Smith & Hsu: amazing scones and tea selection in Taiwan

December 24, 2024

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Everyone knows you have to drink bubble tea in Taiwan. Of course you gotta try every brand and tick your checklist, right?

However, tea is also something you can’t miss in Taiwan. After all, it produces some of the best tea leaves and oolong tea in the world.

Smith & Hsu is a prominent tea brand and tea house in Taiwan. After having way too much bubble tea during our trip, we thought it would be a great idea to try some afternoon tea there.

What to eat and drink at Smith & Hsu

They have a few branches and we went to the one in Zhongshan. It’s a little small, and not very crowded. Perhaps it was because we went on a weekday.

Below is the menu that I managed to snap:

If you’re looking at ordering the set per person, you can expect to pay at least USD 10-15 per person.

Now the best part about dining at Smith & Hsu: picking your tea!

While it’s not uncommon to have a variety of tea leaves to choose from, Smith & Hsu really elevated the experience by giving you samples to smell. They’ve also taken the effort to label which ones are top-sellers, and which ones are grown in Taiwan.

I really appreciated that they give their customers a chance to sniff their tea before making a decision. Sometimes it’s just a little difficult to make a decision simply based on the name and description alone!

We took our own time to sniff through the ones that we were interested in, and eventually settled on the Countess Grey Citrus. This one’s ranked No.4!

We got a Sweet One set to share among 3 of us. This comes with a scone, 1/2 clotted cream, 1/2 English farm jam, a cookie, 1 tea jelly, and 1 pot of tea.

The presentation was quite cute! I don’t know why they thought of sticking the British flag on the scone. Maybe they just want to emphasise the idea of having afternoon tea?

We weren’t particularly impressed by any of the condiments, be it the cream, tea jelly, or jam (oops).

What really stood out, however, was the scone! It was buttery and fragrant, and we definitely enjoyed eating it even on its own.

Now for the tea:

I’m no tea connoisseur, but I do enjoy a good cup of earl grey tea. As expected from prior sniffing of the tea leaves, this was really fragrant and invigorating, with a nice citrus tinge.

Is Smith & Hsu worth trying?

I’ve seen mostly positive reviews of the afternoon tea experience here, with the exception of some complaining that the teas are heavily perfumed or the price point too high.

I quite enjoyed my own time at Smith & Hsu, particularly those delicious scones. However, I wouldn’t necessarily say they served the best tea or food at a tea house.

The sampling of tea leaves was a genuinely nice touch that I appreciated, and which I think many people visit Smith & Hsu for. Other than that, I don’t find any strong reasons for me to return the next time I’m in Taiwan.

It’s still a lovely experience that you can definitely try out though, especially if you’re in the area!

DIRECTIONS

Address: No. 21, Sec. 1, Nanjing E. Rd., Zhongshan Dist, Zhongshan District, Taipei Taiwan

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