Teas that are TCM neutral cool energy is a safer range with good enough choice for those who may not feel too comfortable using TCM cool teas.
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New
GABA Bouquet, a special white tea
Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral-Cool Energy, Organic teas, Taiwan, Tea, White teas$ 20.40A 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 Kraft-alu pack -
Moon Drops Himalayas, deep oxidation Nepali white tea
Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Nepal, the Himalayas, Neutral-Cool Energy, Organic teas, Tea, White teas$ 29.30When a Taiwanese marries a Japanese in Nepal
The tougher terroir of the Himalayas usually gives a more rugged characteristic to the yield. Yet the ingenious farmer of Tea Hong's Moon Drop Himalayas has employed the creamy Jinxuan ( 金萱 ) cultivar from Taiwan and the umami Yabukita ( やぶきた ) from Japan to produce this tea. Their softer nature most definitely tones down the harsher growing environment to give this tea an extraordinarily round body, accompanied with a sweetness and bouquet that one can hardly find in any other South Asian productions. An extra step of rolling is added to the end of the white tea withering process to develop more depth in the taste profile. This is indeed an unusual gem of white tea. However, maintaining the East Asian tea plants in the Himalayas is not an easy job and getting a good yield from them is even more demanding. We have been following this tea for almost a decade before deciding to carry it. A fine batch as this one on offer is rare.
Net weight: 50 g (1.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Pasha 2013, matured Pu’er shengcha cha bing
Compressed tea, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral-Cool Energy, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 280.00 – $ 1,813.00Zou Bing Liang’s master piece
In the first decade of my tea career I used to neglect shengcha puer as an over-hyped lot. Poor products flooded so much of the market that the category alienated itself from me as a tea lover. Pasha changed all that. Its beautiful complexity converted me. From there on I have made a conscious effort in screening true gems amidst crowds of trite. ( Isn’t that true in all other tea varieties as well?) Shengcha from various subregions now has earned a place in my own repertoire. That from Pasha, however, is still my most preferred. Master Zou’s ( Lao Tong Zhi ) team has certainly done a very good job in making this cha bing. This batch was exactly the same one that I tasted in his workshop in Yunnan and when I was converted and decided that I would carry the tea. These years of maturing have most wonderfully brought more depth and body to both the aroma and taste. We have set it at the lower market price available anywhere in the hope that more can experience this amazing tea. This tea is also available in a small portion as a part of Tea Taster's Box: Shengcha Pu'er Cha Bings. If you are interested, a loose leaf Pu'er shengcha also from Pasha is available in the shop: Pasha Old Tree
Net weight per discus: 500 g (17.6 oz)
Please choose if you'd like a single discus or the whole stack: -
Shenshan Laoshu 2012, matured Pu’er shengcha cha bing
Compressed tea, Fuller Bodies, Neutral-Cool Energy, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 59.00 – $ 374.00Deep Mountain Old Trees
There are harvests from less than famous areas that can be taste worthy. That is why each producer has their own products carrying more generic names as “Deep Mountain Old Trees”, and sell them at much lower price than those with names from more sought after mountains. Some are better value than others. To me, I think this Shenshan Laoshu from Huimin Tea Factory is worth at least three times its ticket value for a body and aroma worthy of a place in the famous mountain rank. It is actually one the best generic name discus we have ever tasted, regardless of the price. One reason they can do that is their collection points spreading deep in Lincang, an area famous for its many famous tea mountains. This tea is also available in a small portion as a part of Tea Taster's Box: Shengcha Pu'er Cha Bings.
Net weight per discus: 357 g (12.6 oz)
Please choose if you'd like a single discus or the whole stack: -
Bing Dao 2014, matured Pu’er shengcha cha bing
Compressed tea, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral-Cool Energy, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 81.00 – $ 515.00Stone-pressed first flush from old trees
Old native tea trees populate the rich forests in Lincang, a revered sub-region in Yunnan. Productions from the most famous mountains here almost always come from inside an area called Mengku. One mountain is Bing Dao, which is in fact the name of a lake 1400 meter above sea level. Mountains surrounding this long stretch of water, enriched by the ecology, yield tea leaves rich in minerals and amino acids. Bing Dao is not famous for floral nor fruitiness, but for the power and length of its “cha qi” — tea energy. Tea Hong’s house matured Bing Dao is a top quality representation of the name at an exceptionally friendly price. This tea is also available in a small portion as a part of Tea Taster's Box: Shengcha Pu'er Cha Bings.
Net weight per discus: 357 g (12.6 oz)
Please choose if you'd like a single discus or the whole stack: -
Jade Orchid, bouquet Phoenix oolong
Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Neutral-Cool Energy, Oolongs, Tea$ 21.40Xue Pian Yu Lan Xiang
One of the most common practices in tea naming in the Fenghuang region is giving a tea the name of the flower which the farmer associates the aroma with. Some of such flowers are fictitious, yet some are real. Like this one, Yu-lan, after the flower tree Magnolia denudata, a.k.a. Yulan magnolia. Jade orchid — as the name "Yulan" is translated — is a tree native to the region where Phoenix is. The tea cultivar itself is relatively new, having been developed locally by a farmer Wei Li Man in the 1980’s. That is why the more popular name for the plant itself amongst local farmers is Li Man zhong, or Li Man’s cultivar. To me, the winter harvest resembles the flower’s aroma more closely so we select only this for Tea Hong’s Jade Orchid. This tea is also available in a small portion as a part of Tea Taster’s Box: Nine Oolong Samplers.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
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Aura of the Night, bouquet Phoenix oolong
Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral-Cool Energy, Oolongs, Tea$ 32.20Yelai Xiang Dancong
The complex, yet bright and lively floral aroma of this tea is associated with a native flower, yelai xiang, aka Chinese violet. It is a vine yielding light yellow small flowers that are especially fragrant at night, hence the name, yelai xiang — the fragrance that comes in the night, from which we have derived our product name. The plant is native in Guangdong province and neighbouring areas. It is the province where the Phoenix region situates. It has taken us some work to get to Lion Head Peak ( see below for more about the origin ) to acquire this best quality representation of the variety. Please enjoy.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Huo Shan Yellow Tips, traditional yellow tea
Fuller Bodies, Green teas, Huangshan & Anhui, Lighter Aromas, Neutral-Cool Energy, Tea, Yellow teas$ 24.80Renaissance of a millennium old tribunal yellow tea
For the same refreshing, cleansing sensation as the finest Huangshan Maofeng, ample green tea’s health constituents, yet with the absence of astringency, a yellow tea like Huo Shan Huang Ya ( i.e. Yellow Tips ) is a best choice. This superb first flush selection is produced almost like a Maofeng green tea but lightly oxidised by covering the tea when it is still very warm during processing. The heat converted some of the leaf constituents into simpler sugars. This particular step gives a softer, sweeter and much easier taste but as delightfully quenching and more body. The concept of this technique has been millennium old, yet it is only in recent years that really fine tasting products become available and accessible. Distinctive as Tea Hong’s Huo Shan Yellow Tips is still rare.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Sold out
Wenshan Paochong, light style Taiwan oolong
Floral Aromas, Milder Tastes, Neutral-Cool Energy, Oolongs, Taiwan, Tea$ 21.80"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
Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Neutral-Cool Energy, Pu'er loose leaf shengcha, Pu'er teas, Tea, Yunnan$ 24.30Whipping 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 -
Old Comrade “7548” 2007, matured Pu’er shengcha cha bing
Compressed tea, Floral Aromas, Neutral-Cool Energy, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 52.10 – $ 347.0045 years of refined tea mastery
When I first entered Zao Bing Liang’s tasting room, the air is filled with the freshness of the aroma of maocha. Bags of samples from newly collected loose leaves lined up in rows, each marked with a numeric code. The teas were trucked in from the various mountains in the region. Some maybe less than 30 minutes away, others can be a full day. Yunnan is over 10% larger even than the whole of Germany and tea trees exist in almost all of its mountains. Some of these maochas are from highly sought after famous villages or mountains, which will be individually made into products carrying their origin names to demand very high market prices. A new discus from Ban Zhang, for example, can easily be fetching thousands of dollars. Aged ones are even much pricier. Yet there are more others from not as highly demanded origins, but also taste worthy. That’s where Zao’s “formulae” come in. Since the 1970’s, the old master has developed a number of recipes for ganging up harvests from origins of lesser known names for more affordable delicious teas. 7548 is the code name for his most prized and classic shengcha formula. These bags of samples in lines were there for the old master to finalise which batches and what proportion for the mix. He does that every harvest, for every product. Presenting the 7548 cha bing from Lao Tong Zhi ( ie Old Comrade ), Master Zao’s very own tea brand. Batch 701 is the first batch of year 2007. That means the best of the year and matured till now. It is a prime product of old Master Zao’s passion for bringing quality to more people without the price tag of premium origin labels.
There are two product variants to choose from:
A single discus of 357g net weight in the original paper wrap, or a traditional vending form of 7 cha bings bundled in a bamboo sleeve, net weight totalling 2.5 kg.
Please click below to see either options. -
Hong Yu Deep White, deep oxidation Taiwan white tea
Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral-Cool Energy, Taiwan, Tea, White teas$ 23.50White 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 -
Sale
Mo Gan Yellow Snails, yellow tea
Fuller Bodies, Green teas, Lighter Aromas, Neutral-Cool Energy, Tea, Yellow teas, Zhejiang$ 28.40Revitalising an old yellow tea
Tea Hong’s Mo Gan Yellow Snails is a break away from the old Mo Gan Yellow Tip. We have greatly modified traditional yellowing to give the tea a distinctive yellow look and a taste that is different from both green tea and old style yellow tea. A neo-yellow. Unlike other tea categories, old style yellow tea has not prospered in all these decades since tea’s revival after the destructive Mao era. Its taste needs a lot more to create followers. Similarly from the mountain of Mo Gan in the region of Zhejiang, Tea Hong’s Mo Gan Yellow Snails has departed from the dull colours of the old to maintain a brisk freshness in the look and taste, while achieving a characteristic “cooked” warmth and sweetness that is the real spirit of yellow tea. Now that is a good individualistic character to have a place in any tea repertoire.
Net weight: 50 g (1.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
King Silver, matured traditional white tea
Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Minnan/ Mindong, Fujian, Neutral-Cool Energy, Tea, White teas$ 23.10Baihao Yinzhen at its best
If you like Silver Needle for its health benefits, but wish for more taste, King Silver is perhaps the choice. There are a few reasons why this pure leaf shoot white tea has better epicurean appeal:- Traditional processing — it takes more time, more mastery
- Mastery in maturing — not most people in the tea trade know how to mature a white tea like we do
- Special cultivar — we have employed a special cultivar that combines the complexity of a Yunnan Daye and the sweetness of Fuding Dabai to have it grown in Zhenghe, the mecca for old style white tea
- Top quality pluck — only top quality first flush from our specially appointed garden, no blending. Not only does that give a uniform, pleasing visual appeal, but also the fantastic taste that is possible only with such care and dedication.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Huangzhi Xiang Classic, Phoenix dancong oolong
Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral-Cool Energy, Oolongs, Tea$ 27.10Fragrance of Kumquat Fenghuang Dancong
Produced with the leaves from the cousin of our Song Cultivar, Tea Hong’s Huangzhi Xiang Classic is baked with more depth and thus a classic Phoenix oolong finish. Like all other tea of this family, patience and expertise in proper finish-processing and maturing is critical in delivering quality. It is a traditional art that has been largely forgotten. We are bringing it back at Tea Hong. The taste quality of this very Fenghuang Dancong tells you why this heritage matters. It is also the reason one may pay more elsewhere for a tea of the same name, but not quite getting the same level of enjoyment.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Cold Dew Alishan, bouquet Taiwan oolong
Fuller Bodies, Lighter Aromas, Neutral-Cool Energy, Oolongs, Taiwan, Tea$ 27.00Winter Chin-shin Oolong
In subtropical Taiwan, the intense humidity that creates the misty atmosphere of Alishan — the tallest mountain in the island nation — dissipates partially when the chill of late Autumn sets in. In October, the sky stays clearer for longer. Little leaves that spout during this time have amply stored up for the few drier months ahead. These are great conditions for oolong harvest and processing. Presenting Cold Dew1 Alishan, masterfully rebaked from the premium Autumn harvest of Chin-shin tea trees. Oolongs made from this quintessential Taiwan wulong cultivar have a few times more teaghrelin2 than any others3, though we hope you buy it more for the great taste of this archetypical Taiwan premium oolong.
Net weight: 70 g (2.5 oz) in Kraft-alu pillow -
Blue Shiiba, Nepali semi-oolong
Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Nepal, the Himalayas, Neutral-Cool Energy, Oolongs, Organic teas, Tea$ 29.90Kyushu wild tea reincarnates as an oolong in the Himalayas
Our Nepali farmer has taken a native wild tea plant from the island of Kyushu, Japan, to try propagating it in the Himalayas. The distinctly different terroir has not been kind to the small leaves so not every harvest gives you a satisfying result. The processing technique has been continuously evolving in the past decade to arrive at what we think is a wonderful manifestation of this unique tea cultivar. A batch as this on offer is rare. To us, it embraces the tea’s heritage as a wok roasted green tea, yet attaining a bouquet found only in fine Taiwan oolongs like that of Wenshan Paochong, while unmistakably carrying the complex tones and finishes afforded by the unique environment on this altitude on the roof of the Earth.
Net weight: 50 g (1.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
White Peony Classic Long, traditional white tea
Tea, White teas, Minnan/ Mindong, Fujian, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Neutral-Cool Energy$ 23.10Zhenghe Mudan Wang
While White Peony from Fuding tastes more floral, that from the other earliest region, Zhenghe, tastes longer and deeper. The more tedious curing process is marked by the darker colors on the leaves. While many prize Silver Needle Supreme for its delicate taste and furry appearance, a superb traditional white tea as White Peony Classic Long delivers a more impressive taste experience. That may explain why this Mudan Wang, aka King of White Peony, is considered the best and most classical representation from the origin, and a favourite by many tea connoisseurs. As most aficionados prefer it, we have always matured this tea adequately before releasing it in the shop. The current stock is a single batch first flush ( i.e. pre-Qing-ming ) harvest from 2019.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in wide Kraft-alu pack -
Wudong Cassia, Phoenix dancong oolong
Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral-Cool Energy, Oolongs, Tea$ 30.30Rougui Xiang Dancong
Although the name rougui is the same as that variety from Wuyi, this tea is from a pure breed Fenghuang Dancong Shuixian cultivar. Sexual propagation of tea trees does give happy surprises and this is an example of it. Discovered and isolated in 1970 by a horticulturalist Mr Wei and has maintained a low profile to avoid unneeded trouble during the height of Cultural Revolution, the cultivar Fenghuang Rougui Xiang Dancong is only gradually picking up attention recently. Not all farmers are doing it right. It is a slow growing tea and only one harvest per year. We think every leaf is worth the search.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Bulang Maocha 2016, Pu’er shengcha
Home, Lighter Aromas, Neutral-Cool Energy, Pu'er loose leaf shengcha, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 15.50Forest Tree Tea:
Deep in the mountains in Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan tea trees grow wild amongst other woods and plants in Bulang Shan. Ethnic mountain people, particularly women, bring with them wood ladders and a plank for platform for plucking in tea season, perhaps as it has always been since antiquity. As a continuation of this tradition, Bulang Silver Spring is hand-processed and slow dried over wood charcoal the same way. This shengcha puer is bright and refreshing when consumed as a new tea, or can be put away for maturity.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in wide Kraft-alu pack
