed and cooled first, then shaken with ice and caramel syrup, rather than brewed hot and shaken straight away. The tourism site says this gives a richer flavour than ordinary foam tea.
How to eat it
A drink for the road, especially on a hot afternoon. You choose the temperature and the sweetness.
In Tainan
Shuang Chuan sells nothing but black tea.
Where to eat it in Tainan
Sources