Hong Kong TEA Museum

Walking the hot, hilly, and busy streets of Hong Kong was one of the best experiences of my life. I was like a butterfly in the wind as I would set out on an adventure in the morning and find myself lost and loving it by the end of the day. Around every corn was another amazing adventure and as I expected another cup of tea.

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While grabbing my 1st Hong Kong breakfast I didn't know the words in Chinese for the food I pointed at on the menu but I know that "cha" meant tea. I had no idea what kind of tea they would give me but I was pretty sure would not be the Lipton's green tea normally served in the US, I was ecstatic they gave me pu'erh tea. It was a nice complement to the rich buttery toast and "runny" eggs I apparently ordered.

Once your belly is full and you begin really strolling the rolling hills Hong Kong calls streets and the sweat starts running you can run into one of the many 7-11 stores and grab a nice cold bottled unsweetened oolong tea. As I was searching the shelves for something to drink I was jumping for joy when I saw some of my favorite words on the back of this bottle, Oolong Tea. It was a pleasant surprise it was plain heavy roasted tea with no sweetener, needless to say I drank at least 8 of these during my 5 day stay in HK.

On Hong Kong Island you will certainly find your way to Hong Kong Park where you should plan at least a day to explore because the landscape is very captivating. The air is full of waterfalls and birds chirping and the smell of green plants and aromatic flowers. Its a refreshing change to the 1,000s of skyscraper that fill the city from end to end. When you need a break from the blistering heat I recommend visiting the Flagstaff Tea Museum right in the middle of the park. It was built in the 1840s and reflects the colonial period of Britain rule over the Hong Kong. They have transformed the British commanders office into a unique tea education experience. As you travel from room to room you learn so much history about popular types of tea wares and ways the locals produce and consume various styles of tea and herbs.

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I was burning so many calories from walking so much I found myself snacking a lot and there are amazing bakeries on every corner. You can try some interesting things if you are willing to give the unknown a try. Is with this attitude I learned that I love love love Mochi. Its a chewy gelatinous rice mixture that is added to many candies and pastries. My favorite treat discovery was a green tea pastry with mochi and red bean sandwiched in the middle. It paired perfectly with my bottled unsweetened Oolong Tea as I strolled the HK streets.

Not only do they have amazing snacks available everyday all day the most unique experience that is very authentically Hong Kong is a Dim Sum meal. The words Dim Sum translate to "touch the heart". I walked into a random dim sum shop and sat watching families gathering, laughing and enjoying the plates of food on their tables. After randomly selecting 5 items from the menu I got to practicing my use of chop sticks and soon my taste buds were popping from all the new flavors I just encountered. Not only was most of the food amazing I was able to successfully order a refreshing cup of Jasmine scented tea. I still have no clue why type of tea it was but it was the perfect palate cleaner. Now I was ready to hit the streets again and find more adventures.

I can not wait to hit the streets of Hong Kong again and experience all things I was to full or to tired to experience the 1st time around. I will miss my daily visit to the ginseng tea vendor around the corner. It was always to hot to drink the cup but I could never pass him without grabbing one.