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:

  • Jianzi Lampshade x 2

    Nice cups

    These cups are very pleasant to look at and drink in. They are soft and elegant, the white color is perfect to appreciate the color of the infusion. The very wide opening (only a little bit smaller than my palm) make them perfect for teas which need high infusion temperature (if not, pre-heat them well).

    Elie MAGNON
  • Himalayan Finest Flowery, orthodox black tea

    Great Strong Character

    I first tried this with 2g in 100mL gaiwan for 5 minutes. The aroma reminds me of traditional style phoenix oolong. In the mouth as well, it has this flowery/fruit-like character, though of course not as prominent as those of oolongs. As I drank, I also found certain similarities with white tea (Zhenghe). Combine them with the strong taste (at this parameter I felt it was a little bit too bitter, perhaps 4.5 minutes would be perfect), you have a tea which will easily impress people who have only tasted low quality tea all their lives. Long aftertaste with tangy citrus feel on your tongue.

    Teddy Lionel
  • Red Cloak Grande, Wuyi yancha oolong

    Re: Wasn’t impressed with 2012 version

    Hello Barack, Thank you for your comments. All comments are useful for us to learn how we should direct our products. I am sorry you do not like the tea. Different people look for different things in different teas. We do try to maximize the quality for what most people look for in each of the varieties. We have also tried to create new varieties — such as the Sacred Lily that you have enjoyed — so people may understand a tea without too much influence of preconceived ideas. By the way, more matured and deeper baked teas are more restrained in their twisted form. They do not open as much as lighter baked and fresher teas. One way to enjoy a genuine Red Cloak of this traditional finish is to double blanch it, and let steep longer. Repeat infusions to taste the play of the tea. I hope you’ll like it better this way.

    Siu PB
  • Cassia Extraordinaire, Wuyi yancha oolong

    Excellent Tea

    Good orchid aroma with a clear floral and cinnamon flavor. Good huigan, body, and thickness in the mouth. Smooth, slightly sour taste which is extremely pleasant. Short gongfu brews produce depth of flavor, revealing layers of mineral and sweet flavors. One of the best Rou Gui’s I’ve ever had.

    Jeffrey Novick