Zheng Yuan Ming Tea

Review

Zheng Yuan Ming Tea, also called Zheng Yuan Tea House, is a tea shop of about thirty years on Duxing Road in the North District, directly across from Duxing Elementary School. Its main business is tea leaves, but the foil ice pouches in the freezer under the arcade are more famous: a childhood after-school cooler for local students that media often include in lists of old-fashioned drinks around Taiwan. The packaging says the pouches are sealed by a partner ice factory, while the recipe is the shop's own brew.

Each pouch holds about 240 ml, in black tea, green tea, winter melon tea and roselle; chrysanthemum has been discontinued. Reports describe the black tea as carrying a nostalgic aroma like cassia seed and roasted barley without being cloying; the green tea has a jasmine scent and is the least sweet of the four; the winter melon tea is cooked from traditional winter melon blocks and tastes more natural than the lunch-box shop version many remember; the roselle includes hawthorn for a clear sweet-tart finish. Overall the sweetness is kept light.

Prices have risen over the years: a 2020 report listed NT$8 for one pouch and about NT$6 each in bulk, while a 2026 roundup says NT$9 each for under ten and NT$7 each for ten or more. Fans love that it is cheap, nostalgic and can be frozen into slush. The main complaints are that the sign only says tea wholesale, so it is easy to miss, and on hot days the staff stay indoors, making the shop look closed; on busy days it may also sell out.

Opening information differs between sources: our data says closed Mondays, 10:00 to 21:00, while a 2026 roundup says open every day, 10:00 to 22:00, so check before you go and call ahead for evening visits. Payment is mainly cash. Pouches keep about five days refrigerated or ninety days frozen; thaw for 10 to 15 minutes and squeeze for instant slush, and bring a cooler bag if you are taking them to another city. Parking spaces nearby are hard to find, so a scooter is easier.

It suits anyone who wants to relive a childhood taste or show children an old-school drink. Buying one pouch of each flavor to compare is the most fun; take them home, freeze them, and squeeze them into slush on a summer day.