FORMOSA brew

A little journey to Taiwan, one cup at a time 🍵✨ One of our latest workshops with Yi Chun of @formosabrew was all about discovering the richness and diversity of Taiwanese teas — and what a beautiful experience it was. Among the highlights, a remarkable red oolong and a beautifully roasted Dong Ding stood out, both offering unexpected depth and character. Not to mention Yi Chun’s Oriental Beauty that we were longing to taste from the very beginning! Thank you to everyone who joined and made it so special. More tea stories coming soon… #taiwanesetea #oolongtea #teaeducation #tealovers

🍵 Explore the Soul of Taiwanese Tea at Brussels Tea Day! 🇹🇼 Brussels tea enthusiasts, mark your calendars! FORMOSA brew is incredibly proud to be part of the upcoming Brussels Tea Day. Taiwan is home to some of the most diverse and exceptional teas in the world. At our stand, we invite you to embark on a sensory journey through the rich heritage of Taiwanese tea culture. From the high-altitude, crisp floral notes of our Light Oolongs to the deep, complex, and honeyed profiles of our Grand Cru Roasted Oolongs—come discover the breathtaking diversity of our island's terroir. ✨ Take the Experience Home: Loved what you tasted? We will have our premium, vacuum-sealed tea leaves flown directly from Taiwan available for purchase on-site. Bring the authentic Taiwanese tea experience into your daily life. Come share a cup, hear the stories behind the leaves, and experience true tea craftsmanship with us! 📆31 mai 2026 de 14:00 à 18:00 📍Maison Pelgrims, (rue de Parme 69, 1060, Saint Gilles, Belgique) Tickets: Hit the link /brussels-tea-day-1

Europeans truly know how to appreciate fine tea! 🥂 Our signature Roasted Oolong has officially sold out much faster than we anticipated. A huge thank you to everyone who made this deep, "red-wine-like" tea our top best-seller this month! We are already arranging a fresh batch to be flown in straight from Taiwan. 🇹🇼✈️ In this completely unpredictable Brussels weather lately—spring sunshine one minute, and chilly rain the next! 🌦️ To match these fluctuating temperatures, here is what we are brewing at the FORMOSA brew atelier right now: 🌧️ When it gets suddenly chilly: Wrap your hands around a warm mug of our Red Oolong. With its rich, comforting notes of honey, ripe fruit, and gentle caramel, it’s the perfect cozy companion for a rainy Belgian afternoon. ☀️ When the sun finally comes out: Refresh instantly with a cold-steeped Fruit Flavor Dong Ding Oolong. Crisp, floral, and acting just like a fine white wine—it’s the ultimate zero-alcohol refreshment for your sunny terrace moments. Which one matches your mood today? Hit the link in our bio to explore these seasonal lifesavers while we wait for the Dark Roast to return! ✨ #FORMOSABrew #EliteSobriety #TaiwanTea #OolongTea #BrusselsFoodie #TeaPairing #NonAlcoholic #BrusselsLife #TeaTime #SoldOut

May 5th marks "Lixia" (Start of Summer) ☀️. In TCM, summer belongs to the "Fire" element, directly corresponding to the Heart. It’s time to focus on cardiovascular health and emotional balance. 🥣 Wellness Focus: "Nourish the Heart & Strengthen the Spleen." Incorporate red foods like tomatoes, carrots, and red dates to protect your heart. To combat heat without hurting your digestion, opt for Winter Melon, Lotus Seed, and Papaya. ⚠️ Pro Tip: Avoid ice-cold drinks! Overcooling causes "dampness." Choose warm or room-temp infusions to stay light. 🍵 Tea Pairings: * Jinxuan: Floral & creamy. Perfect Cold-brew to extinguish heat. * Dong Ding: Light-roasted to expel dampness. * Tieguanyin: Rich amino acids to quench deep thirst.

Why is that after-work drink so tempting? 🍷✨ After a long day, many of us rely on a drink to switch off. That instant feeling of relaxation is actually your brain experiencing a "force quit"—specifically targeting your Prefrontal Cortex (PFC). 🧠 Who is the PFC? The Strict CEO of Your Brain It’s the general manager in charge of logic, decision-making, impulse control, and... making you anxious. As an entrepreneur or professional, your CEO is constantly overloaded, nagging: "Is that done yet?" or "Watch out for this!" When alcohol enters your bloodstream, it temporarily "sedates" this strict CEO. When your inner critic goes quiet and anxiety powers down, you feel an overwhelming sense of relief. 📉 But this relaxation is "borrowed" A force quit comes at a price. As the alcohol wears off, your brain releases more stress hormones to restore balance. That's why when the CEO reboots the next day, anxiety comes back with a vengeance—aka "Hangxiety" (Hangover + Anxiety). 🌱 How to let the CEO "clock out" without alcohol? Once we understand the mechanism, we can try gentler approaches: 1️⃣ Enter a "Flow State" 🎨 Find a low-pressure task that requires focus: cooking, painting, or lifting weights. Shift your brain from "planning mode" to "execution mode," and the anxiety will naturally quiet down. 2️⃣ Awaken "Sensory Focus" 🍵 The PFC loves to think, but it’s terrible at processing pure senses. Spend 10 minutes focusing on the feel of a hot shower, or mindfully brew a cup of premium loose-leaf tea. Let the aroma and temperature hijack your senses, leaving no room for intrusive thoughts. 3️⃣ Environmental Switch 🚶‍♂️ Leave your desk! Go for a walk or connect with nature. Tell your brain directly: "We are safe now, you can stand down." True high-quality relaxation isn't about knocking your brain unconscious; it's about learning how to let your exhausted CEO rest gracefully. Tonight, how will you let your Prefrontal Cortex clock out? 🌙

April 20th marks "Guyu" (Grain Rain), the 6th of the 24 Solar Terms and the final period of spring. Guyu is famously celebrated as a traditional Tea Festival. An old proverb says, "Sprouts emerge in Qingming, but true tea arrives in Guyu." Legend has it that drinking tea harvested on this day clears internal heat, wards off negativity, and brightens the eyes. In southern tea regions, it is a cherished custom to hike the mountains and pick fresh tea leaves on this day, regardless of the weather, brewing a fresh cup to pray for good health. 🥣 Traditional wellness during this transition focuses on "strengthening the spleen and gently nourishing the liver." It is highly recommended to eat red-toned foods like red beans, pumpkin, red cabbage, lotus root, and carrots to gently prepare and warm the body for the approaching summer. To balance the rising heat and expel seasonal dampness, you can also incorporate cooling vegetables like spinach, winter melon, loofah, and cucumber, or enjoy a soothing yam and barley (Job's tears) soup. ⚠️ As the humidity rises with the spring rains, it is advisable to avoid overly greasy, heavy, or intensely spicy foods. Limiting these will prevent the accumulation of internal dampness, ensuring your digestive system stays unburdened and your body remains light. 🍵 For your tea ritual, we highly recommend a hot Green Tea (such as Bi Luo Chun or Longjing) or a lightly oxidized, gently roasted Oolong. These specific teas are perfect for clearing seasonal heat, dispelling dampness, and refreshing the mind, perfectly aligning your body and spirit with the vibrant energy of the season.

The Taiwan Exclusives | Sculpting Flavor of Dong Ding Oolong [ Countdown to April 12 FORMOSA Grand Cru: A Sensory Curation ] This is more than just a tea tasting; it is a journey of "flavor translation." On April 12, we will guide you into the world of Taiwan's Grand Cru teas: ❶ Origin & Flavor: Decoding the flavors in your cup through the lens of terroir and geography. ❷ Blind Tasting Challenge: Guiding you to identify different tea varieties purely by observing the dry leaves and the color of the liquor. ❸ The Art of Craftsmanship: Witnessing how the same type of tea can transform into completely different souls under varying roasting and oxidation techniques. Grown on the same mountain, from the exact same cultivar, and perhaps even plucked from the very same tree—Dong Ding Oolong is elevated into completely contrasting, mesmerizing profiles in the hands of Taiwanese tea artisans. At our April 12th workshop, we will guide you through a "sensory parallel universe" tasting: Fruit Scented Dong Ding Infused with exquisite, native Taiwanese tropical fruits through a meticulous scenting technique, creating a uniquely crisp and refreshing profile. Roasted Dong Ding Forged by the art of roasting, it transforms into profound, grounding notes of toasted nuts, rich wood, and caramel. This is exactly why Taiwanese Oolong captivates the world—the "magic of craftsmanship." The tea leaf is not merely a product of its terroir; it is a canvas for the tea master's ultimate sculpting of flavor. The exact same DNA, yet capable of delivering both the crisp lightness of a fine white wine and the profound depth of an aged whiskey. Only at @theteacirclebrussels

The Taiwan Exclusives | Ruby Black & Red Oolong [ Countdown to April 12 FORMOSA Grand Cru: A Sensory Curation ] This is more than just a tea tasting; it is a journey of "flavor translation." On April 12, we will guide you into the world of Taiwan's Grand Cru teas: ❶ Origin & Flavor: Decoding the flavors in your cup through the lens of terroir and geography. ❷ Blind Tasting Challenge: Guiding you to identify different tea varieties purely by observing the dry leaves and the color of the liquor. ❸ The Art of Craftsmanship: Witnessing how the same type of tea can transform into completely different souls under varying roasting and oxidation techniques. Why can you not find these two flavors anywhere else in the world? 🌿 Ruby Black (TTES No. 18): A Unique Taiwanese DNA This is no ordinary black tea; it carries the bloodline of Taiwan's native wild mountain tea. It took Taiwanese tea experts over 50 years to perfect this globally unique cultivar. * Flavor Profile: A brilliant ruby liquor that naturally releases breathtaking notes of wild mint and cinnamon. A biological masterpiece exclusive to Taiwan. 🔥 Red Oolong: An Innovative Craft Revolution Born in Taitung, Taiwan, this tea is pure innovation. Local tea masters broke traditional boundaries by combining the "heavy oxidation of black tea" with the "heavy roasting of oolong." * Flavor Profile: It possesses the deep amber color of black tea but retains the roasted aroma of oolong, delivering intense notes of ripe fruit and a warm, comforting roasted finish. * Blind Tasting Hint: In our tasting game on April 12, remember their secret codes—if you smell a refreshing "minty" note, it’s Ruby Black; if you get a warm "roasted ripe fruit" aroma, it’s Red Oolong! 🎫 Update: Over 50% Booked! Limited seats remaining. 🔗 Reserve your seat by email: [email protected] 📅 Sunday, 12 April · 14:30–17:30 📍 The Tea Circle Brussels 💶 €70 · Limited seats #FormosaBrew #GrandCruTea #RubyBlack #RedOolong #SensoryCuration #BrusselsFoodie #TeaWorkshop #ZeroProof #TeaTasting #Taiwantea #Brussels #Workshop

《24 Solar Terms ｜ Pure Brightness》 A Beautiful Spring Coincidence: We eat boiled eggs too! 🥚 This week marks "Qingming." For us in Taiwan, this day is much like "All Saints' Day" in Europe—a deeply important time for families to gather, sweep tombs, and honor our ancestors. Interestingly, we also eat boiled eggs during this festival! After the rituals, we peel the shells off the boiled eggs and eat them. This act of "peeling the shell" symbolizes shedding old illnesses and bad luck, welcoming a fresh start and good health. It resonates beautifully with the European Easter egg, which also symbolizes rebirth and breaking through the shell. 🥣 Seasonal Wellness: Light & Anti-Dampness Qingming brings gentle spring rain, which can increase "dampness" in the body. • Dietary Advice: Keep your diet light. Avoid heavy, greasy foods and inflammatory ingredients (like shellfish or bamboo shoots) that trigger spring allergies. • Nourish the Spleen: We recommend "white foods" like Chinese yam and barley to clear dampness, alongside seasonal greens like spinach. 🍵 Curator’s Tea Pairing: To balance the humid spring days, we recommend two distinct sensory choices: 1. Light-Oxidation High Mountain Oolong (e.g., Shanlinxi): Its bright, crisp forest notes help clear the body's dampness and bring a sense of lightness. 2. Roasted Dong Ding Oolong: If the spring rain makes you feel chilly, its deep, warm roasted aroma is perfect for warming the stomach and calming the mind. In this season of remembrance and renewal, find your balance with a perfect cup of Grand Cru tea.

The Only One in Belgium | Oriental Beauty [ Countdown to April 12 FORMOSA Grand Cru: A Sensory Curation ] This is more than just a tea tasting; it is a journey of "flavor translation." On April 12, we will guide you into the world of Taiwan's Grand Cru teas: ❶ Origin & Flavor: Decoding the flavors in your cup through the lens of terroir and geography. ❷ Blind Tasting Challenge: Guiding you to identify different tea varieties purely by observing the dry leaves and the color of the liquor. ❸ The Art of Craftsmanship: Witnessing how the same type of tea can transform into completely different souls under varying roasting and oxidation techniques. One of our curated protagonists: Oriental Beauty — exclusively provided in Belgium by FORMOSA brew. Oriental Beauty is a pure "miracle of nature." Its flavor profile is not crafted by humans alone, but rather through a beautiful collaboration with nature. Only in pesticide-free Grand Cru gardens, when the leaves are gently bitten by tiny leafhoppers, does the tea plant trigger a natural defense mechanism. This process yields an enchanting, naturally sweet honey and ripe fruit aroma. Flavor Profile: Intense notes of honey, ripe lychee, and tropical fruits, delivering an elegant and silky mouthfeel reminiscent of champagne. Curation Highlight: During the blind tasting, its rich honey structure often leads people to think it is artificially flavored. On April 12, we will teach you how to recognize this natural sweetness born from a beautiful "wound." In Belgium, this exclusive flavor can only be found at FORMOSA brew. 🔗 Reserve your seat by email: [email protected] 📅 Sunday, 12 April · 14:30–17:30 📍 The Tea Circle Brussels 💶 €70 · Limited seats #FormosaBrew #GrandCruTea #OrientalBeauty #SensoryCuration #BrusselsFoodie #TeaWorkshop #ZeroProof #ExclusiveInBelgium #TeaTasting #taiwantea

Not all teas are made equal. Some carry the altitude of a cloud-wrapped mountain, the patience of a fourth-generation farmer, and the restraint of a tradition that has never needed to explain itself. On April 12, The Tea Circle Brussels and FORMOSA BREW open the doors to an exclusive tasting of 8+ rare Taiwanese teas — from the most delicate unroasted high-mountain Oolongs to deep, complex roasted varieties that reward attention. Led by a Certified Taiwanese Tea Taster. Curated for those who take flavour seriously. — 📅 Sunday, 12 April · 14:30–17:30 📍 The Tea Circle Brussels 💶 €70 · Limited seats Reserve your place → [email protected]