What our customers say

What a magnificent example of Xing Ren. I compared this directly against six other Xing Ren, all from different vendors – two of which were competition grade, one of them allegedly won second place in 2022 at the Chaozhou Tea King Competition, or something like that. Living in the United States makes it difficult to confirm such things, I suppose it comes down to trusting your vendors…

Anyways, Tea Hong’s Orchid Gratus stands out as being right up there with the competition-grade and old-bush Xing Ren that I sampled, both of which are literally two and a half times more expensive per gram. This one has all of the right overlap in all of the correct places, but also carries with it some unique attributes that make this feel like an elevated expression of Xing Ren.

Honestly, I’d rather have Orchid Gratus over the two competition-grade Xing Ren. It’s clear that the active phases of the processing; such as the baking, were executed perfectly, and also the resting phase, where patience is required for the maocha to catch up to the masterful techniques applied to it. This is the real deal, whoever made this tea is exceptionally skilled.

As a result of the expert-level crafting, the flavor profile is exquisite. To me, it tastes like vanilla-bean infused plums and seared pineapple flesh, soaked in apple juice and then caramelized in a pan with herbaceous spices like star anise or fennel seed. As the flavor profile melts away, I’m left with distinct overtones of honey drenched florals that linger in the aftertaste for a long time, along with a pleasant minerality that is characteristic of high-end dancong.

There’s a lot going on, and the soft edges this tea has make for a very pleasant overlap in the flavors that accentuates the whole experience as they mingle with one another. The texture is buttery-smooth and the mouthfeel is exceptionally rich; it brings with it a kind of pungency that creates a very expansive and long-lasting aftertaste with undertones of stewed and spiced apples. The aftertaste has its own complex and unique set of characteristics which sink very deeply into the palate, and make for an unforgettable experience.

Nice cups

These cups are very pleasant to look at and drink in. They are soft and elegant, the white color is perfect to appreciate the color of the infusion. The very wide opening (only a little bit smaller than my palm) make them perfect for teas which need high infusion temperature (if not, pre-heat them well).

There is an old Hong Kong saying, “Ng4 paa3 fo3 bei2 fo3, zi2 paa3 ng4 sik1 fo3 — 唔怕貨比貨，只怕唔識貨” — meaning, “(we) fear not of (you) comparing our products with those of others, (we) fear only of ignorance of quality.” The city of Hong Kong began as a trading port in the 19th century. It very soon became a key hub for goods from China, Southeast Asia and around the world. After the taking over of China by the Communists in 1949, the British colony’s trading role became even more important. Competition amongst sellers was keen. This saying was widely used amongst purveyors of top quality products to alert buyers to watch out carefully for inferior quality hidden under a similar appearance or name, or even false claims. Although it had long since became a cliché and forgotten in recent decades, I find the market condition no less confusing, at least in the area of tea.

I am happy that besides knowing your Phoenix oolongs, you also understand a genuine tieguanyin. I hope more people do.

Nowadays, partly due to the indulgence in the overuse of fertilisers, many productions of even authentic tea bushes lack the intricacies of a traditional tieguanyin. Not to mention lowly crossed clones and sloppiness in processing. Respectable farmers and producers are, therefore, precious finds.

Smooth and sweet

Some other shu pu-erh may be smooth and sweet too, but this one also has richer taste than others I had before. My favourite pu-erh now it becomes.

Da Hong Pao with deeper baking

Hello Mrs Ngo,

Both firing styles have their own followers and that’s why we are trying out which is more preferred by our customers. There is also a direction that we go both way, though this will not be too easy for us to maintain our inventory. I’ll certainly make a score for you for preference of the deeper baking style and hope your group will win before we decide which way to go.

A lovely, complex, and vibrant white tea, with so many layers of flavor and well-defined nuances that it’s really difficult to describe. You have to try this tea in order to understand what it tastes like.

It’s sweet, smooth, and herbaceous, with malty undertones and minty overtones. It’s silky as it glides across the palate, and brings a cooling sensation that is unique. Within a matter of a couple seconds, that deceptively smooth soup explodes into a flavor bomb that lasts for several minutes on the palate and creates a very deep and rich aftertaste.

This tea is also remarkably flexible, and responds well to a variety of different brewing techniques. I’ve brewed it up gong-fu style, Western-style, and I’ve even used other methods that some purists would say are blasphemous – but the real beauty of this tea is in its ability to return some of the most delicious cups of tea you’ll ever have regardless of how you brew it up.

A must-try if you’re looking for a complex and sophisticated experience in the category of white tea.