An unusual, small-leaf Mao Feng varietal that is well-known in Fujian Province and virtually unknown outside of China. This tea is typically found in the market by early April. The leaves are light green in color and attractively curved. The taste is sweet, with a clean vegetal aroma. It is lighter, less vegetal in body than many green varietals and this makes it a pleasing everyday use tea. A good value given the high quality and workmanship of the leaf.
Xian Tao is a green tea sewn with silken thread into a Litchi Nut shape, then infused with the scent of Jasmine flowers. Beautifully shaped leaves fold back to present a scarlet–red Clover flower. The taste is delicious and sweet and the leaf varietal does not get bitter as it steeps. Place in a sturdy wine glass or glass teapot in water of about 185–195 degrees.
Named for the fact this tea will yield 3 fragrant cups from its sweet leaves. An elegantly shaped leaf offering a soft vegetal taste that gives way to a sweetness that will linger. Its leaves are slender, uniform in size and curved in shape. Pan-fired using the "san bei xiang" process that results in leaves in shades of dark green to a silver-gray sheen. A traditional Fujianese green tea, this is a very well-made, full-bodied green tea.
Exceptional quality, grown in the mountains of Fujian Province, handpicked and traditionally fired in bamboo baskets. Beautiful, long leaves with silver tips offer a slightly fruity taste with light, natural sweetness. An unusual varietal reflects unique regional characteristics in coloration, leaf size and taste. This is one of the strongest tasting green teas we offer.
Playful, early-spring tea from Fujian Province, made of hand-crafted, green leaves mixed with plenty of small white buds. The leaf and budsets are carefully worked to thick, very curly shapes that make the tea very light in weight. Taste is best with a high portion of white leaf. This is a traditional Chinese green that steeps to a very likeable, sweet-nutty flavor. It is belly-warming, palate satisfying and serves well as an everyday beverage and will compliment food.
Another of the local green varietals one finds in the mountains and hillsides of Fujian Province. Leaves are a rich color, then pan-fired and shaped to a small curved leaf that offers a wild and natural- fruity taste that will linger. Cup color is clear light green. This lot was harvested early in the spring. We find the fresh taste of this tea very enlivening.
Grown at an elevation of 1000+ meters, this is an organically grown, hand-crafted yellow tea, from Anhui Province. Its long, shapely deep-green leaves have been carefully crafted to bring out its deep smooth and lush floral character. Astringency in yellow teas is rare as the extra steam or oxidization increases it sweetness. Always a refreshing and naturally sweet tea that offers liquor that is strikingly clear and clean. This is an excellent tea for everyday consumption.
Perhaps our sweetest tasting oolong! This lot was grown at the highest elevations of the Phoenix Mountains in the Feng Huang area of Guangdong Province. Once harvested, the leaves are withered then artistically shaped by a tea master we know well. The leaves are wood charcoal fired in wicker baskets to create a distinctive, red-green leaf with a fruity and roasted aroma. This small, terraced tea farm harvests from oolong trees that are, in cases, hundreds of years old. Its sweetness is enhanced by a light scent of Yu Lan flower; cup taste is nuanced with a long and pleasant aftertaste.
Classed as a single-trunk oolong, the tea leaves grow on a tree that has been cultivated for, in cases, hundreds of years, to reach this shape and unusual quality. This is a famous tea grown in the Feng Huang area in the Phoenix Mountains of Guangdong Province. Made of long, thin leaves crafted by artisans, then high-fired to a deep brown-red leaf color in wicker baskets over wood charcoal, the taste is toasty, full of aroma and fruity notes. This tea is a real treat as it will unleash a wealth of nectar-like tastes and provide multiple steeps.
This medium oxidized, muted green-red leaf offers a sweet and tangy aroma. A Dan Cong style oolong, it is grown at an elevation of over 4000 feet in the Phoenix Mountains in Guangdong Province. This steep terrain is shrouded in clouds and mists and hot sun in the season, yielding some of China's most prized teas. Long, thin leaves are withered, then wood charcoal-fired to produce a sweet yet verging on astringent taste. A rich aromatic leaf it will steep to a nectar-like taste and offer multiple infusions.
Our private collection Phoenix Bird Oolongs, from the tea-famous Feng Huang area of Guangdong, are found in small lots, generally one to two kilograms per year and are not teas found in the market. These Dan Cong style oolongs are picked from trees in the mountains that are, in cases, 100 to 500 years old. The leaves are carefully processed by artisans (school teacher, tea farmers), who learned their trade from ancestors. Long, thin leaves, hand-worked multiple times, show hues of dark brown-green and red reflecting the bruising of the leaf to release vital juices that create the tastes for which these teas are world famous. Repeatedly fired over charcoal to capture and arrest these tastes, these oolongs can be toasty, sweet and tangy, fruity and honey-like and will certainly infuse numerous times, all the while releasing new tastes to the palate. No two lots are ever the same. These select lots are available in limited quantity.
A variety of oolong that has been handmade for over 700 years, it boasts a golden-yellow infusion with a complex, delicate, toasty-fruity flavor. "White Leaf" is one of the famous Fenghuang oolongs made from the Zhong Shan cultivar grown in the Phoenix Mountains of Guangdong Province. Long, dark brown leaves have been fired over charcoal in wicker baskets. The carefully worked leaves will yield multiple steeps - the first known for its aroma, the 2nd and 3rd steeps and onward will yield wonderful tastes.
Our Black Tea Gift Box comes with 2 ounces of each of the following hand-selected teas:
High Mountain Keemun (organic) An elegant and alluringly fragrant black tea made of thin, slightly twisted leaves that are naturally sweet. Grown in the Huang Shan Mountains of Anhui Province.
Taste Profile: Rich, red-brown cup liquor with a hint of smokiness, a delicate fruity finish, and notes of red wine. Goes well with milk.
Yunnan Black (organic) The"mocha of teas," this black tea has fat leaf buds and soft, thick leaves that impart a spicy and husky aroma. Native to the high elevations of Yunnan Province.
Taste Profile: Cups to a brilliant red color; offers a slightly peppery, brisk liquor and a pronounced leaf aroma. Good with milk and sugar.
Golden Monkey (organic) Golden-auburn buds and black leaves give a playful appearance and a seductively delicious and sweet fragrance to this black tea. Grown in the Fuding Mountains of Fujian Province.
Taste Profile: Cups to an unusually sweet, malty aroma with hints of chocolate. Good with milk and rock sugar.
Our Green Tea Gift Box comes with 2 ounces of each of the following hand-selected teas:
Dragon Well (organic) Hand made and fired in a wok, the characteristic sword-like leaves of this green tea are tinged with yellow. Island grown off the coast of Zhejiang Province.
Taste Profile: Soft, rich and toasty, with hints of chestnut. Cups clear yellow with a slightly sweet aftertaste. Rich in Vitamin C, excellent when served chilled.
Yin Hao Jasmine An early-pick green tea made with leaf tips and silver buds that are hand worked, then scented with jasmine flower petals. Organically grown on a small farm in Fujian Province.
Taste Profile: Fresh leaves offer a slightly sweet, floral flavor and a soothing jasmine aroma. Refreshing anytime, and an excellent digestive.
Heavenly Blue Peak (organic) One of China's "Famous Teas," this aromatic and flavorful green tea grows in the mist-shrouded bamboo forests of the Tian Mu Mountains in Zhejiang Province.
Taste Profile: A clear, golden cup color with a naturally sweet taste and just a light hint of nuttiness.
Our Rare Tea Gift Box comes with 2 ounces of each of the following hand-selected teas:
Anji White Re-discovered in the 1950s, this rare green tea has delicate, feathery leaves that maintain a lasting fragrance. Grown in bamboo forests above the Huangpu River in Zhejiang Province.
Taste Profile: Brews to a light green-apple cup color, with a mouthfeel like liquid silk, and a rich umami or savory taste.
Phoenix Bird Oolong Emperor's Lot This Emperor's Leaf is truly an exceptional, one-of-a-kind, artisan-crafted Dan Cong Oolong tea. This Oolong is grown exclusively in the Phoenix Mountains of Guangdong Province.
Taste Profile: Long, slender leaves, slightly twisted, create sweet, complex notes and a long, refreshing finish. Offers multiple steeps.
Green Clouds & Mist A true artisan crafted this aromatic Mei Zhan green tea in the traditional san bei xiang pan-fired style. Grown at high elevation in the mountains near Fuzhou in Fujian Province.
Taste Profile: Slender leaves in wonderful shades of green to light gray cup clear and clean with nuanced flavors and naturally sweet notes. Offers multiple steeps.
Our Variety Gift Box comes with 2 ounces of each of the following hand-selected teas:
Tieguanyin One of China's most sought-after teas, our Tieguanyin Oolong tea offers a beautiful leaf and a fragrant flavor. Hand made in the An Xi Region of Fujian Province.
Taste Profile: Large leaves unfurl to give a complex and sweet flavor, with a lingering flowery taste and hints of orchid. Offers multiple steeps.
Buddhist Tea (organic) The early-spring picked leaves of this green tea are delicately shaped, then fired to create a sweet and grassy flavor. Grown in Zhejiang Province using traditional organic farming methods.
Taste Profile: Fresh vegetal aroma; note the herbaceous, almost fruity taste. Excellent tea for relaxing.
High Mountain Keemun (organic) An elegant and alluringly fragrant black tea made of thin, slightly twisted leaves that are naturally sweet. Grown in the Huang Shan Mountains of Anhui Province.
Taste Profile: Rich, red-brown cup liquor with a hint of smokiness, a delicate fruity finish, and notes of red wine. Goes well with milk.
