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:

  • Oriental Beauty, deep oxidation Taiwan oolong

    Happy that you have enjoyed this Oriental Beauty. A quality batch like this one does not come by every year. More than any other oolongs, in order to achieve its signature taste profile, it is highly dependent on the weather. The young leaves have to be bitten by the local green leafhoppers to an optimum degree before harvest. The amount of this tiny little bug is very much related to the weather. An under-bitten harvest would not yield the unique biochemistry that will make the taste elements in the final tea. When over, the leaves will not be able to bear the withering length and amount of rolling to make the tea. In another word, this tea is a gift from Nature as much as the result of Human’s ingenuity and dedicated efforts.

    Leo Kwan
  • Bamboo Drum

    Just bought this one…

    Just bought this one…

    Thanks for Yixing pot priming instruction http://teaguardian.com/how-to-make-tea/tea-accessories-yixing-teapot-1.html#.U_2X0kvVryc which many people neglect to follow, sometimes simply due to ignorance. This pot is for myself, not for my friend. And Bamboo Drum pot does look beautiful to myself, and I believe, also to those who know this feeling of attachment to the Yixing teapot like to old friend, partner and companion. And like with a friend – it take years do develop relationship. So the Yixing Pot is not a mere pet.

    I have never experienced anything like this feeling toward piece of furniture or porcelain or etc….To Yixing only.

    I have noticed that description is “Material: Wuhui Shao (Straw-covered low temperature refired)”…

    – Does it means the pot been fired and then refired?
    – High-fired or low-fired?
    – How it affected the density?
    – How porous is the pot?
    – How thick?
    Can you please point the direction where I can find more reading about this material and the process?

    I did not mean to be annoying but buying online is difficult. The real look and touch are so important…

    These questions is not about the fact that buying online $$ pot might not be the smartest thing… Leo’s reputation is known as well as his passion and dedication to his tea crusade mission…
    These question is about what the mouthfeel will be like. Thick or smooth… Thinner or sharper…It might be that a high temperature fired pot will not absorb any liquids or wick subtle flavors and aromas, a lower firing pot will…

    Oleksandr Lyashenko
  • Imperial Golden Tip 2013, Pu’er shu cha

    Delicate & refined tasting pu-erh!
    The moment we tasted the first brew of this Menghai fine leaf pu-erh, it brought a smile. It was a familiar taste that my wife and I have come to associate with quality pu-erh. We have tried many. Quite a few that my wife had left them to me to finish. This is one which she insists to drink with me!

    Jeffery Leong
  • Iron Buddha Supreme, Wuyi yancha oolong

    One of my favorite yan cha right now

    This tea is a very nice yan cha. It has a good presence of yan yun with a good smokey high fired wuyi fragrance with woodsy tones. The infusion taste is very refreshing as an initial taste, while giving you a sweet after taste that lingers in your mouth. It makes the back of my tongue water, and has nice hui gan. I really like it.

    Minh Pham