What our customers say

When I read this comment the first thing that came to my mind was, “gee this person can really feel my tea, and can put this feelings in such poetic words”. Your imaginary processing of the tea is actually an accurate description of the layers of the taste experience. Much more powerful than the technical framework that I have to abide by in writing the taste profile. And a lot more descriptive than I could using words. I am honoured to be able to connect with such a sensitive being on the other side of the planet, through this humble looking batch of dried leaves. Your presence is a blessing. Thank you.

Delicious and refreshing. I find this tea is all about the finish and aftertaste – it’s very complex and persistent. It lasts for a while, and continues to evolve in a way that very few other green teas do.

This particular example of Luan Guapian is notably sweeter and less bitter than other versions that you might find from different vendors. It’s textured and nuanced where others are flat, thin, and lack depth of flavor.

Initially, this tea opens up with some notes of lightly roasted sunflower seeds and steamed spinach. It’s got a thick and creamy body, reminiscent of cashew butter, and as the flavor profile evolves on the palate it becomes sweeter and develops some intricate fruity and floral notes. The mouthfeel is complex and vibrant all the way through, from the initial sip to the last remaining sensations in the aftertaste.

I also enjoy the cha qi – it’s soothing and calming in the body, but apparent and focused in the mind, which makes it a good tea to drink before meditation, both in the morning and evening.

Complex and intriguing… this is definitely the type of tea you want to drink a few times before you feel like you’ve had it even once. The flavor profile is sophisticated, especially considering how easy and straightforward it is to brew up.

This Zhu Ye has a crisp and clean mouthfeel, like mineral-rich mountain spring water, with a pleasant lingering sweetness that gradually builds up and slowly fades away. It has just the right amount of bitterness to keep the flavor profile on the slightly-dry side, but without sacrificing the delicacies of its otherwise sweet layers of flavor.

There’s a vibrant and apparent note of nettle; to me it’s the focal point of this tea, and it really ties the whole flavor profile together. I get overtones of pine needles with hints of green peppercorn & juniper berries, a mossy and slightly starchy body that has notes reminiscent of fresh peas and corn kernels, and undertones of truffles with cornflowers. This tea has a pungent earthiness, yet also a distinct silkiness, that makes for a really intriguing contrast of flavors and sensations.

Notes of nettle weave their way seamlessly in and out of the whole flavor profile, adding a subtle herbaceous spiciness that is quite powerful yet so gentle at the same time.

The aroma coming off the bottom of an empty cup, as it cools, reminds me of clover honey. It’s got a clear and focused sweetness, with subtle hints of nettle creeping back up and becoming stronger as the cup cools down completely to room temperature.

The color of the soup is bright and clear, with tiny hairs suspended in the cup. In later steeps, the broth turns a bit hazy but the mouthfeel remains light and resists turning excessively bitter, even after a long final steep.

The leaf quality is superb, it’s worth watching these leaves open up as they brew, and definitely worth looking closely after they’ve taken a nice long bath. It’s clear they were plucked well and processed uniformly.

This is a powerful tea, with all of the correct nuances in the right places.

This tea sings

There is not much I can add to the official description of this rare and fine tea. It is all the things described — mellow, floral tones, undulating earth tones. I have a bowl of Honey Orchid Supreme going at work today. The first two infusions delivered exactly what was promised. I poured water for my third infusion but got sidetracked into a meeting, so let it steep too long. Surprisingly, this “over-steeped” infusion was strong, yes, but never crossed the line into unpleasant bitterness. As described, it fully revealed itself with longer steeping. This tea is complex and a pleasure to drink. It will give you what you ask of it — a soft and mellow experience or a quizzical moment as you try to define its complexity with a stronger-brewed cup. Either way, it is sure to ping your happy place. Every tea from Tea Hong has delighted. I now mourn all the years I wasted drinking “shadow-of-tea-powder” that comes in a typical western tea bag. I can never go back to that now.

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).

Much obliged for appreciating this tea. And a sincere thank you for such a wonderfully descriptive account of your experience. For me as a merchant, it was a difficult decision whether to offer this variety at the topmost quality or to offer a production that is ample enough to carry that “Fenghuang Cassia” cultivar signature but maintaining a lower price so that a stepping price range for different affordability can be maintained in the Phoenix line. There are already a few items in the collection that are top quality afterall. In the end I did both. For one, this batch really is exceptional, and the next quality down is simply far less mesmerising. It simply feels sinful not to share such a great harvest. So I made a not so wise decision. To carry this batch at an affordable price, I simply lower the profit margin. If this silly effort can make this lesser known variety appreciated by more, it is still worthwhile. True quality should prevail. Maybe this world can be a bit nicer when less dragged by pretence, falsehoods and mediocracies.