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:

  • April Mist, traditional green tea

    I appreciate the depth and clarity of this Yunwu, it is most certainly a mature & sophisticated representation of a popular cultivar. This one is pungent & complex, with some nuances that set it apart from other examples of Yunwu that I’ve tried in the past.

    The dry leaf aroma is strong and clear, with subtle traces of dark chocolate, perhaps a testament to the wild nature of these tea bushes. As the steam from my hot mug warms up the leaves, I get some hints of malted grains that begin to waft up from the cup.

    Regardless of how you brew it up, the soup is quite complex, with a full and round body that has well-developed notes of cucumber, squash, snow peas, and steamed spinach. There are some of the typical nutty undertones associated with Yunwu, and I also get some hints of cacao nibs. There are distinct overtones of fresh-cut florals, and a lingering sweetness that is pervasive from the initial sip through the aftertaste. This sweetness sits firmly in the back of the throat, creating a very soothing and pleasant sensation that lasts for a while.

    This is a very clean and refreshing tea, all the way through. Upfront, it’s powerful and will definitely grab your attention, and on the back-end, it’s very gentle and soft in its nature. It even resists turning bitter in the cup as the soup cools, which makes for an interesting session if you want to take your time sipping on this tea slowly and appreciating the subtle changes as the temperature drops gradually.

    NN
  • Sacred Lily, Wuyi yancha oolong

    This tea can mature

    Hello Tony, Yes this tea can mature. Please refer to Leo’s Tea Guardian article on storage for storing this tea for maturity.

    Siu PB
  • Black Leaf Special, Phoenix dancong oolong

    Gripping aroma

    What a wonderful aroma comes out from this tea leaves after the first infusion: subtly cream undertone with a marvelous sun dried peach, tangerines and flowers. I have enjoyed them as much as their infusion. Really extraordinary. Highly recommended for those who likes dried (non fruity taste) tea.

    Patricio Hurtado
  • Honey Orchid Supreme, classic Phoenix dancong oolong

    Your review is like a poem! Thank you for sharing your experience with us and so very, very happy that you like one of my personal most favourites. This is the very tea that totally converted me from my previous profession into advocacy for fine tea.

    Leo Kwan