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:

  • Gold Stallion, traditional black tea

    Liquid Gold

    Such a beauty to look at the dry leaves of black and gold. I didn’t expect the brewed tea to be so…..”harvest gold.” The aroma and taste are strong, clean and crisp, a la freshly pressed linen.

    Karen Ager
  • Classic White Utility Gaiwan 150

    Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking

    I keep my Classic White Utility Gaiwan at work and use it every day. Today, I thought I’d lost her. The lid slipped from my hands and fell to the tile floor. It clinked and clattered but didn’t shatter. In fact, there is not a ding, crack or chip on it anywhere. I’ve heard that porcelain is very strong and this is proof. I rinsed off the lid and went about brewing another cup. Today I mixed my last bit of Snow Orchid with a little bit of Shiguping Wulong to stretch it. Maybe the lid jumped out of my hands in protest for this sacrilege. Nonetheless, I’ve been enjoying many pleasant cups out of my sturdy and useful gaiwan.

    Karen Ager
  • Dianhong Classic, traditional black tea

    Delightful Taste
    My wife and I tried to discern the taste profile of Dianhong Classic 2019 as described by Leo Kwan and reviewer Karen Ager, but our taste buds were not refined enough to match their descriptions to the taste we experienced. Suffice to say that we found this tea delightful and calming, and we enjoyed it very much! We brewed gong fu style and the high quality of tea was maintained through many rounds of brewing, varying the rounds with increasing steeping time and temperature!

    Jeffery Leong
  • White Tea of Anji, traditional green tea

    This is a top-shelf umami bomb with a nice felt effect in the body and mind. Anji Baicha is a special cultivar, not only for its distinct appearance due to a genetic mutation, but also its unique molecular composition.

    The cultivar used to make the authentic version of this tea is rich in L-theanine and amino acids. As a result of the genetic mutation which limits chlorophyll biosynthesis, more of the building blocks for this green pigment are shuffled off to producing amino acids which give Anji Baicha its characteristically thick, brothy like qualities and savory mouthfeel. Even the aroma coming off the dry leaf is mesmerizing in its pungency.

    In the cup, the flavor profile of Tea Hong’s Anji Baicha is superb – even though the mouthfeel is so thick you could cut it with a knife, it still manages to capture and hold many delicate flavors in perfect harmony with each other. There’s some distinct sweetness, an herbaceous quality, creamy florals and warm spices that sit in perfect unison on top of a colossal wave of umami that sits deeply in the body and really relaxes the mind.

    The aftertaste is lubricating and does not dry the palate out. This “wetting” effect amplifies the length of the aftertaste and keeps the amino acids coating the tongue and extending that powerful umami quality long after the session is over.

    The sensations felt in the body are wonderful, and I think one of the primary reasons why anybody and everybody should try this tea. The high concentration of amino acids induces a state of being calm yet alert, relaxed yet focused.

    If you have never tried Anji Baicha before, this is the one to try, because it is a top-shelf representation of the cultivar at a very modest price. Quality of this caliber is pretty much always more expensive.

    NN