Chicha San Chen uses Taiwanese tea leaves, and has grown from a single hand-shaken drinks shop in Taichung into an international brand with locations abroad. This Taiwan Concept Store, located in Taichung's Nantun District, aims to bring the idea of "offering tea" to the public. The name Chicha San Chen (吃茶三千) comes from the saying "among three thousand ladles of water, one takes but a single scoop": out of the vast, boundless rivers and seas, only one ladleful is drawn — meaning they want to offer guests only the very best cup of tea.

As a tea concept store, it also offers an on-site tea-brewing experience — using the same standards as tea competitions, staff brew Taiwanese oolong tea for guests right there, turning the space from a simple drinks shop into a full lifestyle experience.

There's indoor seating, though not a lot of it — the main draws here are the hand-shaken drinks and the tea-tasting experience. It gets busy on weekends, so if you want to join the tea tasting, remember to grab a number ticket first — there are only five seats available at a time, so you may need to wait a while.

Recommendation: ⭐⭐⭐
Dining environment: ⭐⭐⭐
Taste: ⭐⭐⭐
Typical spending: about NT$100~200 per person
Google rating: 4.8 stars

- Table of Contents -

Chicha San Chen Taiwan Concept Store: A Fresh Face in a Nantun Lane, Taichung

Chicha San Chen sits in a quiet lane in Nantun District, Taichung. The building features huge floor-to-ceiling windows draped in greenery, giving it a strikingly modern, stylish look that blends beautifully with the craft of Taiwanese tea culture — the whole exterior and interior feel fresh and fashionable.

Read more→Taichung food (Chinese)
Read more→Taichung travel (Chinese)
Read more→Taichung hotels (Chinese)

Chicha San Chen: Location

Chicha San Chen is located in Nantun District, Taichung (Google Maps link), about a six-minute walk from Taichung MRT's Shuian Temple Station, which is the most convenient way to get there. Parking is a bit tricky — there's only limited roadside parking and a few small lots — so riding a scooter over is honestly the easiest option.

Chicha San Chen: Inside the Store

The three-story building has the order counter, tea-tasting area, and indoor seating (with restrooms available) on the first floor, with part of it opening up into a double-height space shared with the second floor. The whole space is bright and airy, making it a pleasant spot to sit and enjoy a drink — though the one downside is that indoor seating is limited, so it's not really a place to linger for long.

Chicha San Chen: Drink Menu

Chicha San Chen's signature drink is the King's Pearl Milk Tea, with wonderfully chewy pearls. They also offer a range of flavored teas that taste great, though keep in mind the sugar and ice levels are often fixed for certain drinks — it's worth double-checking with staff.

Chicha San Chen menu — ▲Chicha San Chen's build-your-own drink menu

Chicha San Chen: The Tea-Tasting Experience

The signature feature of the Chicha San Chen Taiwan Concept Store is its oolong tea-tasting experience: you compare leaves roasted to different degrees, smell their aromas, choose one, and watch as it's brewed for you on the spot using the exact same method used in tea competitions — precise measurements of leaf weight, water temperature, cup temperature, and steeping time. It might seem like a small detail to the average person, but experiencing it in person really does feel like a ritual.