A Perfect Circle: Tasting the 2013 Fuding White Peony Natural Beauty Cake
History: Fuding County in Fujian Province is not just a core-producing area for white tea; it is the place that gave birth to the white tea we know today, beginning...
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Enjoying the Process: The Four Stages of Pu’erh Tea Tasting
Pu’erhs are one of the most complex kinds of teas out there, and with that complexity comes tremendous joy that tea drinkers can expect over a testing session. Unfortunately, many...
Beyond the Tea Sourcing Trips – An Interview with Victoria Wu (Part1)
One of our tea enthusiasts at Meimei Fine Teas, Derek Elliott, arranged a phone interview with Victoria to discuss her tea sourcing trips and learn more about them. Where do...
What Makes for a Good Green Tea?
Have you ever wondered what exactly makes for a good green tea? With so many options on the market, how can you tell which is better than which? Is...
What is Orange Shu Puerh (Gan Puer Tea) and Why Should You Be Drinking It?
It has unfortunately become commonplace to associate shou or ripe pu’erh with earthier flavors and smells, ranging from musty basement to forest floor. Part of the problem lies at the...
Tea Tasting Guide: How to Taste and Appreciate Wuyi Rock Oolongs
岩骨花香(yan gu hua xiang)floral fragrance, rock bone Wuyi rock oolongs might be some of the most difficult teas to craft in the world. Each of them requires careful attention from...
The Difference between Sheng Puerh and Shu Puerh
Pu-erh is a unique form of tea that defies inclusion in the common categories of white, green, oolong, and black. Depending on its age, you might find it more...
How Can You Get the Most Out of your Pu-erh?
Pu-erh is beloved by tea enthusiasts worldwide. The pressed cakes, often wrapped in eye-catching packaging, come in a medley of beautiful colors, and the range of exotic, complex flavors...
What Makes Wuyi Rock Oolong Tea So Unique?
Our teas showcase a variety of sensory characteristics—shape, color, aroma, texture—that entice us, invite us to use and infuse, bringing us great pleasure and joy as we carefully walk through...
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Teacup Shapes
In wine tasting, oenophiles, sommeliers, and other experts have long understood how the structure, shape, and material of a wine glass can influence the flavors and aromatics of the wine....
What Is Pu'Erh Tea and What Does It Taste Like?
Turning to pu erh for the first time can be overwhelming, confusing, and even intimidating. What is it supposed to taste like? What are you supposed to do with the...
A Look at Yellow Mountain, Home to Huangshan Mao Feng Green Tea
The “Banished Immortal,” one of the most famous poets in Tang Dynasty known as Li Bai, once wrote of China’s loveliest mountain (translation by Dongbo): Cinnabar crags crush granite...
A Tea Unto Itself – Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea
Tucked away in eastern Guangdong province in southeastern China lies the prestigious Phoenix Mountains, a remote and rugged but pristine area that is home to some of the most majestic...
A Look at the Emerging Trend of Tea and Food Pairing
While many tea and beverage enthusiasts might know that tea and wine have some things in common, such as the importance of terroir in influencing aromas and flavors, people are...
A Guide to Wuyi Rock Oolongs
In the northwestern region of Fujian Province one can find a complex family of oolong teas known as “yancha” (or “rock tea”). This rugged environment features steep rocky cliffs and...
Tips on Drinking Tea: Don’t Let Milk Spoil Your Tea
It is a common practice amongst the English to drink their tea with some milk and sugar. While this might be an English tradition, it is certainly not the way...
Honey in a Cup: Huang Shan Mao Feng Green Tea
On the north side of Huang Shan Mountain is the home of one of China’s ten famous teas, a wild-foraged Huang Shan Mao Feng Green Tea, the bushes of which...
The Connoisseur’s Tea Tasting Guide
So you feel like you’re somewhat familiar with the differences in tea by region and you have a grasp on more advanced tea tasting guidelines, but now you’re wondering how...
Tea Tasting Guide: How to Improve Your Palate
I’ve offered some tasting recommendations and guidelines for a beginner and an enthusiast. Before recommending more advanced tastings for tea connoisseurs, I thought it best to speak a little about...
The Enthusiast's Tea Tasting Guide (part 2 of 3)
In the previous entry, we looked at why we should be tasting tea and discussed how a beginner might want to proceed. I suggested that the best way for someone...
The Beginner's Tea Tasting Guide (part 1 of 3)
If you’re anything like me, your tea adventure may have started with the “Chai Latté.” It was the first tea that I can remember tasting appreciably different from all of...