Satotea Tea – Returning to Purity (Taitung)

Satotea is the home of its owner, Shao. The space is minimalist and pure—a direct reflection of the impression she leaves on people.

There are no elaborate or flowery tea settings here. A simple wooden chair serves as a table, complemented by two pieces of calligraphy and a sense of vast, open space. As natural light filters in, the atmosphere is unexpectedly comforting, instantly sweeping away one’s restlessness.

Then, we experienced the "Meditation Tea Ceremony."

During this session, not a word was spoken. We allowed the natural breeze to keep us company while birdsong drifted into our ears. It was Gongfu brewing with wild-grown tea. The tea was crystal clear, gently enveloping the tongue with an alluring floral fragrance. By the second steep, I closed my eyes. My senses became sharper than usual; for a fleeting moment, an image of a dancing fairy appeared in my mind.

The natural aromas of flowers and honey flowed through the air, followed by the elegant, delicate sweetness of the "cold fragrance" left at the bottom of the cup. How I wished this moment of stillness could last forever...

The Heart Reawakened by Tea

Long ago, Shao was a typical office worker. Three years of writing commercial copy left her physically and mentally exhausted—she felt hollowed out, as if she had lost the ability to feel anything.

She went to Germany on a working holiday. A lover of electronic music, she spent an entire year partying. But all it brought her was a deeper sense of emptiness.

At the absolute bottom of that void, she happened to taste Taiwanese tea in Berlin. It hit her like a physical blow to the head. "What on earth is this?" she wondered. Her senses finally returned, and her journey into the world of tea began.

For seven years—seven whole years—she stayed in her Berlin home brewing tea, drop by drop, meditating in silence and exploring her inner self. Her body and mind became increasingly sensitive. Eventually, commercial-grade teas began to make her feel unwell. It was only when she discovered wild-grown tea—experiencing the sensation of her cells opening and her entire being relaxing—that she knew there was no going back.

A Messenger of Nature

Wild-grown tea is hard-earned. It uses no fertilizers and is sometimes harvested only once a year. Only tea grown from such pure land possesses the Qi (vital energy) of the original ecosystem.

Indeed, the two teas I tasted at the "Meditation Tea Ceremony" brought a profound sense of release and a tangible physical reaction (a feeling of warmth and light perspiration). The second tea, an Assam Black Tea, even carried a slightly savoury note—a characteristic unique to wines or teas from healthy ecosystems where the roots reach deep into the soil to express the essence of the soil.

While many teas on the market claim to be "wild-grown," discerning the truth often requires a taster's experience. Shao doesn't just visit the sources; her expertise is the result of over a decade of dedicated practice.

She insists on sharing "clean" tea because wild-grown tea is so precious—it deserves to be tasted with one's whole heart.

"When you can be still, you will see many things."

Reflecting on her past days of numbness, years of inward exploration have taught Shao that "True happiness isn't about how many material possessions or how much fame you have; it’s about how much you are connected to your inner self." She believes the unhappiness of modern people often stems from losing this internal connection.

Through the "Meditation Tea Ceremony," she hopes to use tea to settle the drinker's heart. Only when one is relaxed, quiet, and stable can they look inward, spend time with themselves, and realize what they truly need—or don't need—in life.

One participant once found themselves so relaxed he sprawled out on the floor after the tea, waking up 20 minutes later to say, "I’m so sorry, I fell asleep." Another office worker, who used to rely on strong coffee to survive the workday, finally understood the meaning of "stillness" (定) after the ceremony. They eventually began learning to brew tea and shifted toward a cleaner, more natural diet. "This gave me great encouragement," Shao says. "It showed me that even someone living within 'the system' can find a way to turn their life around."

What she wants to do is broaden our perspective. "I want to show people a different choice—a natural, spontaneous, and stable one. If they bring that into their lives, they might realize: 'Wait, maybe I don't have to pursue and cling to things so forcefully?'"

Website：satotea.com

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