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Stepping into T’e Zao Ka in Dadaocheng, you're greeted by a large wooden table at the center, surrounded by shelves filled with various tea pots and utensils. Upon entering, I thought, "Hmm! This is quite different from a typical tea space. What’s the story here?"
The owner, Li Min-dao, is not only a tea enthusiast but also a coffee researcher and a master of kintsugi (the art of repairing broken pottery with gold). He currently teaches three days a week, and the shop is filled with students waiting to complete their kintsugi projects.
Chatting with Li, you can feel his playful and inquisitive spirit. The shop is filled with treasures: Master Chen Jingliang's incense burners and tea sets, works from the Xiaofang Kiln... This place is like his playground, a laboratory for him and his guests to explore. It's no surprise he joyfully declares, "Every day feels amazing!"
Pursuing What You Truly Love
Rewind to 2015, when Li had just retired from the interior design industry. He began contemplating the next chapter of his life, seeking to engage in what he truly loved. Having grown up drinking tea with his parents, Taiwanese tea was in his blood. During his studies in Australia, his happiest moments revolved around sipping cappuccinos. These memories fueled his deep dive into tea and coffee.
In 2017, a friend offered him a shop in Dihua Street. After agreeing, he promptly moved in within a week, embarking on this playful journey while learning on the job.
The Wonderful Fusion of Tea and Coffee
Both tea and coffee are plants influenced by climate, terroir, fermentation, and craftsmanship, making their concepts quite similar. Li distinguishes between "tasting" and "drinking," separating "daily tea" from "premium tea." He found that learning about coffee involved scientific and logical approaches, while tea knowledge often lacked depth, creating a vacuum of understanding.
Li explores the science of tea, recognizing that many tea enthusiasts and farmers rely on intuition and experience. However, his love for research led him to use a machine that detects the moisture content in tea leaves, conducting numerous experiments to gain scientific insights.
His passion for both tea and coffee resulted in the creation of "Tai Chi Tea Coffee," a blend of coffee and tea leaves, which requires seven infusions. This product has won multiple awards and has been promoted in collaboration with Japan Airlines. He later developed an infusion version of Tai Chi Tea Coffee.
The Beauty of Imperfection in Kintsugi
Li's journey in kintsugi spans over ten years. After his first class, he continued self-learning, experimenting with natural lacquer to perfect various repair techniques, ultimately creating pieces with a resonant sound and solid structure. His methods take time and require patience and experience, which is why many unfinished tea sets fill the shop—"The more a kintsugi piece has been broken, the more beautiful its rebirth."
The imperfections of kintsugi pieces contribute to their unique beauty, with each piece showcasing its finest presentation.
Many friends have suggested expanding the business or offering snacks in the space, but after careful consideration, Li chose to maintain the lifestyle he envisioned, stating, "I want to do what makes me comfortable." He focuses solely on his strengths without the desire to manage employees, enjoying each day to the fullest.
This relaxed attitude towards life is what he shares with everyone at T’e Zao Ka.
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