A new teahouse on the island of Kinmen is causing a big stir. At the location on Yangzhai Street, you can see tea being made in an iron pot on a wood-fired stove – just like the old days. Some elders in the community still remember the custom from childhood. Most have never seen it before. The teahouse seems to be lots of people’s cup of tea.

The tea maestro feeds logs into a traditional red-brick stove. The dry wood quickly starts to crackle.

If you open the chimney, the airflow can get flowing, and wisps of white smoke rise into the air.

Then it’s time to put an iron cooking pot on the stove and brew tea - the oldest way. We heard some local history from teahouse owner Chen Shu-chun陳恕君, while he showed us the traditional methods.

Chen Shu-chun
Teahouse owner
It only has the aroma when you use this kind of stove. The taste is more traditional when you boil the tea like this. People don’t make it like this so much anymore. There isn’t the environment for it, and people have less time.

Brewing tea on a wood-fired stove became widely popular across Kinmen many years ago. A red-brick stove like this was once commonplace. Now tourists and locals alike are flocking here to admire this specimen. For some customers, sitting down by the fireside feels like a trip back to childhood.

Miss. Hsiao
Customer
It feels like my childhood is replaying itself in my mind. When we were little kids, we always used to cozy up to the stove, to eat, to bathe… all kinds of things in life were all about the stove.

Chen Shu-chun
Teahouse owner
I was preparing this teahouse for the good part of a year. Originally we were going to open in May, but because of the pandemic, we had to postpone it. After the COVID restrictions were lifted, I thought, “Well, we have to get on with life.” No matter how tough the environment is, we have to keep moving forward. So we opened the teahouse, and gradually people came, whether one, two three, locals visitors. When word of it starts getting out, the whole image of us in Kinmen, as well as our teahouse’s image, and the products gradually get shared, then it will attract more and more visitors to come enjoy Kinmen.

The stove is not the only attraction – the interior decor also reflects the building’s history as a bathhouse. It’s a nostalgic atmosphere, unique to Kinmen.

Customer
This shop was once a bathhouse. Then it was remodeled like this. I think it preserves the original vibe, and it’s added some new creative elements. They’ve been integrated and this design reflects a lifestyle, a way of life. It can allow lots of travelers to more deeply get in touch with and more deeply understand our culture.

This young man’s love for his hometown and for tea has certainly met with lots of support so far. It’s gone down well with old and young, local and guest – and given everyone a taste of the old days of the island.