Same tea plants, same tea name, different teas! I previously compared two Tieguanyin oolongs—Modern Green Roast Grade II and Traditional Green Roast—from Life in Teacup, a company specializing in Chinese teas (see post). They kindly provided me with five Tieguanyin teas in all, so today I continued my exploration of Tieguanyin (or Tie Guan Yin; … Continue reading Comparing Tieguanyin Roasted Oolong Teas
Although trying a new tea is always fun, sometimes you discover more when you compare a couple of teas. Today I tried two oolongs kindly provided by Life in Teacup, a company specializing in Chinese teas. Both are Anxi Tieguanyin (or Tie Guan Yin) oolongs, one Modern Green Roast Grade II and the other Traditional … Continue reading Comparing Tieguanyin Green Oolong Teas
One of the best perks of my job? Drinking tea! So today I tried a tea that was new to me, a sample of Jin Jun Mei kindly provided by Life in Teacup. And wow, this is a gorgeous tea! The fluffy leaves, with their long minute hairs, look like delicate golden and charcoal twisted … Continue reading Jin Jun Mei—A Gentle Black Tea
I recently purchased some Ya Shi Xiang oolong from Zerama Tea, figuring I should try some Dan Cong as I haven't had any. I really love the oolongs that I typically drink and haven't strayed much past them, but it was time to sample something new. Even a characteristically dry scientific article noted that Phoenix … Continue reading Finding the Best Teapot for the Tea: Ya Shi Xiang Oolong
While pretty much everyone knows that there's black and green tea, and many know about white and oolong, far fewer are familiar with yellow tea. And that's rather a shame because yellow tea is a tea worth having. Yet yellow teas are not commonly seen. Few gardens produce them, production is costly, and quantities are … Continue reading What Is Yellow Tea?
Continuing my informal guide to selecting tea—having gone through the caffeine/no-caffeine decision and having looked at low- and no-caffeine options (see New to Tea? Start Here)—we're now looking at the types of tea that come from one plant, Camellia sinensis. And asking whether you want white, green oolong, black, or fermented? And do you want … Continue reading New to Tea? Start Here (Part 2: White and Green Tea)
A new teapot deserves a new tea so when my daughter brought over her latest thrift store find, an engaging porcelain teapot and cup set, we went through my stash to find a suitable tea.We settled on an unopened sample of Chinese Zhang Ping Shui Xian Oolong Tea Fragrant Orchid Grade One, produced in Fujian Province, … Continue reading Chinese Oolong Tea—Compressed into a Cube!
Having had little experience with pu-erh tea, I recently decided I must see what this tea is all about, so here I look at two different types—a raw pu-erh and a "cooked" one. It's a drop in the bucket, I know, but it's a start! And from all that I've read, a clay pot is … Continue reading Discovering Pu-Erh
In this season of gift-giving, gift-giving itself can be filled with landmines. Will they like it? Will it demonstrate that I know what they like? Will it demonstrate that I have good taste? Because a gift can say as much or more about the giver than the recipient. Indeed, most, if not all, of what … Continue reading The Quality of Tea Both Shapes and Reflects Social Standing
A bowl of Jasmine Phoenix Dragon Pearls are simply beautiful. Pearls of perfection. The Pearls Each "pearl" is actually is the tip of the plant's new growth—the bud and first one or two tender new leaves—tightly rolled into a smooth, tight ball. Here you can see a pearl side-by-side with one that has opened up … Continue reading Jasmine Phoenix Dragon Pearl—A Tea as Mystical as Its Name
It's More Than Tea 