Chill out with a hot cup of tea that is TCM cold. Much better for your health than a cold drink.
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Ise Organic Matcha Unshin, ceremonial grade
Cold Energy, Fuller Bodies, Green teas, Japan, Lighter Aromas, Organic teas, Tea$ 34.80伊勢 有機 御抹茶 雲心 (濃茶)
Top quality at great value
While there are many shops and brands offering organic matcha, finding one which taste quality meets our high requirements is a challenge. In our product line structure, it has to be good enough for chanoyu and at the same time economic enough for making different daily drinks or other recipes. Tea Hong’s ceremonial grade Organic Matcha Unshin is sourced exactly for this purpose. Produced by the same team that gives our wonderful Ise Matcha Mugetsu, and harvested from an isolated tea field for organic management, we are so confident of its quality that this very same production was the first Japanese tea we wholesale exported to EU, and growing in volume ever since. We also have a special quality from this same producer to provide to premium hotels in EU and UK. Now with Organic Matcha Unshin easily available online, when you whisk up a bowl of koicha to savour a mindfulness moment, or blend it with milk and cream to make a matcha latte to win the hearts of your friends, you know you are using a quality that you can rely on.
Net weight: 150g (5.3oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Kyoto Sencha Syunsai, organic Japanese green tea
Cold Energy, Fuller Bodies, Green teas, Japan, Lighter Aromas, Organic teas, Tea$ 25.80春霽 おくゆたか 有機京都一番摘
A well delivered kick with the “just right” amount of strength is the joy of sencha for many tea drinkers. The key, though, is in whether the tea delivers the layers and intricacies like any fine tea should. A not so commonly employed tea cultivar, Okuyutaka, which can yield a finer aroma and more complex taste than other popular tea plants, is used for this top notch organic sencha of our pick. In addition to harvest quality, the mastery and care in processing is critical. Our producer in Kyoto spends more than double the time compared to the modern method so the rolling and heating of the leaves can be gradual and slow in order to render the truly traditional, and more complex taste profile of a respectable sencha. Presenting Tea Hong’s Kyoto Sencha Syunsai, a most enjoyable old style Japanese green tea by the multiple award winning tea master Kikuoka sensei and his diligent team. Net weight: 60g (2.1oz) in Kraft-alu pillow
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Ise Matcha Mugetsu
Cold Energy, Fuller Bodies, Green teas, Japan, Lighter Aromas, Tea$ 24.30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 -
Uji Organic Matcha Sasameyuki, premium ceremonial grade
Cold Energy, Fuller Bodies, Green teas, Japan, Lighter Aromas, Organic teas, Tea$ 24.30宇治 有機 抹茶 細雪 (濃茶)
The best tasting organic matcha we have sampled
While there is no shortage of organic products in the market, getting one that offers the right taste is the most difficult part. That’s why we focus our effort in the mecca of top quality Japanese tea — Uji — to satisfy the different needs of different patrons. While a true connoisseur would want to indulge in the pure and rich flavours typical of a finest matcha, a Zen drinker needs a medium to open windows to the inner soul through the intricate yet solid presence of a tranquillising aftertaste. And then there are those who just want a top quality as their drink ingredient. The patrons in a most exclusive hotel in London seem to agree. We send more of this tea to their discretely beautiful tearoom and cafe than any other varieties. Tea Hong’s Uji Matcha Sasameyuki is the best quality organic production from the same tea master team who directs the quality of our top master grade Uji Matcha Tokumukashi. Their production facility in Higashiyama in Uji is certified for the strictest international food safety standard FSSC22000, and for organic production by Japan Organic and Natural Foods Association (JONA) under the Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS).
Net weight: 30g (1.06oz) in double-lidded tin -
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Uji Gyokuro Yayoinoin, national competition production
Cold Energy, Fuller Bodies, Green teas, Japan, Lighter Aromas, TeaPrice range: $ 33.20 through $ 57.90品評会出品 宇治玉露 弥生の韻
In their small but well organised production workshop in Uji, Master Yoshida and his team carefully sample taste each batch of tea throughout its production process. It is his own reputation that is at stake. As a multiple award winning 16th generation gyokuro master, pursuit for quality is the only way to maintain this honour, and that of his family name. Only the best first flush leaves are selected for processing in this highly specialised workshop. Each step of the processing is monitored and adjusted on the spot for maximising the taste quality. Differences in the weather throughout the growth of the harvest and even the picking time and conditions affect the biochemistry of the leaves. For a green tea, this directly affects the final taste. Adding one degree in heating or a few minutes of baking to optimise the potential of each batch of leaves can therefore mean whether the tea will be good or distinctively superb. Tea Hong’s Uji Gyokuro Yayoinoin is one of these ultimate quality, limited quantity batches hand-rolled by the Master himself, and that we have secured before the annual tea competition. (We wouldn’t be able to offer it if we buy it afterward when it wins. Domestic demand for an award tea is huge even when the price skyrockets upon winner declaration.)
Available in 25g (0.88oz) in a double lidded tin, or in 60g (2.1oz) in a kraft-alu pillow pack. Please click below to choose. -
Ise Gyokuro Chikusen
Cold Energy, Fuller Bodies, Green teas, Japan, Lighter Aromas, Tea$ 37.30伊勢 逸品玉露 竹仙
Compared to Uji or even Kyushu, the region of Mie is much less talked about as one of the first major tea production areas in Japan. Yet it is still as important a source for high end classical Japanese green tea. Many big brands come here to OEM their products, some even claiming them as from some other more popularly known origins*. That is why we buy directly from the producers here. It is quality that matters to us after all. We have screened the best tasting teas for our offers and Tsutsumi sensei's teas most often come up on top. I guess he was not buffing when he said, “the demand is getting crazy…” Tea Hong’s Ise Gyokuro Chikusen is Tsutsumi sensei's top quality green tea from this most sought after production farm in Mie. In Japan, teas from Mie and neighbouring areas are generally referred to as Ise teas. We follow that local practice. The soft, supple, umami and slightly floral characteristics of a good value gyokuro like this is an optimum choice for receiving guests of all levels of tea appreciation skills, or for that special tranquil moment that you can retreat your overloaded mind to.
Net weight: 60g (2.1oz) in Kraft-alu pillow -
Uji Matcha Tokumukashi, ceremonial master grade
Cold Energy, Fuller Bodies, Green teas, Japan, Lighter Aromas, Tea$ 24.90宇治 御濃茶 徳昔
Traditional stone-ground matcha
You do not have to be a Japanese tea master to enjoy this exceptional matcha, nor reserving it only for that serious tea ceremony. Simply get a respectable tea bowl, whip it optimally, and relax with the gently roasted, consoling fresh aroma. Roll its full, layered and yet subtle umami taste in your mouth. Let that few seconds of sipping transcend into a peaceful hour, or at least a window for serenity, even at a clustered desk or a jammed kitchen table. Just the whipping of that pure, luxuriously intense greenness of the tea is mesmerising in itself. The tradition of competing to yield the most tasteful cup of the purest and most intense colour is still valid and as meaningful today as it was 12 centuries ago. This stone-ground production continues this precious heritage. However, the centuries of horticultural evolution coming to the hands of our tea masters in Uji give us a superb quality that is possible only today, and that would be envied by daimyos feudal lords and their chajins tea masters. Produced in Higashiyama by a team led by Shimada sensei, a regular winner of Uji Tea Quality Competition under Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Award, Tea Hong’s Uji Matcha Tokumukashi is a top choice as a koicha (濃茶) for chaji (aka formal chado tea ceremony). For us, it is a natural choice for enjoying a finest taste in green tea.
Net weight: 30g (1.06oz) in double-lidded tin -
Kabusecha Gyousei, shade grown green tea
Cold Energy, Fuller Bodies, Green teas, Japan, Lighter Aromas, Tea$ 18.80伊勢かぶせ茶 暁星
If a traditional style sencha is a little too brisk for you but you feel needing a bit more zest than a gentle gyokuro, try a kabusecha — a tea made from shaded grown bushes much like a gyokuro, although shaded only for half the time. That gives you less of that extra umami, and relatively more of those tea polyphenols for that slight bite and a little more refreshing sensation that you maybe after. Tea Hong’s Kabusecha Gyousei is a top quality selection of this variety. It is produced by Yoshie san’s farm, the same that gives us Ise Gyokuro Mugetsu. Their farm is one of the best in that region, which is popular in the tea trade for shaded grown tea for the production of gyokuro, kabusecha and tencha for producing matcha.
Net weight: 60g (2.1oz) in Kraft-alu pillow -
Karigane Gyokuro, a very special kukicha
Cold Energy, Green teas, Japan, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Tea$ 23.80雁が音 - 白折玉露
When the umami, round and refreshing taste of a good Japanese green tea is desired for a party, or for a casual whole day drink, a good quality kukicha is a popular alternative. Like all other kukicha, or shiraore (another popular name of this tea variety), or karigane, Tea Hong’s Karigane Gyokuro is also produced from leaf stems. There is, however, a significant difference. It is produced as a by product of top quality gyokuro, making it sweeter, softer, a lot more savoury, and as refreshing. Like almost all petiole teas, it is more tolerant of infusion discrepancies, making it a great choice for both green tea beginners and as a daily or party drink. It is a great value alternative to gyokuro. Since a large portion of the leaves are replaced with the leaf petioles, this tea is relatively lower in caffeine too.* Net weight: 120g (4.2oz) in Kraft-alu pack
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Moss Island 2018, shengcha Pu’er maocha, pu-erh
Cold Energy, Fuller Bodies, Home, Pu'er loose leaf shengcha, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 21.30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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Pasha Old Tree 2017, shengcha Pu’er maocha
Cold Energy, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Home, Pu'er loose leaf shengcha, Pu'er teas, Tea, Yunnan$ 25.70帕沙野生老樹 生茶
Maocha from Wild Old Trees
Of all the sub-regions in Yunnan, Pasha is my personal favourite for shengcha. Its yields are typically more floral, rounder and sweeter yet still carrying the terra’s characters of a little punch. We have included also a cha bing (Pasha 2013) in our Pu’er offering in addition to this premium harvest loose leaf maocha. Although both are produced with top picks from this same area, the two different forms deliver different, yet somehow related taste profiles. The pure, gentle, direct and honest rawness of the loose leaf is a different kind of enjoyment from the transformed taste characteristics of the compressed form. Similar leaves, two teas. Compare them to find out which one you like better. It may tell a thing or two about yourself. We have matured the loose leaf for 7 years before making it available for a better representation of the true Pasha quality.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in wide Kraft-alu pack
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Bai Hua Shu 2012, shengcha Pu’er maocha
Cold Energy, Floral Aromas, Pu'er loose leaf shengcha, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 33.80一年一採 百花樹
One Hundred Flower Trees
Going pass the famous Jingmai tea region and deep into the rocky mountains of Lancang Lahu, 1800m above sea level into the turf of the Haqniq ( aka Hani ) tribes, enter the ancient hermit village of One Hundred Flower Trees ( hence the name Bai Hua Shu ). The tougher climate here maybe a little too rough for domesticated tea cultivars, so only indigenous tea trees grow here, and they are really old. The locals say all are at least 200 hundred years. They are harvested only once a year for their first flush. The fresh tea is always very potent. We have matured it for over 10 years to make sure their beautifully tamed characters can be well manifested in your cup.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in wide Kraft-alu pack -
Western Half of the Mountain, shengcha Pu’er maocha
Cold Energy, Floral Aromas, Pu'er loose leaf shengcha, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 16.90臨滄 勐庫西半山 大葉生毛茶
Mengku Maocha 2015 — Mengku Xi Ban Shan
Rough terrains, with altitudes ranging from 1000’s to over 3000 m make up almost 100% of the total 475 km2 of Mengku, in the subregion of Lincang in Yunnan. The uneven landscape is interlaced with huge rocks and subtropical forests. That may explain why for over 500 years the production of tea has been a major means of livelihood for the indigenous tribes here. Old tea trees exist in patches here and there. Sometimes there is a single huge one which immediate surrounding would be cleared for pickers to work during harvests. While leaves from the east side of this cluster of mountains are known for their strong character, those produced on the west side are sweeter, silkier and more gentle. I think the latter is better in the form of maocha. We have matured this batch for 9 years for your better enjoyment, and friendlier to the stomach.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in wide Kraft-alu pack -
Yiwu Maocha 2017, Pu’er shengcha
Cold Energy, Floral Aromas, Pu'er loose leaf shengcha, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 13.90雨前 易武毛茶
Famous Origin
It is said that the indigenous people in Yiwu Mountain began using tea for its medicinal purposes in the third century. The cure would soon became a beverage habit and later a trading commodity. Regardless of history, Yiwu is indeed one of the most renowned region in Yunnan for the tea’s fragrance. We have discovered a great value batch to share with you for a taste of this character without the usual unreal price tag. By design, there are three relatively younger teas in this Puer Maocha series and this is one of them. Some people like their maocha fresher, while others prefer it aged. Compare and see which kind you prefer!
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Winter Alishan Jinxuan, bouquet style Taiwan oolong
Cold Energy, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Oolongs, Taiwan, Tea$ 22.10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 -
Mini Peony, matured white tea
Cold Energy, Huangshan & Anhui, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Organic teas, Tea, White teas$ 14.80金黃有機、迷你牡丹
Organic Golden White Tea
All classic tastes today had once been novel. In the category of white tea, there is much room for developing a fuller spectrum of fine tastes. Mini Peony is Tea Hong’s answer for a different tasting alternative to the classic White Peonies. Processed from a new cultivar, and grown organically in the scenic mountains in Huangshan, this smaller size version of white peony has all the goodness of genuine white tea, but delivered in the compact, less hairy orchid shape whole leaves. The gold infusion is characterised with its own distinct sweet milky notes as a fine selection in its own rights.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in wide Kraft-alu pack