Select a tea by category, region, taste or TCM character
At TeaHong.com, we try to put ourselves in our customers’ shoes. Different people have different priorities. Each sees the world differently. Naturally when it comes to selecting a tea, your criteria may not be the same as that of any other tea drinkers. That is why we group our tea products in different ways so you can see them in the context that is closest to how you think when selecting a tea.
Selection by Tea Category
The most common way to group different varieties of tea is by the category of processing method with which they are produced. Some call it Tea Classification, others Tea Categorisation. We think the later label is semantically more accurate.
Many connoisseurs and tea specialists organise their collections with this concept.
The above chart shows the five main categories: Green, Black, White, Pu’er ( Post-Fermentation ) and Oolong teas. Click the pie chart to browse the category of tea, click on your choice and enjoy the browse!
Need more info about a category before seeing the products? Here are some articles:
Selection by Taste
Teas are like raw gems. The true taste of each awaits the revelation made possible by the way you make it. Your personal need matters. It may change according to mood, time of the day, and occasions.
Experience and explore
Begin by tasting a few selections using various infusion styles to gain more specialist understanding of the finesses and differences. Relate this with your personal preferences and you will gradually carve out a direction in building your own repertoire of tea. This will be your very own line that best suits your taste and your needs. With repeated usage your senses and perceptions will deepen. This will empower you with the connoisseur skill to easily master yet more varieties to continue to gain levels in the vast world of tea.
Selection by TCM Characters
This is for those who understand the needs of answering the voice of the body. A well customised and balanced collection not only helps to maximise tea’s health benefits, but also tea’s gastronomic qualities. At Tea Hong, we categorise our collection by traditional Chinese medicinal character.
Information on a tea page
Detail information on each tea page includes a description, taste profile, infusion tips and a few properties described with icons. This article gives a general orientation in case you want to prepare yourself before browsing.
Customer Reviews
Yet another way to get an idea is to see how other customers see our products. Read a few random reviews they have posted in this site, and click on the link to go to the product page:
Dianhong Classic, traditional black tea
Indeed, the experience of taste can be a very subjective matter. As you have pointed out the infusion method matters. A different way will most definitely give you another experience. I am glad you have enjoyed the tea, every batch of which has taken me so much work to finalise.
Leo KwanTea HongMoon Drops Himalayas, deep oxidation Nepali white tea
This is quite a special gastronomic experience, the evolution of flavors is remarkably intricate and thoroughly enjoyable from the initial aroma of the dry leaf, all the way through to the last wafts of fragrance I can lift off the bottom of the final, empty cup. You found something unique here. I brewed up the sample using my new Rural Life gaiwan, using a 1:20 ratio, and then right afterwards I brewed it up again Western-style in a larger mug with a 1:100 ratio. Both methods returned some of the most enjoyable and satisfying cups of Himalayan tea I’ve ever had.
I first started exploring Himalayan teas approximately 10 years ago, but never really took a deep-dive, for the same reason that I never fully dove into pu’erh… because Fenghuang oolong captured me with its infinite beauty. That being said; just like with pu’erh, I’ve also been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to source amazing Himalayan teas directly from farmers and co-operatives who grow ultra-premium, top-notch tea. Moon Drops matches, if not exceeds, what I have come to expect from the absolute best of the Himalayan region.
I can taste the influence of both the Jinxuan and Yabukita cultivars. This is a special phenotype; this hybrid retains the thick creaminess and umami-heavy mouthfeel which both cultivars are prized for, and does so in a way that overlays the terroir of the Himalayas seamlessly, which gives rise to a unique yet familiar set of flavors that I’ve come to know and love from this region. I feel like this selection was specific and intentional…
The evolution of flavors in both of my sessions was very complex. Moon Drops opened up with some notes of squash blossoms, zucchini bread, and distinctly sweet overtones of muscat grapes, the likes of which even the most premium Darjeeling would be jealous of. It’s malty and starchy, in the best of ways. As the sessions progressed, there were some herbaceous & spicy notes that came out to play, which were reminiscent of white peppercorn and sage leaf with some floral, lavender-like qualities… oily, thick, lubricating, resinous and long-lasting on the palate, yet perfectly juxtaposed against delicate and nuanced flavors that should be impossible to achieve, but clearly aren’t. As I said earlier: wow. This tea brought forth a complex olfactory experience that escapes definition, and that is what I personally seek out.Towards the end of the sessions, as my steep times became longer and the water temperature moved closer to a freshly rolling boil, I detected sweet and distinct notes of caramelized almonds that lingered on the palate for a long time before gradually subsiding. There was a distinct mouthfeel that was coupled to the flavor profile, which added another layer of enjoyment to the experience.
This truly is a complex tea in every facet… from the intense bright-gold color of the soup to the powerful and stimulating sensations that it imparts in the body, and everything in-between. I particularly enjoyed how clean, crisp, brisk and smooth this tea was… to say I thoroughly enjoyed it is an understatement. Thank you for all that you do to make tea like this possible to experience.
NN
Wenshan Paochong, light style Taiwan oolong
This is really good Baozhong, I compared it to a competition-grade version that was grown in Nangang and won second place at a tournament in Pinglin – and I have to say this one is just as good.
First off, the leaf quality is superb. Wholesome, meticulously crafted leaves that are uniform and very consistent. They open up slowly and gradually unfurl, revealing a deep and rich, emerald-green color to the leaves. These are clearly processed well without excessive bruising. In the cup, this tea resists high temperatures well and is flexible enough to reveal deeper layers of the flavor profile whether you like brewing it with cooler temperatures or near-boiling.
There are some differences in the cup between this and the competition-grade – this one is more floral and has a more pronounced minerality, with an aftertaste that is reminiscent of honeyed nuts – like walnuts, or almonds. It’s not as buttery or creamy, but I appreciate the depth of the rich floral notes of this one slightly more anyways, and the contrast provided by the minerality which creates a brothy quality that adds another dimension of enjoyability to the whole experience.
There are undertones of sea plants – kombu, sea lettuce, dulse – that accentuate the minerality and add a thick umami layer to the flavor profile that is just exquisite. There’s so much going on – delicate notes of lilac that are persistent on the palate from initial sip to aftertaste, sweetness in the body across all temperature ranges, and hints of seaweed and minerality from start to finish that never become overbearing.
I enjoy looking at these leaves after I brew them up, they are very high quality and you can tell by how glossy and plump they remain even after being pushed to the limit.
If you like this tea, make sure you check out the Shiguping Wulong and Jade Orchid over in the Fenghuang oolong section of Tea Hong’s catalog.