Taiwan Food Atlas

Winter Melon Tea

A Fucheng sweet drink brewed from century-old sugar bricks — one cup of old Tainan
📍 Tainan · Zhongxi District · Yongfu Road (across from Wu Temple)● Collector-level · Beverages🍽 Traditional winter melon sugar brick, slow-cooked by ancient method

Buy a cup of winter melon tea at the old shop across from Wu Temple. The amber liquid carries a caramel-like sweetness; it goes down cold and cuts right through the heat of Fucheng. Winter melon tea is the most familiar traditional drink on Tainan streets, found everywhere from temple courtyards to lane corners. One cup of this seemingly plain sweet drink represents hours of cooking time and the taste of old Tainan.

What is Winter Melon Tea

Winter melon tea is a traditional sweet drink made by slowly simmering winter melon with sugar into a concentrated brick, then dissolving it in water. The tea is amber in color, cleanly sweet with a caramel-like fragrance, contains no caffeine, and is at its most refreshing served cold. It is a common old-style beverage across Taiwan, with particularly deep roots in Tainan.

The key to winter melon tea lies in making the sugar brick — repeatedly stirring winter melon and sugar together, cooking it down until it crystallizes into a solid brick. The dissolved drink carries a rich caramel sweetness that is entirely different from simple sugar water. According to Yi Feng Winter Melon Tea's official website, the shop was founded in 1912 and is one of the last traditional winter melon sugar shops surviving in Fucheng, with the main factory located on Yongfu Road directly across from Wu Temple. This ancient brick-making process is the foundation that allows Tainan's winter melon tea to claim its status as a local signature drink.

How to enjoy it

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Cold is the best wayWinter melon tea served cold best highlights the caramel sweetness and its heat-beating quality — one cup while strolling through temples or along old streets is the most refreshing experience.
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Add lemon to cut the sweetnessIf straight winter melon tea feels too sweet, add lemon to make winter melon lemonade — the sour-sweet balance makes it more refreshing, a popular variation.
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Look for the brick-cooked typeAuthentic winter melon tea uses a dissolved sugar brick — the caramel fragrance is rich but not cloyingly sweet — and tastes distinctly different from drinks made with chemical syrup.
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Buy a cup after visiting the templeThe main factory is directly across from Wu Temple. Picking up a cup after visiting Chikan Tower and Wu Temple is the natural local routine.

Local knowledge

Verified endorsements (sponsored content filtered out)

  • Yi Feng Winter Melon Tea's official website states the shop was founded in 1912.
  • Yi Feng is considered one of the last traditional winter melon sugar shops surviving in Fucheng.
  • Its main factory is located on Yongfu Road across from Wu Temple; it is not a Michelin-listed item.

Practical tips

  • The main factory is on Yongfu Road in Zhongxi District, directly facing Sidian Wu Temple — easy to locate.
  • It's close to Chikan Tower, Wu Temple, and Da Tian Hou Gong, making it easy to add to a Zhongxi District historic sites walking route.
  • This is a street-side beverage shop, primarily open during the day through early evening — most convenient to stop by while visiting nearby historic sites.

Information compiled from the Michelin Guide, the Tainan City Government Tourism website, and public reviews, with sponsored content filtered out. Photos will be replaced after on-site shooting.

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