Category: Tea Varieties
Introduction to Oolong Tea Oolong tea, a traditional Chinese beverage, occupies a unique space in the tea world, bridging the gap between green and black teas. Known for its rich flavour profile and complexity, oolong is semi-oxidized, which contributes to its distinctive characteristics. The name “oolong” translates to “black dragon” in Chinese, a nod… [Read more]
Origins The history of black tea can be traced to the late Ming Dynasty in the Fujian Province of China. There are various legends about how it came to be but the very first black tea was Zhen Shan Xiao Zhong, otherwise known as Lapsang Souchong. Fujian is still the main production area but Anhui […] [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]
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]
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]
You read that right. There is a tea called duck shit oolong! Ya Shi Xiang is a cultivar used to make a Dan Cong oolong by the same name, A lot of people in the US first learned about this tea when it was written about by Forbes in 2015. Unfortunately, they did not bother […] [Read more]
Tencha is a Japanese green tea that is ground into a powder to make matcha. Ten can be translated as mortar or grind, and cha is the word for tea. The processing is similar to other shade-grown teas like gyokuro, but there are some key differences. It is not common to drink it in its […] [Read more]
Tie Guan Yin goes by various spellings but it is probably the best known Chinese oolong tea. It is commonly referred to as Iron Goddess of Mercy and there are many legends about how this tea got its name. Traditionally it was made as a strip style tea with heavier roasting but that changed after […] [Read more]
Tai Ping Hou Kui has long been one of my favorite Chinese green teas. The distinctive leaf shape was what initially drew me to it but I also love its sweet, mellow character. It is usually featured on the lists of China’s most famous teas and its history dates as far back as the Qing […] [Read more]