Tag: Essence of Tea

  • “Yiwu” Raw Pu’erh [May 2015 Tea Drinking Report]

    “Yiwu” Raw Pu’erh [May 2015 Tea Drinking Report]

    Big shoutouts to Carolyn, Richard, Dignitea and several vendors for providing teas and others like Shah8 for their recommendations! A brief disclaimer: This report should be taken as my own personal journey into tea and not as the ultimate, definitive anything. WTF Part 1!? These reports have been getting progressively longer. Rather than do something…

  • Yancha (Wuyi Oolongs) [March 2015 Tea Drinking Report]

    Yancha (Wuyi Oolongs) [March 2015 Tea Drinking Report]

    Big shoutouts to Brian, Carolyn, and Richard (+vendors) for providing several of the teas for this month and allowing the content to be what it is! I hope you like long-form content, because this tea of the month report is truly massive. In the month of March 2015, the tea of the month was Yancha.…

  • Essence of Tea’s 2014 Mengsong Red [Episode 98]

    A red (black) tea made out of pu’erh materials and pressed into a cake, Essence of Tea’s 2014 Mengsong Red. Compared to your average dianhong this is a high-end, aromatic affair.

  • Wuliang/Ailao Raw Pu’erh [February 2015 Tea Drinking Report]

    Wuliang/Ailao Raw Pu’erh [February 2015 Tea Drinking Report]

    Big shoutouts to Carolyn & Brian (a different Brian from last month) for providing several of the teas for this month and allowing the content to be what it is! I hope you like long-form content, because this tea of the month report is truly massive. In the month of February 2015, the tea of the month…

  • Pu’erh Vendor Guide

    Pu’erh Vendor Guide

    Pu’erh is a hot tea. In the past 15 years it has moved beyond its longtime audience in Hong Kong and Taiwan into mainland China, the rest of Asia and more recently the west. With Ebay, Taobao, and the ever-growing worldwide marketplace, options for buying pu’erh online have exponentially increased in the last ten years.…

  • Pu’erh Compendium

    Pu’erh Compendium

    White Tea. Green Tea. Oolong Tea. Black Tea. Yellow Tea. Pu’erh Tea? A weird outlier in the tea world, pu’erh is a weird, unntuitive name for an odd-ball in the tea world. Pu’erh represents both an ancient tradition of tribute tea, as well as a fast-moving, contemporary urban trend. So what is Pu’erh tea? Pu’erh…

  • Yancha Firing Levels

    Yancha Firing Levels

    Handmade or traditional Yancha processing is one of the most intricate, processing methods of any tea. This process coupled with the rich terroir of inner Wuyi are paramount to making premium Wuyi tea. Missing either of these can make the difference between amazing and disappointing tea. Despite much hubbub about true Da Hong Pao, the…

  • Da Hong Pao, What’s in your Cup? Blending & Popular DHP Surrogates

    Da Hong Pao, What’s in your Cup? Blending & Popular DHP Surrogates

    Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) is one of China’s ten most famous teas, owns a mythic origin story and is as close to a household name as exists in tea. Given this, it is unsurprising that the name Da Hong Pao is a great marketing term for purveyors of tea. The name Da Hong…

  • Wuyi Special Regions Feat. Zhengyan, Lao Cong, Huiyuan, Niulan Keng, Tianxin Yan

    Wuyi Special Regions Feat. Zhengyan, Lao Cong, Huiyuan, Niulan Keng, Tianxin Yan

    Wuyishan (Wuyi Mountain) is located in Northwest Fujian and is a naturally beautiful area with a great deal of nature and wildlife. This includes an impressive amount of biodiversity, due to the area’s naturally warm climate and a nutrient rich environment. In 1999 the Chinese government designated part of the Wuyishan area as Wuyi World…

  • Wuyi Oolong Tea Vendors

    Wuyi Oolong Tea Vendors

    In line with the trends of the rest of the tea industry online, the amount of roasted oolongs and Yancha (Wuyi Oolongs) being sold online has grown significantly. With increased choices and wild price variations even within the same vendor and tea (1,2) shopping for Yancha is confusing and difficult. The online shoppers reliance on…