Tasting Notes: big-tree raw puer from Yiwu region, Yunnan

Yiwu big tree puer has coarse stems and apparent long black strips. These big, slow-growing trees grow with minimal human […]

Read More

Inspiring enthusiasts to refine their taste in tea

Taiwan: Off the Beaten Path

With Taiwan’s compact size and its modern transport and communication infrastructure, one can easily visit a tea grower anywhere on […]

Destination: The Wisteria Teahouse, a Cultural Treasure

Taiwan has teahouses of every sort, from Laoren (old man’s) style where common tea leaves are steeped in ordinary drinking glasses, to quiet Daoist establishments, to modern shops where scanning social media sites on mobile phones and laptops is OK.

Beginner’s Bonsai

Bonsai master Bob Langholm offers these instructions for caring for a miniature C. sinensis plant in your own home. Leaves from the beautiful little tree on your table also make a fine cup of tea.

Bonsai: Master of the Miniature

Just as in the world of tea, there is a gulf between mass-produced and master-produced bonsai. A true artist’s worth is measured by how well he manipulates a plant to make it a thing of enduring value, a work of living art that evolves and changes over time.

Regal Rituals

The English, says author and tea historian Jane Pettigrew, “have forgotten a lot of the importance, significance, and history of our tea drinking habits.”

Keemun Black Tea and mushrrom risotto

Keemun Mushroom Risotto

This Keemun Mushroom Risotto is so hearty and satisfying that you’d never think it’s completely vegetarian. There are 2 star […]

A Summer Barbecue

As the weather warms and you fire up your grills, it is second nature to reach for an iced tea or Tea Sangria, but tea isn’t just great accompanying grilled food, it can play a role within that food as well.  Consider Matcha and White Bean Dip, or upgrading your S’mores!

Can Tea Lower Your Risk of Diabetes?

The benefits of tea may be due to its influence on the digestion of glucose (blood sugar), the ADA noted, or because of tea’s high polyphenol content.

Modern Future for Ancient Remedy: Tea

Evidence dating to antiquity attests to the medicinal powers of tea, but Tetley foresees a future where “remedy teas,” teas […]

aged pu'er

The Aroma of Pu’er

Originating in Yunnan’s large-leaf species, pu’er tea can be stored for many years. Its aroma diminishes gradually.  A latent note is uncovered as volatile aromatic compounds with a low boiling point dissipate. A quality piece of new raw pu’er cake with proper storage will develop a clean and robust grassy aroma and then flower, fruit, honey, plum, almond, and woody aroma, finally expressing the epitomic vintage notes.

Harvest Review: Southwestern China

China’s southwestern region includes Tibet, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Chongqing. The southwestern region is the oldest tea producing region in […]

Harvest Review: South Korea Ujeon-Sejak (Early Season)

Many tea connoisseurs wait for this first harvest each year, which is usually only available in very small quantities, and will most likely be gone within the first few months or even weeks of its harvest.