The Lantern Festival is the first full-moon night of the lunar new year and carries the meaning of "the beginning of a new cycle." Eating a bowl of piping-hot tangyuan on this day symbolizes family reunion and happiness. With today's emphasis on healthy eating, the New Taipei Agriculture Bureau has launched a delicious combination of "New Taipei Fine Tea" and "tea tangyuan." This innovative dual new way of eating not only lets you taste the flavor of tangyuan, but also lets you savor the flavor of tea, and taste health as well.

The Agriculture Bureau said that within New Taipei City there are 9 main tea-producing areas, producing 6 kinds of local specialty tea with different degrees of fermentation: Biluochun, sweet and refreshing with a clear mung bean fragrance; Wenshan Baozhong tea, with a floral aroma; Longshou tea, which emphasizes throat resonance and has a balanced aroma and flavor; Oriental Beauty tea, rich in fruity fragrance like fruit tea; Tieguanyin, with a charcoal-fired flavor; and honey-scented black tea, which has the mouthfeel of black tea yet a slight fruity aroma. The healthy new approach uses tea instead of sugar water; tea has a refreshing, greasiness-cutting effect, and the sweetness of the tangyuan filling can reduce the tea's astringency, making a superb match.

The Agriculture Bureau pointed out that Pinglin is the largest production area of Baozhong tea in all of Taiwan. In addition to producing high-quality tea leaves, "Dezhi Tea Garden" on Beiyi Road in Pinglin District, New Taipei City, has been deeply cultivated for more than 40 years. Its "tea tangyuan" is a popular local product. The tangyuan kneaded with Baozhong tea as the raw material are all made by the skilled hands of three generations, old, middle-aged and young, of tea artisans. Tea tangyuan carries the meaning of home, tea fragrance and reunion. This year at the Lantern Festival, eat a bowl of steaming hot tea tangyuan with distinctive character, paired with New Taipei fine tea, for a seasonal and stomach-warming taste of local delicacies.

New Taipei City Agriculture Director Li Wen said that when New Taipei City handles tea evaluations in each production area, it strictly implements the "tea clearance plan" and conducts pesticide spot-check management, all guaranteeing local production, so that the public can drink with peace of mind and health. A bowl of tea tangyuan at the Lantern Festival symbolizes complete happiness and brings everyone a year of good luck. If the public wants to buy New Taipei fine tea products, they can look for the competition tea products held by the farmers' associations of New Taipei City's various tea areas. Choosing the "New Taipei Fine Tea" brand is a guarantee of safety and peace of mind.

           New Taipei launches the New Taipei Lantern Festival happiness combo, with the innovative fine tea + tea tangyuan letting the public have a healthy taste. (Provided by the New Taipei Agriculture Bureau)