Knowledge
Tea Types
Pu-erh, oolong, green, white, rock teas, regions and varietals — what they are and how they differ.
Single-origin vs blended tea — which is better?
Both have their place. Single-origin tea expresses terroir — it tells you what one specific village, slope, and harvest tasted like that year. Best for conno...
What is gushu (old tree) tea?
Gushu (古树, 'old tree') refers to tea picked from trees over 100 years old — and the truly prized ones are 300–800+ years. These trees have deep roots, comple...
Do aged white tea and aged pu-erh both improve with time?
Both age well but very differently. Sheng pu-erh undergoes microbial fermentation — the leaves chemically transform over decades into something completely di...
What's the difference between Tieguanyin and Dancong oolongs?
Tieguanyin (鐵觀音, 'Iron Goddess') is from Anxi, Fujian — lightly to moderately oxidized, rolled into tight balls, with a creamy floral character (lilac, magno...
What is yellow tea and why is it so rare?
Yellow tea (黄茶, huangcha) is the rarest of China's six tea categories. It's made like green tea but with an added 'sealed yellowing' step (men huang) where t...
Ceremonial vs culinary matcha — which should I buy?
Ceremonial matcha: youngest spring leaves, shade-grown 3+ weeks, stone-milled cold and slow, bright jade green, drunk thin with water (usucha). Premium and p...
What is Wuyi rock tea (yancha)?
Yancha (岩茶, 'rock tea') comes from the steep cliffs of the Wuyi mountains in Fujian. The tea bushes grow rooted in cracks of mineral-rich rock — that terroir...
How do Yunnan and Fujian regions differ for tea?
Yunnan (southwest China) is the cradle of tea — wild ancient trees, big-leaf varietals (Camellia assamica), high mineral soils, monsoon climate. Best known f...
What makes Da Hong Pao tea so special?
Da Hong Pao (大红袍, 'Big Red Robe') is a Wuyi rock oolong with a 350-year legend behind it. The original six 'mother trees' on a Fujian cliff produced tea that...
What's the difference between sheng and shou pu-erh?
Sheng (生, 'raw') is the traditional style: pressed green tea that ferments slowly over decades, starting astringent and grassy and transforming into somethin...