The Right Way To Brew a Great Cup of Shu Pu-erh Tea
Shu puerh tea undergoes a fermentation process which creates that unique shu flavor profile. While sheng puerh tea in general creates a stronger sensation, shu puerh in general is mellower...
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Video: How to Brew A Great Cup of Green Tea
Learn how to get the most out of your green tea with this engaging instructional video from Meimei Fine Teas' Victoria outlining the critical elements involved in producing your most...
“Three Thousand Weak Waters, Only One Scoop” – Yixing Teapot Shi Piao
Yixing teapots are unique to Chinese gongfu tea culture and are only produced in Yixing city of Jiangshu province. This particular teapot style originated during the Ming dynasty by the...
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...
The Joy of Tasting a Pu'erh: Lao Man'E Ancient Tree, Sheng
Last week, we discussed what to expect when you venture into the exotic territory of pu’erh tasting. Unlike other forms of tea, it is pu’erh that usually has the most...
The Hidden Price of Tea: How Trump’s Tariffs Could Cost You Your Cup
Since the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War, there has never been a tariff on tea in the United States… until now. The Importance of China to the US...
How to Drink Tea from a Gaiwan
Although the gaiwan remains the most widely preferred teaware for gongfu tea ceremonies, did you know that it can also be used more casually? Indeed, one reason it has retained...
Choosing the Right Utensils: The Gaiwan
Convenience and familiarity often guide our lives, and in the world of tea, this often means preferring the convenience of a strainer and the familiarity of a mug. The strainer...
The Complete Guide to Iced Tea, Pt. II: Cold Brewing
In last week’s post, we offered a step-by-step guide to “flash chilling,” a method used to make iced tea that is quick and easy, but in spite of this convenience,...
Understanding Pu-erh Tea and Appreciating the Importance of Terroir
Many pu-erh tea drinkers have become familiar with Menghai county and the tea factories in that region. The name itself is practically synonymous with “high-quality,” a reputation earned from the...
Pairing Your Tea and Teaware, A Regional Approach
For some of us, selecting the teaware we plan to use on any given day is an emotional or aesthetic decision. We might feel good about a gaiwan one...
Four Reasons We Love Yixing Teapots
As we discussed last week, there are a lot of reasons to love Jian Shui teapots, and while they can be the more economical option, Yixing still holds a very...
Say Hello to Jian Shui Zi Tao Purple Clay Teapots!
Ever wonder what a Jian Shui Purple Clay teapot is? Ever wonder how Zi Tao pottery differs from Yixing? Do you know which is best for you? If these...
Essential Teaware Explained: Your Guide to Gaiwan and How to Use It, Part 3
Our last two blog posts have been focusing on the inimitable gaiwan, a teaware piece that represents near perfect coordination between function and form, use and aesthetic. We first explored...
Essential Teaware Explained: Your Guide to Gaiwan and How to Use It, Part 2
Last week, we started to discuss the gaiwan, taking a brief look at its history and in what ways it differs from a teapot. Usually consisting of a small bowl...
Essential Teaware Explained: Your Guide to Gaiwan, Pt. 1 (Background)
If you’ve ever attended a tea tasting, visited a tea bar, browsed the wares in a tea shop, or even awkwardly dropped in on a friend who was right...
How to Make the Perfect Cup of Tea? Remember: WWTT
Sometimes no matter how hard you try, your cup of tea just doesn’t turn out right. Does it taste too weak? Too bitter? Maybe it doesn’t taste right? What could...
What You Need to Make Pu Erh Tea Like a Pro
We’ve spent the last few weeks extolling the virtues of pu erh, addressing some common misconceptions, and providing some advice for picking out good teas while avoiding bad ones. Inevitably,...
What is Gong Fu Style Tea and Why is it Special?
There are many enthusiastic tea drinkers who are already familiar with the term gong fu, believing that it denotes a form of tea preparation. This is somewhat true, and we’ve...
Two Tips for the Perfect Cup of Tea in the Spring
For so many of us, our desires for food and drink mirror the mood of the season. As the temperature cools, for instance, we tend to reach for warmer foods...
Why You Need At Least One Jun Teacup In Your Collection
The Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD) in China was home to a cultural renaissance, a period during which there was an intellectual and artistic explosion in everything from mathematics, engineering, and...
Your Guide to the Tea Cup – Part II
Have you ever noticed that some tea cups are really tiny and others are larger? Maybe you’ve wondered why some tend to be slender and tall while others are...
Your Guide to the Tea Cup – Part I
Contrary to popular belief, wine connoisseurs have only discovered recently the importance of the wine glass and the role that it plays in enhancing the taste of their favorite...
Making Tea? This is the Most Important Thing to Have - Part I
One of the most exciting elements of being a loose leaf tea drinker is the beauty of the entire tea drinking experience. And if there’s any one thing that can...
A Purchasing Guide to the Best Tea Scales
In our Beginner’s Guide to Loose Leaf Tea, we recommended investing in a good kitchen scale. With so many options out there, how do you decide on which one to...
A Beginner’s Guide to Loose Leaf Tea
Loose leaf tea makes for some incredible cups of tea, especially if you know what you are doing. So many people, used to the convenience of bagged tea, let these...
That One Tea Steeping Trick : Leaf Agitation
Today, we’re going to look at a step that might be more even neglected than the water pouring, and that is agitation. If you have ever observed any of the...
Make Your Tea Instantly Better – The Art of Pouring
Whenever you pick up a skill for the first time, the attention is usually given to the basics before moving on to more advanced techniques. At some point, however, that...
What’s So Special about Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong?
Phoenix Mountain oolongs have a reputation for being some of the most complex teas available, and for good reason. From the appearance of the leaves to the intoxicating aromas, this...
The Gaiwan Purchasing Guide - Part Two
In our previous post, we discussed some of the necessary features to look for when purchasing a gaiwan and why those features are important. Today, we’ll look at the relevance...
Tea Time: How to Select the Right Teaware
So you want to brew some of your loose leaf tea. How do you select your teaware? For many, it is simply an emotional choice, but if you want to...
Art of Preparing Tea II
In the Art of Preparing Tea I, we discussed why different tea preparation techniques can be useful and introduced two of them. Today’s entry will focus on Gongfu Style and...
The Tao of Tea: Part Three (Art of Preparing Tea )
In the previous entry, I wanted to set up the parameters for how to brew tea well. While much is permitted, there are still ways in which one can go...
The Tao of Tea: Part Two (Science of Preparing Tea)
In the previous entry, I suggested that one needs a certain kind of playfulness when preparing tea and I encouraged experimentation. In this post, I want to discuss some important...
The Tao of Tea: Part One (Philosophy of Preparing Tea)
Preparing tea is like contemplating the perfect circle. What is a perfect circle after all? To a philosopher like Plato, it is because of the perfect form that things come...
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...
How to Prepare Gongfu Tea Step by Step
Gongfu tea is a way of making tea, which incorporates certain methods for brewing, appreciating, serving and getting the best out of the tea. There are two methods to brew...