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Sayama Japanese black tea Yume Wakaba, 50 g
Black teas, Denser Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Japan, Neutral Energy, TeaUS$25.0狭山和紅茶 夢若葉
Wakocha from volcanic soil made by 17th generation tea master
A limited size production rolled with a wooden roller for lengthening the oxidation duration vs the speed, this exceptional “wakocha” — Japanese black tea — of purely the leaves of the local cultivar Yume Wakaba — ゆめわかば (kanji: 夢若葉) is the prized production by the multiple award winning Master Shimizu. These leaves grown on the dark volcanic soil of the Sayama area carry with them a distinctive mineral character like no other we have tasted. It is also the attention and skills by this 17th generation tea farmer that has made this tea stands out so well to convince us to have it as the first Japanese black tea in our collection.
Net weight: 50 g (1.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Cedar Creek Classic, deep oxidation Taiwan oolong, 70 g
Denser Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy, Oolongs, Taiwan, TeaUS$25.0深造青 文火深焙 杉林溪紅水烏龍
Red Liquor Oolong
Other than the famous Oriental Beauty, there is another popular deep oxidation oolong in Taiwan. The locals call it Red Liquor Oolong — Hong Shui Wulong, referring to it being like hong cha, i.e. red tea ( aka black tea ). To include this variety in our collection, we have been screening sources from different parts of the Beautiful Island*, and concluded that the one from the scenic mountain of Da Lun Shan 大崙山 in Shan Lin Xi 杉林溪* by Master Chen has the highest potential. While some use the softer tasting Jinxuan or Four Season cultivars, Master Chen insists the use of the old Qing Xin from his 1500m altitude tea farm for its more complex taste profile after the long oxidation process. We do too. In addition to the oolong way* of deeper zao qing*, the real mastery is also in the baking. It is this precise heating that optimally caramelises and transforms the juice from the tightly rolled tea beads into the complexity in what the tea offers. We have aged it till all the elements are in place for the current uniquely enjoyable taste and aroma.
Net weight: 70 g (2.5 oz) in Kraft-alu pillow pack -
Ise Matcha Mugetsu, 30 g
Cold Energy, Fuller Bodies, Green teas, Japan, Lighter Aromas, TeaUS$24.3伊勢 御濃茶 夢月
Master ceremonial grade at great value
If you are beyond those matcha lattes or smoothies and want to experience the virtues of a pure matcha, begin with a more genuine quality. One that is from the leaves of the Asahi and Gokou cultivars and that are properly shaded-grown and processed, i.e. from a high quality tencha for the umami, creaminess, low astringency and vibrant green colour. And that is slowly and finely ground to the smooth powder form for untainted purity and silkiness. Presenting Tea Hong’s Ise Matcha Mugetsu, a great value premium selection that is suitable for making either usucha in a chakai or koicha for a chaji ‘tea ceremony’. Even if you are not into those Japanese style tea gatherings, a properly whisked bowl of a fine quality matcha without the masks of foamed dairy is a sheer moment of peaceful happiness in itself.
Net weight: 30g (1.06oz) in double-lidded tin -
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GABA Bouquet, a special white tea, 40 g
Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral-Cool Energy, Organic teas, Taiwan, Tea, White teasUS$20.4天然培育 伽瑪芳香白茶
A very rare white tea
Mr Yu rarely wears shoes and walks in his little tea fields barefooted. He loves the contact with the soil that he keeps so naturally fertile, and uncontaminated. So much so that we smell the sweetness walking into his garden. He brews his own fertilisers and devises various ways of natural pest control. He is so into natural farming that a national university has setup quite a few joint projects with him. He totally worships Nature but his hobby is mechanical engineering. He proudly showed me the GABA deoxygenation tank that he modified and explained to me how it is better in processing the tea. Tea Hong’s GABA Bouquet is an invention by him. I have yet to find another tea with this kind of fruity bouquet, smoothness and even a good umami tone. He tried quite a few times before arriving at this distinctive taste quality. This is a rare batch and we can only restock when everything will work the same in the next production. It’s all dependent on Nature after all.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Wide kraft-alu pack -
North Peak, deep baked Taiwan oolong, 70 g
Fuller Bodies, Lighter Aromas, Neutral-Warm Energy, Oolongs, Organic teas, Taiwan, TeaUS$25.1天然培育 深焙北山武夷烏龍
A Wuyi reborn in Taiwan
In Taiwan, besides the famous tea mountain of Dong Ding (Cold Peak), there are actually many other areas where the horticultural conditions are good for finer tea production. Such as the Bei Shan (i.e. North Peak) area that is has an 1,100m altitude and near the centre of the whole Taiwan Island, in Nantou County. The Tsai family does not have the resources to get an international organic certification, but they run the farm according to organic practices with the help of the local university, much like Master Yu who makes our GABA teas. Tea Hong’s North Peak is an oolong optimally deep baked for aroma and caramelisation. It is produced by the Tsai family using a Wuyi Shuixian cultivar that is localised and quite different from any Wuyi oolongs from Wuyi. You will find it softer and slightly sweeter. Interestingly, that is very much a Taiwan style, gentler in every way.
Net weight: 70 g (2.5 oz) in Kraft-alu pillow pack -
Phoenix Petioles 1988, matured leaf stalk oolong, 40 g
Fenghuang | Phoenix, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy, Oolongs, TeaUS$20.1私藏 陳年鳳凰莖茶
Phoenix tea farmers’ tea
In Phoenix, before a tea goes through the last round of baking to be ready for consumption, it is sorted manually to get rid of the leaf stalks (i.e. petioles), broken leaves, and other leaves that are not as nicely rolled or processed as the others (aka Yu Ye). The producer retains such “refuse”, rebakes it and keep it for personal use or give it out to their neighbours and relatives. They call it cha tou or thê-tao in the local language, as in “Tea Head”*. Provided the right quality, the taste of thê-tao, despite their irregularity in appearance, is actually sweeter and softer than the leaf tea from the same plant and a lot more flexible and tolerant with brewing mistakes. Presenting Tea Hong’s Phoenix Petioles 1988, a thê-tao collected between 1985 to 1988 by our top Phoenix producer. Because of the decades long maturity given onto the tea, it exhibits a post-fermentation characteristics somewhat alike those of finer shu cha Pu’ers — earthy, woodsy, herbal and pacifyingly herbal sweet, combined with an underlying and unmistakable matured Phoenix undertone. A unique taste experience unlike anything else.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Moss Island 2018, shengcha Pu’er maocha, pu-erh, 40 g
Cold Energy, Fuller Bodies, Home, Pu'er loose leaf shengcha, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, YunnanUS$21.3明前冰島 正宗勐庫大葉生茶
Bing Dao Maocha
Leaves from Bing Dao look definitively different as from, say, those of Pasha. It is a different variety of Yunnan Da Ye tea tree1 — Mengku Da Ye (Mengku Big Leaf), that differentiates itself not only with the larger leaf size, but also an accent of crispy sweetness. It is believed that Bing Dao — Island of Moss2 — is the birthplace of the tea tree variety. Variants and cultivars of Mengku Da Ye are used popularly in the county of Mengku3 for both black and pu'er tea production. Some say it began in late 15th century when a governor asked locals to plant 200 seeds here to start tea production. That would become the tens of thousand in this area where the Mengku variety is found to be genetically the most pure. Less than 20% of variation in their DNA, quite impressive for over 500 years of unmanaged sexual propagation in the wild. I think this batch is exceptional in manifesting the characteristics of this unique tea tree. It is a premium harvest. If you are interested, compare this loose leaf form with the compressed form » Bing Dao 2014 that is also available at Tea Hong.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in wide Kraft-alu pack
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Royal Black, organic classic black tea from the Himalayas, 50 g
Black teas, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Nepal, the Himalayas, Neutral-Warm Energy, Organic teas, TeaUS$23.4शाही कालो
An Easy and Versatile Fine Tea
Royal Black is one of those teas that is good as is even when strongly brewed, and fantastic with added milk, or honey and lemon for that matter. It holds its finesse in the casual handling of daily use. The deeper oxidation and baking executed onto these selectively slightly larger size young leaves give the tea a sweeter, fruitier and more straightforward taste profile that makes it a comforting sip. Handpicked in Spring from the slope of the Himalayas in Dhankuta, Nepal, and processed with the mastery of traditional black tea, this certified organic product distinguishes itself from most other organic teas available out there with a classic black tea taste that is rare in those other products.
Net weight: 50 g (1.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Ying Hong Nine, traditional black tea, 50 g
Black teas, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy, Other tea regions, TeaUS$21.4廣東英德春茶 英紅九號
Prodigy Black Tea of Yingde
Although the ancestry of cultivar Ying Hong #9 was taken from the rugged mountains of Yunnan 60 years ago, the tea tree has acquired a very different characteristics in the much milder climate on the rolling hills of middle Guangdong. However, not all farms are able to produce a warm sweet black tea with a rich and smooth body as Tea Hong’s Ying Hong Nine. This patiently withered and oxidised selection is processed in the Guangdong style and optimally baked for its creamy characteristics and fruity accents. A prize-winning quality at great value. Read more:
Net weight: 50 g (1.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Wenshan Paochong, light style Taiwan oolong, 40 g
Floral Aromas, Milder Tastes, Neutral-Cool Energy, Oolongs, Taiwan, TeaUS$21.4明前極品 文山包種
"Baozhong" from a true Taiwan master
Originally labelled as “Floral Aroma Tea”, today Paochong is produced in many parts of Taiwan and China, but that in the northern part of Taiwan around Taipei, where it made its name*, remains the most reputable. The highest quality is found in only a few small family farms where the traditional craft continues to pass on and evolve. Like that of Master Weng. Although his production management is certified as ISO22000, this 5th generation tea farmer insists that processing is an art and personally attends to all details of the workflow. That is probably why his farm has won in not only Paochong competitions but also a nationally awarded agricultural entity. Tea Hong is proud to present the best work of this highly devoted tea master. Likely to bring a much more joyous experience than any of what made the tea famous in the past centuries, for what the arts and science, love and sweats have accumulatively invested in its making.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Bang Xie Maocha 2007, Pu’er shengcha, 40 g
Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Neutral-Cool Energy, Pu'er loose leaf shengcha, Pu'er teas, Tea, YunnanUS$24.3珍藏明前 邦協藤條茶
Whipping Rattan Tea
In historical herbal literature, tea is referred to as bitter, “extremely cold” to the body constituents, but effectively detoxicating. That basically is what is the raw tea leaf. While green tea is cooked, and most white tea is from plants that are severely tamed through breeding, Pu’er maocha maybe the closest thing one can get commercially nowadays for what the ancients had referred to. Yet in order to offer a tea that is taste worthy, we have to find plants that are strong and soil that is rich to provide that potential. And dry those leaves from the first flush and age them well to round off all the edges and deepen the tastes. A Whipping Rattan Tea bush is such pruned that buds just flush in the tips of its few branches. All the plant’s nutrients are thus focused in these few young leaves. We think that would be good raw material for us to process and age. Presenting the very special Whipping Rattan Bang Xie Maocha, aged since 2007. A unique Pu’er tea in every way.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in wide Kraft-alu pack -
Hong Yu Deep White, deep oxidation Taiwan white tea, 40 g
Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral-Cool Energy, Taiwan, Tea, White teasUS$23.5臺灣本土育種 深造青白茶紅玉
White tea with a twist
The very same cultivar which leaves that make the black tea, Fragrance of Taiwan — Red Jade — is employed to make this unique white tea. Where the black tea has an upfront distinctive character which tea novices may need time to grow into, the white tea version is a lot friendlier for understanding this wonderful camellia formosenisis species with. Hong Yu Deep White has the light and easy first impression like other white teas, but that will grow in your palate to the roundness of an aged black tea and the floral character of an oolong. An unmistakable gastronomical signature uniquely its own seamlessly holds all elements together as a continuum of olfactory-palatial sensation experience.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Winter Alishan Jinxuan, bouquet style Taiwan oolong, 70 g
Cold Energy, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Oolongs, Taiwan, TeaUS$22.1阿里山冬茶 金萱烏龍
the oolong with an accent of milk
In the early 80’s when the tea was first available to the market, tea tasters described Jinxuan oolong as having an accent of milk. The simple remark has sparked waves of imitation products, all involving adding flavouring. This continues until today. Jinxuan maybe one of the more popular cultivars in Taiwan, but it takes mastery to harvest and process it properly for that natural and slight “milk” accents, and all the other finer tea qualities. Tea Hong’s Alishan Jinxuan is just that. Non-blended first flush superbly produced to the same balance as Prof Wu Zhenduo* had originally intended it to be. As the same cleansing, soft taste profile that made it famous in the beginning. Nothing added, purely as we have always like our tea to be.
Net weight: 70 g (2.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pillow -
Tieguanyin Traditional, bouquet oolong, 80 g
Cool Energy, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Minnan/ Mindong, Fujian, Oolongs, TeaUS$28.8西坪正欉 古法清香鐵觀音
Original Tieguanyin Cultivar
To old time aficionados, tieguanyin is not just about floral aroma. They seek yun-wei, which can be roughly translated as “lingering taste of various tones and accents”. For the right yun-wei, we went to the origin of tieguanyin for a fourth generation farm high in altitude. Tea Hong’s Tieguanyin Traditional is produced from a particular patch where only matured shrubs of the thorough-breed cultivar grow and are harvested only once year. This is to ensure maximum amount of taste and salutary substances are stored in the young leaves for subsequent mastery processing for the wonderful lingering taste of various tones and accents. Like a fine old style tieguanyin should be.
Net weight: 80 g (2.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Phoenix Sweet Osmanthus, traditional flower scented dancong oolong, 40 g
Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral-Warm Energy, Oolongs, TeaUS$23.4傳統竹籃文火窨花、桂花香鳳凰單欉
Traditional basket oven scented
For those who prefer finer tea tastes on top of real flower fragrance in their scented teas, Phoenix Sweet Osmanthus is an ultimate choice. Freshly picked osmanthus flower buds are sprinkled onto a thin layer of Honey Orchid Phoenix oolong in a bamboo basket over low charcoal ash fire. The same way as this has been done for centuries. The result is a natural, sweet, sensually aromatic epicurean experience few other scented teas can compare. Extended reading: Scenting of Phoenix Sweet Osmanthus
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Keemun Snails, traditional black tea, 80 g
Black teas, Huangshan & Anhui, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Neutral Energy, TeaUS$26.1祁門珍品紅香螺
Fragrant Curls:
If you prefer a simpler taste profile than our Keemun Traditional Supreme, but want to enjoy the character of a Keemun black tea, Keemun Snails maybe the one tea for you. Slightly sweeter and lighter than the former, these tightly rolled tiny little swirls releases a gently warm and yet floral and sweet aroma to help you slowly start off your day, or move it along. Deliciously different from the bitterness of many other blacks, the fine taste from these wriggles maybe a pleasant twist from your previous perceptions of this beverage category.
Net weight: 80 g (2.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack
