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:

  • Song Cultivar, Phoenix dancong oolong

    Perfume for the palate

    Oh, the excitement when the Tea Hong box arrives! Song Cultivar was the first to be sampled after the un-boxing of my second shipment. The dry leaves make music as they tinkle into the gaiwan, blooming into a mass of plump foliage when brewed. The tea is clear and golden brown but tastes like a gray, misty day by a crackling fire. Deep and slightly bitter, it leaves a citrus-like perfume lingering on your palate.

    Karen Ager
  • Honey Orchid Supreme, classic Phoenix dancong oolong

    The fullness, complexity, and vibrancy of this particular dancong are what made me really fall in love with tea. Before it I was just very fond of tea. It really was Milan Xiang, particularly of this quality that totally hooked me to tea. That very night in the mountains in Phoenix, amongst the noise of the local Fenghuang dialect and clinking tableware in a local restaurant with the farmers and producers, I began to question myself, if I could help multinational corporations communicate their brands and products, why couldn’t I make such quality better understood? Why would coffee and wine have their social-economic role so widely accepted above and beyond this no less amazing product? Ironically, one of the projects on hand was helping the International Coffee Organisation to promote coffee in China. That was perhaps the point when tea was elevated in my plan from a side business to my full career. It was when we were still using the Nokia phone and film camera, when information was still passed on through the printed pages and I had to use html to create a webpage. That was 25 years ago. After all these years of learning and trading tea from many regions, Milan Xiang still has its very special place in my heart. It is still my dearest tea. And I still have a lot to do in promoting tea.

    Leo Kwan
  • Luan Guapian Supreme, traditional green tea

    Delicious and refreshing. I find this tea is all about the finish and aftertaste – it’s very complex and persistent. It lasts for a while, and continues to evolve in a way that very few other green teas do.

    This particular example of Luan Guapian is notably sweeter and less bitter than other versions that you might find from different vendors. It’s textured and nuanced where others are flat, thin, and lack depth of flavor.

    Initially, this tea opens up with some notes of lightly roasted sunflower seeds and steamed spinach. It’s got a thick and creamy body, reminiscent of cashew butter, and as the flavor profile evolves on the palate it becomes sweeter and develops some intricate fruity and floral notes. The mouthfeel is complex and vibrant all the way through, from the initial sip to the last remaining sensations in the aftertaste.

    I also enjoy the cha qi – it’s soothing and calming in the body, but apparent and focused in the mind, which makes it a good tea to drink before meditation, both in the morning and evening.

    NN
  • Danhu Old Bush Song Cultivar, Phoenix dancong oolong

    This is the best Oolong I’ve ever had.
    The vanilla and mandarin orange flavour honestly blows me away.
    It’s such a rich-tasting tea, I would even say that the price is too low for what you are getting.
    If you consider this tea but you are unsure because of the price, I can guarantee you that you won’t regret buying it. A must-have tea.

    I used 6g for 200ml water and my infusion times were:

    1. 1 minute
    2. 45 seconds
    3. 45 seconds
    4. 45 seconds
    5. 1 minute
    6. 1 minute
    7. 1 minute and 30 seconds
    8. 2 minutes
    9. 3 minutes
    10. 5 minutes

    You can even try more infusions.

    Maximilian Vorhoff