A Few Ways to Select a Tea

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

Selection by
Tea Region

Selection by
Taste Preference

Selection by
TCM Character

Our Tea Master’s personal favourites

Before doing your own selections, you may also want to check out what our Tea Master’s very own favourites here.

Or refer to his best loved oolongs here:

by random order

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:

Our tea regions

Fenghuang / Phoenix

Tea farmer withering tea leaves in the afternoon sun

Huangshan/ Anhui

Tea picking on the hill side terrace

Minnan-Mindong, Fujian

Wang's peak farm

Nepal, the Himalayas

Tea Regions of TeaHomg.com: Nepal / Himalayas

Taiwan

Master Li talks about ant problem in his wild Red Jade tea field

Wuyi-shan

A tea field in Wuyi

Yunnan

Thick linen are being put on piles of tealeaves for post-fermentation in Yunnan

Zhejiang

Tea Hong: Finest Hand-roasted Green tea: Longjing Spring Equinox

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.

tasting

Tasting is the ultimate way to learn about a tea

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.

Check out trending best sellers

If all these other ways of thinking about how to select a tea are not for you, perhaps you can see what other people are buying. These are some of what’s trending now:

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:

  • Red Jade, Taiwan TTES#18 black tea

    Smooth and minty

    This is a wonderful Ruby 18. It is very smooth, with a strong minty taste. Just what I was hoping for. High quality stuff.

    Richard Deitz
  • Snow Orchid, bouquet Phoenix dancong oolong

    Aptly named

    I imagine if one picks a lovely, rare orchid out of the snow, this tea exactly mirrors that taste. Exotic florals finished by the sensation of a cool breeze circulating your olfactory system. Uplifting.

    Karen Ager
  • Shèmen Dancong Double Baked, Phoenix dancong oolong

    I am truly amazed at your sensibility in tea tasting. Seems like you were someone my age (which cannot be, I am really old) to be able to recognise the old way of processing and baking for a fine Fenghuang Dancong. Indeed a large proportion of producers avoid the traditional and more demanding steps not only for lowering the demand on resources, but also for a current trend for shorter oxidation and lighter baking. This is happening not only in lesser regions, but also in renowned origins. For a same batch of fresh tealeaves, the newer style is easier to master and takes much less time. It saves costs and requires lesser expertise, and is understandably marketed a lot more aggressively. While the old style produces a deeper and more intricate taste profile, the art is not propagating as much as I’d like to see. A need by the market is the only driving force for it to stay. It is only with a traditionally produced Phoenix Dancong that is properly aged can receive a secondary deeper baking for maturing into a tea like this one. I am grateful that there is an appreciator of this quality outside of Asia and Chinese diasporas.

    Leo Kwan
  • Song Cultivar, Phoenix dancong oolong

    Excellent tea

    果如所言,2014的宋種,確較往上幾年好飲、且更耐沖泡,沖至六七泡,後勁淩厲,餘香猶在。

    LO Wai Man