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Just a turn off the bustling Dihua Street, you enter a quiet alley that gently calms your senses. Gradually coming into view is Teast by Morganhope, a chic and stylish teahouse.
The young founder, Paul Cheung, started this brand ten years ago. In the blink of an eye, time has passed—now holding his not-yet-two-year-old son in his arms, he reminisces about how he was once a young man with nothing but a dream of starting his own business.
A Decade of Dedication
Paul’s journey with tea began by chance. A major client wanted to import Taiwanese tea, and although he was a complete novice, he and his team spent an entire year traveling across Taiwan’s tea-growing regions to understand the craft at its roots and to learn from tea masters. The more he learned, the more he fell in love with tea—and ultimately dove headfirst into the industry.
Starting from scratch, Paul recalls how he couldn’t even pay salaries in the early days. Without spending heavily on advertising, they relied on time and quality to build a customer base. They even attracted a young and talented tea maker, Jiang Jinxing, to join the team and craft teas with a unique style. Their products began winning international awards.
From Guesthouse to Tea Space
In 2018, they opened a small guesthouse on Dihua Street. This street, aside from being a tourist destination, was once a hub for Taiwan’s tea exports—rich in history. Paul says, “It’s a place steeped in culture and humanity… not overly commercial, and it values human connection,” which aligns with their brand values.
In 2022, during the height of the pandemic, the teahouse was eerily quiet. Paul planned to relocate the store to reduce costs, and everything was agreed upon—until the landlord backed out just two days before signing the lease. He was deeply disappointed.
However, around that time, some corporate clients invited them to host one-on-one tea tasting experiences. These became increasingly successful. Six months later, the pandemic suddenly ended, and they had managed to pull through. Last year, they expanded the space, renovated, and transformed it into a fashionable lifestyle teahouse.
Bringing Tea into Everyday Life
The teahouse features a large glass window, allowing passersby to see inside. The interior design resembles that of a modern café. Morganhope’s youthful team aims to overturn the stereotype that “tea is only for the elderly,” and instead make tea stylish and trendy. Over 80% of their customers are foreigners—tourists in shorts and flip-flops who can enjoy tea without worrying about being too formal or stiff. “Tea is inherently a part of daily life,” Paul says, “but the essence of tea must still be done well.”
Sharing Clean, Pure Tea
The word organ in their brand name refers to organic. They advocate for eco-friendly tea farming. Even if not fully certified organic, their teas must at least pass tests for heavy metals and pesticide residues in the soil. “We drink tea every day and brew it for people around us. Given the volume, it can’t be harmful to the body.”
In the tea world, Paul’s team are all first-generation entrepreneurs—with no baggage and the courage to innovate. “Tea has infinite possibilities.” With their own tea maker, they experiment with different methods to create unique flavors. For example, they roast Tieguanyin to a light or medium level—unconventional in the industry—and shape it into twisted strips rather than traditional beads.
The “Artisan Forest Oolong” we sampled that day was delightfully fragrant and filled with the essence of high mountain forests. Customers can brew the tea themselves four to five times, savoring it slowly—or sit at the bar to chat with the tea maker while enjoying their cup. It’s a relaxed experience.
Blessing Others with Gospel Verses
Paul is a Christian. From being a tea novice to promoting Taiwanese tea on the global stage, and from a tiny reception area to today’s tea space, it’s been nearly ten years. He once doubted himself when the move fell through, but looking back, not relocating turned out to be a great blessing.
He prints Bible verses related to tea on the tea canisters. For example, the High Mountain Tea canister reads: “The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.”
The Jin Xuan tea canister features verses about honoring one’s parents, because Jin Xuan was bred by Mr. Wu Zhenduo of Taiwan’s Tea Research and Extension Station by crossing the Hard Stem Red Heart and Tainung No. 8 varieties. The tea tree was named after his grandmother.
With hope for the future, the Morganhope team is committed to integrating Taiwanese tea into modern life. We look forward to seeing what the next decade holds for them!
Teast by Morganhope｜Tea Space
No. 30, Lane 46, Section 1, Dihua Street, Datong District, Taipei City 103
https://morganhope.com.twLink
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