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Phoenix Petioles 1988, matured leaf stalk oolong
Fenghuang | Phoenix, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy, Oolongs, Tea$ 20.10Phoenix 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 -
Lao Ban Zhang 2016, aged Pu’er shengcha cha bing
Compressed tea, Cool Energy, Fuller Bodies, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 64.40 – $ 408.00Renowned origin harvest by a small producer
Lao Ban Zhang is one of the, if not the most sought after origin for premium pu’er. Rather like pursuing a rare wine, people don’t expect a sweet or easy palatial experience but one with character and strength. The tea is known for its long lasting linger. Some refer to it as “cha qi”. A really good one from the “old estate” costs a crazy fortune nowadays. Yet one from a good fringe area by a small workshop can be a lot more accessible. Let us know how you like this compared with other pu’ers.
Net weight per discus: 357 g (12.6 oz)
Please choose if you'd like a single discus or the whole stack: -
Ying Hong Nine, traditional black tea
Black teas, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy, Other tea regions, Tea$ 20.80Prodigy 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.
Net weight: 50 g (1.8 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 -
Bing Dao 2014, matured Pu’er shengcha cha bing
Tea, Pu'er teas, Compressed tea, Yunnan, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Stronger Tastes, Neutral-Cool Energy$ 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: -
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 -
Mini Tuo 2018, shu cha pu’er
Compressed tea, Denser Aromas, Neutral Energy, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 10.30A single dose, easy tasting post-fermented tea
Take these little studs to the dimsum restaurant for a real cup of tea to go with those savoury morsels. Or on a trip, or any place where you may make tea only in a mug, or even in a thermo flask. Because of its convenient form of package, there are countless makes of mini tuo in the market. Of all those we have screened, Haiwan’s Old Comrade has always come out as the best in taste. This compact 5 gram single dose yields a sweet, round body with surprisingly fullness. More so considering the very friendly price.
Net weight: approx 120 g (4.2 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
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White Peony Classic Floral
Home, Tea, White teas, Minnan/ Mindong, Fujian, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Cool Energy$ 23.10Finest Fuding Bai Mudan:
Slowly cured in the grand tradition in the origin of white teas, Fuding, Tea Hong's White Peony Classic Floral maintains the original character of floral aroma with a sweet, refreshing taste. White Peony Classic Floral is a first flush from a high altitude garden of pure Fuding Daibai cultivar, ensuring the best possible health potency of white tea.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
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Tea Taster’s Box: Shengcha Pu’er Cha Bings
Compressed tea, Cool Energy, Fuller Bodies, Pu'er teas, Tea, YunnanIf perhaps breaking that beautifully formed tea discus is a little too harsh for your sensitivity, or a bit too inconvenient for your precious teatime, we are doing the job for you; Tea Hong’s Shengcha Pu’er Cha Bings Tea Taster’s Box is a collection of 4 of our tea discuses each in a 30 gram package in small chunks. Now you can sample our most prized Pasha 2013 plus three others high price varieties at the price of an average cha bing. Since we break one piece of each at a time by hand so as to keep the chunks freshly chipped, there are 9 packs only each time. Be prepared for sudden out of stock until we can do the chipping again. Have fun tasting! Contents: 4 packs of chipped cha bing, approx 30 g net weight each pack, in corrugated card box$ 59.80 -
Celeste Green Gaiwan
Gaiwans, Tea Accessories, White porcelain$ 17.10The plum blossom blooms in mid to late January against the bitterness of Winter. That is why ancient literati had a high regard of the flower, for its metaphoric representation of people with the strength and endurance of holding on Righteousness, even when facing violent repression by the powerful.
Symbolism aside, the gaiwan's round belly form provides a minimal surface area to volume ratio to maximise heat retention, while fanning out at the brim to quicken cooling for easy handling and smooth decantation. This is a classic shape. The lid has a well form dome for trapping air. A lid button has a well formed hollow to keep itself cool enough for resting your finger on it when handling.
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Tea Taster’s Box: Nine Oolong Samplers
Home, Oolongs, Tea$ 42.309 dragons play water
Nine varieties selected from Tea Hong’s extensive oolong repertoire for celebrating the great diversity in this most vibrant tea category, the Nine Oolong Samplers Tea Taster’s Box is for anyone who would like to explore the true quality, true taste of the different natural taste profiles of these 9 representative selections. The original category name — oolong — was romanised from a Southern Chinese language, likely in one of the Cantonese dialects widely spoken amongst tea traders who travelled between the Xiamen-Chaozhou areas and the export port of Canton. In the original language, the term simply means “black dragon”, a fancy way to depict the earlier shape of the oolong tea leaf — a swirly form rather like the mystic animal motif found in many traditional crafts. Hence the Chinese name of this product, Nine Dragons Play Water. Indeed to experience the possibilities of any one single selection, steeping the tea using various methods, parameters and even infusing vessels would give a different result. There maybe many reasons why people can be so attached to this tea category, but perhaps this “playing” with the tea and water is one. Contents: 9 individual packs, total tea net weight: e 80 grams -
Yiwu Maocha 2017, Pu’er shengcha
Cold Energy, Floral Aromas, Pu'er loose leaf shengcha, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 13.90Famous 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 two younger teas in this Puer Maocha series and this is one of them. Some people like their maocha fresher, while others prefer it aged. Enjoy!
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
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: -
Pasha 2013, matured Pu’er shengcha cha bing
Tea, Pu'er teas, Compressed tea, Yunnan, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Stronger Tastes, Neutral-Cool Energy$ 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: -
Moonlight Gaiwan
Gaiwans, Stoneware, Tea Accessories$ 25.90A demanding connoisseur's choice
While to many drinkers, the white porcelain gaiwan maybe the standard infusion vessel, some need an instrument to further improve the brewing experience. It should have all the advantages of a good porcelain — a thin, well formed brim for good decantation, a hollow in the lid button for keeping it cool enough for handling, a dome-shape lid for air trap, a rounded belly for minimising surface area to volume ratio… just like the Celeste Green Gaiwan has. However, one may want additionally a thicker, denser wall in the bowl for even better heat retention, a more solid weight for more confidence in handling, yet the same smooth, polished surface as porcelain for easy care. That would make the perfect gaiwan. Such as this Moonlight gaiwan. A double glazed stoneware of a very dense clay, it weighs 46% more than a porcelain gaiwan of its size. It has a thicker wall at the belly, yet the same thin brim that you expect of a good gaiwan. Its capacity is 150ml, just like an infusion mug specified in the international tasting standard ISO 3103. -
Celeste Green Chahai
Chahai, Tea Accessories, White porcelain$ 9.80A classical shape chahai that goes well with an 160ml teapot. Or choose it to pair with the Celeste Green Gaiwan.
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Happiness Gaiwan
Gaiwans, Stoneware, Tea Accessories$ 37.00A small gaiwan for the serious drinker
One issue with smaller gaiwans made from porcelain is the balance of weight while infusing and handling. The lightness in a small volume also means easier heat loss. The use of stoneware alleviate both issues. The brim is made thin, even and firm for easy control when decanting, while the body wall gradually thickens towards the centre for good heat retention. The glass like celadon overglaze makes the vessel as good as porcelain, only with the advantages of a more substantial body. The "Happiness" gaiwan is one of two hand scripted smaller size selections we have picked from Dehua. The two characters for the term "xi le" — happiness — are handwritten separately on the inside and the outside of the gaiwan body. The name of this style of calligraphic script is "Xing Shu" or "Hsing Shu" dependent on which translation system. Or it can be called a semi-cursive script. In dynastic era, it was a non-formal script style used for daily communication but not for formal documents. -
Bai Hua Shu 2012, shengcha Pu’er maocha
Cold Energy, Floral Aromas, Pu'er loose leaf shengcha, Pu'er teas, Stronger Tastes, Tea, Yunnan$ 33.80One 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
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