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:

  • Honey Orchid Supreme, classic Phoenix dancong oolong

    This tea is a mountain range of flavors, with distinct peaks all seamlessly integrated into a harmonious and nuanced experience that carries all of the depth you would expect of authentic old tree Mi Lan. The aroma coming off the dry leaf is vibrant and complex, hinting at the marvelous experience that awaits the drinker. I knew this was going to be an incredible experience before I even turned my kettle on.

    This one opens up with bright and sweet notes of sun-dried fruits, and a tropical dankness that is reminiscent of mango, guava, peaches, lychee, passionfruit, with a kind of electrical zing to it that reminds me of fresh-cut pineapples. These bright and tangy notes electrify the roof of the mouth and nostrils as they work their way up from the back of the throat.

    In every sip, this is a juicy and fruit-forward Mi Lan that is perfectly overlaid on top of a powerful and textured body, which has a woodsy quality to it that reminds me of walking through an old-growth forest on a hot, sunny day.

    You can’t miss the cong wei – it’s apparent and focused across the full session; even the washed-up leaves retain that woodsy-spicy-sweet fragrance that is just so attractive because of how well it sits in contrast against the insanely sweet and pungent notes of tropical fruits.

    The mouthfeel and texture are incredible – for having such powerful and distinct peaks of flavor, the body is very deep, the edges are very soft, and the individual notes integrate very well with each other, creating a very complex experience in every facet of the tea. The initial sip, the evolution of flavors on the palate, the lingering sweetness, all tell a cohesive story and that story is the life of healthy, old Mi Lan Xiang trees.

    The finish is elegant and the sweet aftertaste lingers for a long time, but what I appreciate most about this tea is how deep it sinks into every cell of my body, and how graceful the qi is. This is a tea that stays with me all day.

    What a phenomenal experience.

    NN
  • Tieguanyin Classic, deep baked oolong

    The Whiz Kid

    I was told that it is not an easy tea to prepare nor to appreciate, so I was a little anxious when opening it.
    I choose to brew it with a low leave to water ratio and it immediately appeared that the real complexity of the tea is that it can offer a wide range of tastes.
    In these conditions, this tea develops very sweet and gentle taste of plum and date, brilliantly balanced by the woodsy aromas from the baking process.
    I am eager to prepare it again with other parameters, I am already amazed by its the wide range of possibilities.
    To summarize, to me this tea is not the wild child I expected but a more a whiz kid who can show you tons of wonderful tastes if you can guide him.
    Thanks to all Tea Hong staff for this great discovery!
    ( A paragraph is edited out for a discussion about another customer’s comment. Detail discussions are more suitable when carried out in forums, such as the one in TeaGuardian.com — note by Tea Hong )

    Elie MAGNON
  • Phoenix Classic, dancong oolong

    Immediately my favourite oolong … it is just so mellow and flavourful, easy to drink with lovely sweet notes and aftertaste. Soft on the palate. I have to reorder this… as my new staple oolong tea to which others will be compared.

    Jeannette Nielsen
  • Tieguanyin Classic, deep baked oolong

    Karen Ager

    We enjoyed this classic oolong with a spicy lunch today. The dry, bumpy nuggets are pungent and pleasant to look at. I used a black clay yixing gaiwan for this selection but didn’t detect much aroma after three shakes of the dry tea in the heated bowl. That all changed the very second the hot water hit it. This tea was generous in releasing its complex baked aroma. Very pleasant. The first steeping was a quick one. Lovely flavor on the front of the palate in into the nose. Earthy with a hint of black peppercorn yet mellow as the name implies. The second steeping I left sitting too long (or so I thought). It was strong but only in the most pleasant way. We did a few more steepings and the nuggets opened up into what look like rolling waves on a black ocean. The texture lets you know you are drinking a substantial tea. I don’t think this is the type of tea that can be steeped all day, though, as it gives off its flavor quickly. On the other hand, I will steep a few more infusions, let them sit longer, and see what surprises await. In my opinion this is a great tea to accompany meals.

    Karen Ager