First invented in 2005, this Jin Jun Mei was initially invented for the tea lovers that don't like the smoky flavor of a Lapsang Souchong. It was invented together with the nonsmoked version of Lapsang Souchong. The main difference is Jin Jun Mei is using only buds, where the Lapsang Souchong is using one bud and two leaves. 

It took 20,000 tea buds to make a pound of this tea. Each bud is selected carefully before being put into production. 

The flavor is slightly floral and vegetal. The aftertaste is soft and malty. The mouthfeel is sweet and refreshing. 

Notes: Soft, Wildflower, Caramel, Malty, Balance

Origin: Tongmu Guan, Fujian, China

Who is this tea for? Well, if you like aged white tea and aged puerh, this is the tea for you. It has the sweetness of a white tea and has the funkiness you can get from a shou puerh. Because of how old this tea is, you must rinse it with boiling water twice. There's not much flavor on the front part of your tongue, but you'll taste a pleasant sweetness on the back of your palate. The sweetness is almost like that you'll get from licorice root, but without the spice aftertaste.

This is not the kind of tea you would drink every day. But if you want to get to know what an aged tea tastes like, then this tea is for you.

Origin: Fuding, China

Notes: Sweet Licorice Root, Earthy

This tea has been aged with proper room temperature since 2019. A good quality White Peony tastes better when the tea has been aged for at least a year. The flavor, body, and aftertaste come out more distinctly than when it is freshly picked.

This tea is made of two types of young tea leaves and unopened tea buds. A long time ago, White Peony tea, or "Bai Mu Dan," was made for lower-class consumers who couldn't afford the top-quality Silver Needle white tea.

Many young white teas are considered milder in flavor. White peony matches better in the west where they prefer a much stronger flavor, like black tea. White peony has a balance of natural sweet dew flavors from the unopened buds mingled with the fresh, woody aroma of the young leaves.

This tea can be brewed using the gongfu style up to 15 times with a medium temperature of 190° Fahrenheit, or you can brew this tea at a higher temperature of 205° Fahrenheit for a more robust and complex flavor.

Alternate Name: Bai Mu Dan

Origin: Fuding, China

Notes: Fresh, Full-bodied, Honey Dew, Woody

It is uncommon to have an Oriental Beauty leave pressed into a cake. Oriental Beauty tastes so good when it has been aged.

Oriental Beauty is one of Taiwanese most famous tea because of how it was oxidized naturally by getting help from the surrounding bugs. Green leafhopper bites into the leave causing the tea leaves to release a natural sweetness to attract predators of the attacking leafhopper. Naturally, this tea develops a very unique caramel sweetness you don't normally get from a Taiwanese Oolong. 

Origin: Nantou, Taiwan

Harvest: 2018

Origin: Tongmu Guan, Wuyi Mountain

Notes: Citrus, Lemon, Honey

Taiwan is not usually known for its black tea. But when you find a good one like this Yilan black tea, it's very special. 

The aroma of this tea reminds you of light chocolate with hints of the sweetness of black cherry. As black teas go, it is mild, with a soft aftertaste—a perfect tea to have at any time of the day. This is a very smooth black tea with no bitterness or tannin detectable.

Origin: Yilan County, Northeast Taiwan

Notes: Sweet Dates, Prunes, Black Cherry

Tai Ping Hou Kui is considered China's top ten Chinese tea. This tea consists of two flat and straight leaves, hand-stretched and pressed. The founder of this tea is a guy name Kui Cheng(魁成). They were produced in Houkeng and Hougang area in Taiping County. And that's how the name Tai Ping Hou Kui comes about. 

The flavor is mellow, refreshing, and sweet with a burst of orchid fragrance. You can use boiling water and it won't make the tea taste bitter. The fragrance is floral and refreshing. 

Harvest: 2020 Spring

Chinese Name: 太平猴魁

Origin: Huang Shan, Anhui Province, China

This yancha (rock tea) is old bush.  It's a relative to rou gui.  A nice roasted flavor and high mineral content will be sure to relax; repeated brewings will bring on the state known as tea drunkenness.

ORIGIN: Wu Yi, China

Liu Bao is one of the oldest teas. Back in the day, this tea was known more as a tea for peasants. Nowadays though, a lot of tea connoisseurs love drinking it. Normally we wouldn't recommend this tea to someone still new to the fermented tea world. This tea itself is very earthy, and most people who've never had it might think it tastes like dirt. Yes, it might not sound delicious. But this tea is actually one of the most popular teas in the world.

Liubao teas are fermented, similar to how a shou (cooked) ripe pu-erh tea is processed. They are kept in a room where humidity and temperature are controlled until the desired fermentation level is achieved. After the fermentation process, the tea leaves are then steamed and pressed, and turned into what we call a "tea cake."

The nice thing about preparing a Liu Bao tea is how easy it is. You can use boiling water and oversteep the tea. The stronger the tea flavor, the better it becomes. Liu Bao doesn't get bitter no matter how you make it. That's why this is the perfect tea to drink when your mind is preoccupied with other things.

Origin: Malaysia

Notes: Hey, Earthy

This Wuyi Oolong sample pack includes:

10g (1/3 oz) Huang Guan Yin

10g (1/3 oz) Qi Lan

10g (1/3 oz) Shui Xian

10g (1/3 oz) Dark Roast Rou Gui

10g (1/3 oz) Superior Da Hong Pao

10g (1/3 oz) Mei Zhan

A rare oolong from Taiwan that oxidizes when particular types of insects bite into the leaves. This attack develops the teas' own unique aroma and flavor in response.

These teas never sprayed with any sort of pesticides. 

Origin: Nantou, Taiwan 

An excellent introduction to the world of aged white tea! This 2013 Shou Mei cake now has a good amount of age on it, developing that deep, fruity, and fermented aroma that can only be found in aged white teas.

Fresh white teas are grassy and soft, but this flavor profile is transformed dramatically by aging. Here you'll find a surprisingly deep and mature flavor that gives a lot to think about. A fantastic tea for both everyday sipping and deep pondering. 

In China, aged white teas are said to have potent health benefits, particularly for immunity. The greater the age of the tea, the more potent the flavor and benefits.

The base material was harvested in Spring 2013.

Origin: Fujian Province, China

Harvest: 2013

Notes: raisin, honey

Smiling Phoenix Raw Puerh is a naturally fermented tea that's been maturing for 10 years. That means this particular concoction has a musky, woody aroma that turns into refreshing fruity notes over time. Available in a brick of 250g, it'll need plenty of family and friends gathering around the table to share this unforgettable brew with you.

This puerh is from a large leaf variety grown in the Fengqing area, northwest of Lincang, which is well known as the historical birthplace of all tea. The venerable tea trees here average around 100 years old, and some of the trees can stand as tall as 7 feet. For many puerh drinkers throughout China's history, Fengqing has been seen as the "jewel" among peers.

This is why we are calling our new product Smiling Phoenix Raw Puerh - it captures this essence beautifully.

The first few brews will be a little more bitter than your other teas. This is a pretty normal thing for a raw puerh. But after a few brews, the flavor will grow smoother and more refreshing with a long-lasting aftertaste. Try steeping it at around 190º Fahrenheit (or 88º Celcius) to reduce some of the initial bitterness. You should easily get 15 brews with this tea using that method!

Origin: Fengqing, Yunnan, China

Notes: Woody, Earthy, Apple, Tangy

Harvest: 2006

Having a big leaf in this Oolong means this tea does not get bitter easily. Lots of mineral flavor in this tea. Amazingly sweet honeysuckle after taste in every sip. The finish of this tea is cooling in the mouth and yet makes your body feel warm at the same time. 

Origin: Phoenix City, Guang Dong Province, China

Origin: Bulang Mountain, Yunnan, China

Notes: TBA

This Assam black tea is milder than most available on the market, making it very enjoyable to drink on any occasion. It’s a full-bodied Assam black tea with the unique finish you find only in high-quality Assam teas. The leaves are entirely hand-picked. You can see the leaves are fully intact and not broken, like the majority of Assam teas you find. Most full-leaf tea from Assam is machine-picked. This method normally damages the tea leaves more, and as a result it loses much of the best minerals and nutrients. It also makes the tea more liable to become more bitter.

This Assam has a very clean finish. It’s great to drink straight or with a dash of milk and sugar. 

Dry leaves aroma: grapes, black currant

Wet leaves aroma: dates, raisin

Notes:  tangerine, malt, orange blossom honey

Tea liquor color: mild tangerine

Gongfu brewing instructions:

7g tea, 100ml, 15 seconds

This beautiful set of puerh consists of five varieties of top puerh from Lincang, Yunnan, China. Each book has its own design, and perfectly preportioned for thirty gongfu tea sessions.

This shou pu-erh is a production from the 1990s by a lesser-known tea factory in Kunming, under China's famous CNNP state export brand.

Though CNNP cakes from this era can be hit or miss, this one is a solid find! The tea liquor is deep red with brilliant clarity, a sign of good quality for such an old tea. Soft and silky, with a sweet rice fragrance note. Comfortable and gently stimulating.

A great value for a 90s shou.

Stored under moderately dry storage in North America. 

Origin: Menghai, Yunnan Province, China  

Harvest: Early 1990s

Notes: sweet, silky, rice fragrance

There are many things that make this white tea special. This shou mei white requires almost no steeping skill at all! You can brew this with high- or low-temperature water and for varying lengths of time. It's very difficult to mess up the brewing process when brewing this white tea; basically, anything goes! 

If you brew the tea using the gongfu method, it can be brewed over and over again at least 20 times. Different infusions of tea will bring out different flavors. Lower temperature brings out the sweetness and higher temperature provides more complex flavor profiles.

To ensure that you are drinking a tasty cup of tea, make sure to rinse your leaves with water first. This will help wash away all the dust and other sorts of things collected during its time in storage as well as moisten it so flavors can be released more easily.

One way to make this tea flavorful is by using the gongfu method. With this tea, you can safely use boiling temperature water and steep for one minute and a half on the first infusion. Then, with every subsequent steeping it only takes about 20-30 seconds to bring out all of its wonderful flavors. 

This tea will keep you going for a while! You can steep the tea longer as it gets weaker. You should be able to get around 20-30 infusions with this tea no problem!

Origin: Fuding, China

Harvest: 2009

Notes: Oaky, Dark Cherry

This green tea is made from the same farm as two of our other favorite senchas -- Sae Midori Sencha and Asatsuyu Sencha.

The leaves are picked in the second week of April in Kagoshima, Japan. The leaves are soft and tender. They are also shaded for five days before harvest, just like our other Kagoshima green tea. 

The aroma of this tea is like a fresh, succulent steamed cabbage. On the first infusion, there is a hint of sweet honey followed by a nice earthy lettuce-like vegetable flavor. The aftertaste is amazing––it lingers for quite some time and leaves you with a sweet and refreshing basil sensation in your mouth.  

If you drink Japanese green tea every day, we highly recommend using Japanese teapot (kyusu) to make your green tea. It will brew your green tea better. It's much easier and, most importantly, much better tasting!

Recommended brewing temperature: 

3 grams - 185 Fahrenheit -  45 seconds - 300ml water

Certification: JAS Organic

Origin: Hioki, Kagoshima, Japan

Style: Deep Steamed

Notes: Honey, Lettuce, Basil 

Harvest: Spring 2021

Origin: Lancang, Yunnan, China

Notes: TBA

Huangshan Maofeng is one of the top ten famous teas in China. This tea has a history of over 1200 years. It has been steeped in culture and tradition for centuries, making it an ideal choice for any tea lover! You can detect a light lily-like floral undertones in this tea, which makes it one-of-a-kind! This tea feels thick and has a fresh, asparagus taste. It is mild and floral with an aftertaste that refreshes the palate like vegetable broth.

If you’re looking for something new and exciting to add to your collection or if you just want to try out something different, then we highly recommend trying Huangshan Maofeng Green Tea today!

Gongfu Brewing Instructions:

No need to rinse. Use 190ºF (88ºC) and steep for 40 seconds on the first infusion, then steep only for 20 seconds on the second infusion, and finally 30 seconds of steeping time at the third infusion.

Chinese Character: 黄山毛峰

Notes: Asparagus, green beans, lily flower aroma

Harvest: Spring 2021