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:

  • Himalayan Finest Flowery, orthodox black tea

    Holiday Worthy

    With hands wrapped around a warming cup of Himalayan Finest Flowery, my thoughts turn to the approaching winter festivities. The tea’s distinctive aroma would mingle nicely with the scent of a balsam wreath hanging nearby. In addition to its woodsy notes, Himalayan Finest Flowery has a silky mouthfeel with hints of rosewater, kumquat and freshly grated nutmeg. Stomp the snow off your boots and come sit by the fire while I pour you some. Would you like a warm gingerbread man to go with it?

    Karen Ager
  • Alishan Guanyin, deep baked Taiwan oolong

    This is the best Tie Guan Yin I’ve ever had, made even better by the fact it’s from Alishan.

    I searched high and low for another vendor that sold anything similar to this and all of them were over roasted/baked. It was like drinking an ashtray.

    This stuff however? Amazing. If I had to pick a tea to drink every day for the rest of my life it would have to be this.

    Andres Amor
  • Aura of the Night, bouquet Phoenix oolong

    This tea is like medicine for the soul. It’s a very complex and intriguing experience, worthy of having a focused session where you can really pay attention to the intricacies that would otherwise get lost in the midst of a busy mind.

    This is a very powerful dancong, with an incredibly thick and sappy flavor profile that is reminiscent of blooming jasmine and fresh-cut chrysanthemum flowers, drenched in eucalyptus, Chinese liquorice, and wintergreen oils, then rolled in pine needles and left on top of a wet rock to bake in the heat of a hot summer day before being soaked in mint-infused pear blossom honey.

    That may sound like a strange description, but this is such a complex tea. It marries powerful, resinous, and sappy textures together with bright, lively, and crisp florals into a harmonized experience that perfectly balances the yin and yang found only within the top tiers of dancong.

    Tea Hong’s Ye Lai has a powerful mouthfeel with a graceful presence, and a strong minerality with a lingering sweetness that is persistent, seemingly emanating from the gums and coating the entire throat.

    Everything about this tea is superb and should not be missed. I am careful to not even drink plain water for at least an hour after my session; the sensation on the palate is divine.

    NN
  • Red Cloak Grande, Wuyi yancha oolong

    I am glad that you have a great transitional experience with our Red Cloak. There are so much in tea we are still learning everyday. It is good that you are joining us in this journey.

    Tea Hong