Phoenix doesn’t have to be gongfu style
Fenghuang Dancongs and other Phoenix oolongs are my own favourites. I drink a lot of them. Contrary to most people’s expectation, I do not use the gaiwan daily and infuse 250 ml of the tea at a time, if it’s…
The Peculiar Category of Pu’er
De facto tea for some, loathed by others None other tea category is as difficult to explain to a new tea drinker as pu’er. Too many tales have already populated pages and webpages. This is the de facto tea choice…
Black tea, like it used to be
Black tea like it used to be. Before industrialisation. Before additives. We are not happy with English Breakfast or Earl Grey, whatever brand. Not even that Darjeeling with the British Crown endorsement. Black tea should taste good. Like it used…
Oolong — the Gran Cru of Teas
Gran cru of teas None other tea categories can challenge oolong as the gran cru of teas. It offers the widest range of taste profiles in tea. In it you can find the most complex and engaging gustation experience. Hanspeter…
A white tea is defined by its biochemistry, not just the name
Anti-oxidant After some scientific reports said white tea is more potent than even green tea in anti-oxidative health benefits, the market has been flooded with mislabelled products. Most of them we can’t really say are enjoyable. A lot are not…
What are green teas and what makes ours special
Colour is not everything A cup of green tea may look much lighter in colour than a black tea, but, depending on the selection, it can taste stronger, fuller, or milder, or lighter, but surely a lot more potent in…
What is GABA?
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid — GABA — is a type of protein precursor that the brain naturally produces that affects various functions and general health of the nervous system. It also exists in minute amount naturally in processed tealeaves. There are other…
Mother of All Green Teas
Shidaye — mother of green tea The huge leaf buds clearly showed their size difference 50 meters away, under the setting sun. I was telling my client from Belgium that they still needed some time to grow. Mr An, one…
Longjing Infusion: Drinking Glass or Teapot?
Why do they steep Longjing in the glass? Every single client I have ever travelled with to Hangzhou has asked: why do they all steep Longjing in the glass? The shortcomings to most are obvious: difficult to drink from a…
Longjing: is Earlier the Better?
[spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Shift of concept The first flush of a green tea is the best. Somehow this idea got distorted to have become the earlier a…