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New
Nishio Matcha Setsubai, Ōn Koicha Supreme, 30 g
Cold Energy, Fuller Bodies, Green teas, Japan, Lighter Aromas, TeaUS$39.5西尾 極上御濃茶 雪梅
Plum blossoms in the snow
In the southern tip of Aichi prefecture before reaching the Mikawa Bay connecting to the Pacific Ocean, there is a small region that is known as the matcha capital amongst Japanese tea professionals — Nishio. A family farm which began tea production here since the end of 19th century is still thriving here. Two young cousins now run the setup: one oversees the tea farm, the other in the grinding facility. We were not convinced until we were each served with a small chawan of their koicha — the strong serving style as in Omotesenke おもてせんけ tea ceremony — so there was no hiding behind the foamy texture as in usucha, nor the dairy distractions as in matcha latte. When a tea is delivered in such a dense package, every bit of it is clearly revealed. We were struck immediately by its distinctive character: a refreshing “sea character” with a complex, engaging taste profile that is profoundly different from all the other matcha we have had from other regions. To us, it is this uncompromising insistence on its own strong character, rather than following trends toward softer, milder tastes, that deeply resonates. Introducing the best product from the Matcha Capital of Japan, Nishio Matcha Setsubai. Like the plum tree that blossoms even in the snow, a tea with a steadfast spirit that has won our respect.
Net weight: 30g (1.06oz) in pull-lid tincan -
New
Sayama Japanese black tea Yume Wakaba, 50 g
Black teas, Denser Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Japan, Neutral Energy, TeaUS$24.0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 -
Muzha Tieguanyin, deep baked Taiwan oolong, 60 g
Fuller Bodies, Oolongs, Stronger Tastes, Taiwan, Tea, Warm EnergyUS$36.8慢火深焙 木柵觀音
Vintage 2023
Over a century of development since the cultivar’s transplant to Taiwan, tieguanyin produced in the beautiful emerald island is quite different from its cousin in China. Not only has the cultivar evolved differently, but also the continual local development of the authentic technique with which it is produced. Grown in the more conducive terroir of Muzha in the Wenshan area, the leaves here afford a deeper oxidation for a more complex profile even after the traditional deeper baking process. We have picked a premium Spring harvest for Master Chen, our close friend, for her impeccable baking skills to complete the making of Tea Hong’s Muzha Tieguanyin as a superior classic.
Net weight: 60 g (2.1 oz) in Kraft-alu pillow -
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 -
Misty Heights #8, Taiwan’s very own Assamica black tea, 40 g
Black teas, Denser Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy, Taiwan, TeaUS$23.4雲嶺八號、高海拔台版阿薩姆紅茶
Driving south towards Alishan from Yuchi*, the birthplace of black tea in Taiwan, along the mountainous road through emerald forests, in about two hours time one can stop by a scenic local hideouts: Yunling*. Here, Master Zheng moves naturally through his stepped tea garden on the slope at elevation 1300m, despite his rather round body. One large patch of his farm is populated with a locally improved version of the Indian tea cultivar Jaipuri*. The whole leaf black tea that that he produces using this plant tastes so smooth and delicate that one wonders why a similar thing isn’t found in Assam, where the origin tea cultivar was transplanted from back in 1923. Maybe it is the beautiful sceneries here, or maybe it is the specialist tea craft, or maybe it is the culture of Taiwan, or maybe a bit of everything, that turns this immigrant plant into this friendly, smooth and yet intricately complex black tea, Tea Hong’s Misty Heights #8, while remaining that uniquely engaging maltiness that makes an Assamica.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Floral Pomelo, bouquet style Fenghuang dancong oolong, 40 g
Cool Energy, Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Oolongs, TeaUS$30.0鳳凰單欉 鳳西柚花香
Genuine Yòu Huāxiāng — Fragrance of Pomelo Blooms — is not an easy to offer variety of dancong simply because it takes not only skills and experience to produce well, but also another key factor that is impossible to control — the weather. Ample sunshine before and after the harvest for proper sun-withering is critical for forming its unique, and mesmerising, aroma and palatial accents that echo the tea’s legendary pomelo and honey floral characters. (more similar details in Old Bush Zhilan) Tea Hong’s bouquet style Phoenix oolong Floral Pomelo has been given a further round of light baking and resting for a deeper, more engaging taste, like it used to be.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Old Bush Zhilan, bouquet dancong, 40 g
Cool Energy, Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Oolongs, TeaUS$42.3鳳凰烏崠、丹湖老欉芝蘭香
From the same small farm that produces our beloved Danhu Old Bush Song Cultivar, old Master Lin tends three venerable bushes that his father planted in his youth, now about 80 years old, crafting from them a seductively fragrant Zhilan Xiang. As a dancong bush gains age in its natural environment, the tea from its leaves has the potential for greater complexity taste and aroma. This is a distinctive trait of this oldest form of oolong. That is one reason harvests from older bushes are keenly sought after by connoisseurs. For a bouquet dancong, however, achieving perfection depends not only on the terroir and the mastery of processing but also on the precise weather and leaf condition at harvest. Unlike classic dancong, where there are a few more steps in which the tea master has some room to compensate for less-than-ideal circumstances, the fewer steps and shorter time in bouquet-style processing has less margin for error note. That means some years are distinctively better than others. That is why for a harvest as nearly perfect as this one, it is a blessing.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
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Qin Mu Yun: Jade Luster
Teaware, Yixing TeapotUS$1,300.0秦慕雲 - 珠圓玉潤
Artist: Qin Mu Yun, National Master Industrial Artist Pot style: Round Pearl — Yuan Zhu (reinterpreted) Material: Zisha-zhu-ni Capacity: 185 ml Creation year: 2018 Artist signed certificate 製壺人：秦慕雲 國家工藝美術師 壺型：圓珠 (新詮釋) 材料：紫砂朱泥 底款：秦慕雲 製作年份：戊戌 付藝人簽名證書 -
Qin Mu Yun: Plum Blossom, a homage to Shi Dabin
Teaware, Yixing TeapotUS$1,350.0秦慕雲 - 大彬梅花
Artist: Qin Mu Yun, National Master Industrial Artist Pot style: 梅花 Material: Green ash duan-ni Capacity: 200 ml Creation year: 2021 Artist signed certificate 製壺人：秦慕雲 國家工藝美術師 壺型：大彬梅花 材料：青灰段泥 底款：慕雲 製作年份：辛丑 付藝人簽名證書 -
Qin Mu Yun: Little Well Rim
Teaware, Yixing TeapotUS$1,080.0秦慕雲 - 小井欄
Artist: Qin Mu Yun, National Master Industrial Artist Pot style: Well Rim Material: Zisha-hongni Capacity: 165 ml Creation year: 2018 Artist signed certificate 製壺人：秦慕雲 國家工藝美術師 壺型：井欄 材料：紫砂紅泥 底款：秦慕雲 製作年份：戊戌 付藝人簽名證書 *Previously used with substantial tea stains inside. -
Xu Feng: Shui Ping
Teaware, Yixing TeapotUS$110.0徐峰：水平壺
Artist: Xu Feng, National Associate Master Industrial Artist Pot style: Shui Ping ( Water Level ) Material: Da Hong Pao (blend) Seal mark: Xu Feng made stoneware Capacity: 200 ml Creation year: 2023 This is a relatively newer piece by Xu. There is a subtle change in his craft with a shifter, and more confidence in form-styling, albeit still following a classic standard. He has also renewed his artist seal with a more modern and slicker calligraphy. 徐峰 助理國家工藝美術師 壺型：水平 材料：大紅袍 (混泥料） 底款：徐峰製陶 容量：200 ml 製作年份：癸卯 -
Chen Yu Lan: Reverse Handle Concubine
Teaware, Yixing TeapotUS$450.0陳玉蘭 - 倒把西施
Artist: Chen Yu Lan, National Master Industrial Artist Pot style: Reverse Handle Concubine Material: Da Hong Pao Seal mark: Made by Chen Yu Lan Lid seal mark: Yu Lan Capacity: 265 ml Creation year: 2021 Artist issued collection certificate with artist’s biography, photo and signature seals 藝人：陳玉蘭 壺型：倒把西施 材料：大紅袍 底款：陳玉蘭製 蓋款：玉蘭 容量：265 ml 製作年份：辛丑 付藝人製珍藏證書連詳細資歷、照片及印章 -
Wu Yong Jun: Little Pearl Ladle
Teaware, Yixing TeapotUS$270.0吳勇軍：珠鈕小石瓢
Wu Yong Jun, National Associate Master Industrial Artist Pot style: Shi Piao, reinterpreted Material: Zhu-ni (blend) Seal mark: Made by Wu Yong Jun Capacity: 130 ml Creation year: 2021 Artist issued collection certificate with artist’s biography, photo and signature seals 藝人：吳勇軍 國家級助理工藝美術師 壺型：石瓢，重新詮釋 材料：朱泥 (混泥料） 底款：吳勇軍製 容量：130 ml 製作年份：辛丑 付藝人製珍藏證書連詳細資歷、照片及印章 -
Wu Yong Jun: Pearl Ladle
Teaware, Yixing TeapotUS$240.0吳勇軍：珠鈕石瓢
Wu Yong Jun, National Associate Master Industrial Artist Pot style: Shi Piao, reinterpreted Material: Da Hong Pao (blend) Seal mark: Made by Wu Yong Jun Capacity: 210 ml Creation year: 2020 Artist issued collection certificate with artist’s biography, photo and signature seals 藝人：吳勇軍 國家級助理工藝美術師 壺型：石瓢，重新詮釋 材料：大紅袍 (混泥料） 底款：吳勇軍製 容量：210 ml 製作年份：庚子 付藝人製珍藏證書連詳細資歷、照片及印章 -
Wu Yong Jun: Stone Ladle
Teaware, Yixing TeapotUS$240.0吳勇軍：石瓢
Wu Yong Jun, National Associate Master Industrial Artist Multiple national and regional awards winner, with works in the permanent collection in Wuxi Museum (Wuxi is the administrative city that includes Yixing) Pot style: Shi Piao (Stone Ladle) Material: Da Hong Pao (blend) Seal mark: Made by Wu Yong Jun Capacity: 200 ml Creation year: 2020 Artist issued collection certificate with artist’s biography, photo and signature seals 藝人：吳勇軍 國家級助理工藝美術師 壺型：石瓢 材料：大紅袍 (混泥料） 底款：吳勇軍製 容量：200 ml 製作年份：庚子 付藝人製珍藏證書連詳細資歷、照片及印章 -
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Zhang Jing Ming: Compass
Teaware, Yixing TeapotUS$320.0蔣靜明：周盤
Artist: Zhang Jing Ming, National Master Industrial Artist (as seal signed) Pot style: Zhou Pan (the ancient compass), a minimalist reinterpretation Material: Zi-ni, with duan-ni grains Seal mark: Made by Zhang Jing Ming Capacity: 190 ml Creation year: unknown, before 2018 No artist certificate 藝人：蔣靜明（底款）國家級工藝美術師 壺型：周盤，簡約主義化的重新詮釋 材料：混段砂紫泥 底款：蔣靜明製 容量：190 ml 製作年份：不詳（2018以前）
