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:

  • Danhu Old Bush Song Cultivar, Phoenix dancong oolong

    This is metaphysical-grade dan cong.

    What an exquisite and remarkable experience; every aspect of this tea, from the aroma of the dry leaf to the last sensations felt on the palate in the aftertaste, are completely and entirely without flaw. The execution of every single step in the making of this dan cong exemplifies sheer mastery of a craft that is hundreds, if not thousands, of years in the making.

    This tea is utterly perfect, it could not get any better. I would have an easier time explaining what is at the end of two mirrors placed opposite each other, than I would be describing just how flawless this dan cong is. Even the best of poets would struggle to capture the ineffable beauty of this tea… there are simply no words that could be strung together that would effectively capture the experience that awaits the drinker.

    Not only is this the best Huangzhi Xiang I’ve ever had, it’s also the best dan cong I’ve ever had. It may seem expensive, but for what it is, it’s actually underpriced, and I just want to thank Tea Hong for making such an experience like this possible.

    The cong wei is very direct and apparent, the cha qi is transcendental, and the flavor profile is deeper than the Marianna Trench. If you are looking for a metaphysical-grade experience, you will find it here.

    nnikolayev
  • Song Cultivar, Phoenix dancong oolong

    喜出望外

    我以前以為自己飲咗咁多年功夫茶,有咩好野未試過﹗今次試宋種真係喜出望外。第一,呢隻茶層次多(不過都唔容易沖,我都反覆實驗過几種沖法,又用蓋碗又用茶壺。但係咁樣試吓都係茗茶既樂趣之一),味道清得黎回酣長。第二係佢「襟」飲,即係沖五、六泡都可以(我用7至8克茶葉),而且連續几日飲宋種都唔會覺得厭。咁計返條數其實都好抵飲。不過鍾意炭火味既人可能一開始個時唔係咁適應。但呢隻茶絶對係好野,應該試﹗要畀滿分﹗

    plo1962
  • Yiwu Large Leaf 2013, partially post-fermented Pu’er shengcha

    Very strong Qi, flavours are dark profiled but complex. Not the thickest tea but still thick enough to be enjoyable! Good everyday sort of tea! Dark enough to be enjoyed late at night, and very easy on the stomach.

    Shinzo Shiratori
  • Honey Orchid Supreme, classic Phoenix dancong oolong

    This tea is a mountain range of flavors, with distinct peaks all seamlessly integrated into a harmonious and nuanced experience that carries all of the depth you would expect of authentic old tree Mi Lan. The aroma coming off the dry leaf is vibrant and complex, hinting at the marvelous experience that awaits the drinker. I knew this was going to be an incredible experience before I even turned my kettle on.

    This one opens up with bright and sweet notes of sun-dried fruits, and a tropical dankness that is reminiscent of mango, guava, peaches, lychee, passionfruit, with a kind of electrical zing to it that reminds me of fresh-cut pineapples. These bright and tangy notes electrify the roof of the mouth and nostrils as they work their way up from the back of the throat.

    In every sip, this is a juicy and fruit-forward Mi Lan that is perfectly overlaid on top of a powerful and textured body, which has a woodsy quality to it that reminds me of walking through an old-growth forest on a hot, sunny day.

    You can’t miss the cong wei – it’s apparent and focused across the full session; even the washed-up leaves retain that woodsy-spicy-sweet fragrance that is just so attractive because of how well it sits in contrast against the insanely sweet and pungent notes of tropical fruits.

    The mouthfeel and texture are incredible – for having such powerful and distinct peaks of flavor, the body is very deep, the edges are very soft, and the individual notes integrate very well with each other, creating a very complex experience in every facet of the tea. The initial sip, the evolution of flavors on the palate, the lingering sweetness, all tell a cohesive story and that story is the life of healthy, old Mi Lan Xiang trees.

    The finish is elegant and the sweet aftertaste lingers for a long time, but what I appreciate most about this tea is how deep it sinks into every cell of my body, and how graceful the qi is. This is a tea that stays with me all day.

    What a phenomenal experience.

    NN