Dian Hong has been one of my favorite types of black tea ever since I first started drinking loose leaf tea. It is produced in the Yunnan province of China. Dian is a short name for this region and Hong means Red. In China, black teas are usually called red teas so that can cause […] [Read more]
Genmaicha (brown rice tea) is a blend of Japanese green tea and roasted rice. They are typically mixed in a 1:1 ratio so the caffeine is somewhat lower than other green teas. No one is sure exactly how this tea came to be. The most probable story is that adding toasted rice helped poorer families […] [Read more]
Gyokuro is a variety of shade-grown green tea that is made only in Japan. It is one of my favorite teas, so I am excited to share a bit of a deeper dive. Its name translates to English as ‘jade dew’ and if you’ve ever had the pleasure of trying it, you would agree that […] [Read more]
Puerh gets most of the spotlight when it comes to dark tea but there is so much more out there to explore. Liu An is a type of heicha that is produced in China’s Anhui Province. I recently purchased a basket through a group buy so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to highlight this […] [Read more]
A Google+ follower asked what matcha is. This question inspired me to start a series that spotlights the different types of tea. What is Matcha? Matcha is a finely ground green tea from Japan. Before harvest, the tea bushes are shaded from the sun for about 20 days. This slows their growth and increases the […] [Read more]
Baozhong is one of the most lightly oxidized oolong varieties, ranging from about 8 to 18%. The leaves are very green in color, and the taste is so light and fresh that you might think it was a green tea! Pouchong is another name you will see used for this tea. It is from an […] [Read more]
Shopping for a clay teapot can be an exciting yet arduous exercise. There isn’t a lot of information available, especially for those that are just starting out. This post is meant as a basic guide but I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on clay pots by any means. Yixing is the type of clay discussed […] [Read more]
It’s a little-known fact that kyusu is simply the Japanese word for teapot. We usually think of them as side-handled teapots but they can also have handles on the rear or even on the top. Porcelain and clay are the most common mediums but kyusu can be made from a number of materials. The handles […] [Read more]
Bi Luo Chun, otherwise known as Green Snail Spring, is a green tea from the Dongting region of China’s Jiangsu Province. You might also see it called Pi Luo Chun. There are many lists of China’s 10 most famous teas but Bi Luo Chin is usually near the top of them, second only to Dragonwell. […] [Read more]
Detecting complex aromas can be difficult when we first get into tea. I know this issue was something I struggled with and it is probably one of the things that I get asked about the most. So first things first, you are not alone! Although some people might be naturally better at tasting food and drinks […] [Read more]
