What Is Anji Bai Cha? The Famous Chinese Green Tea Mistaken for White Tea
Despite its name, Anji Bai Cha is not a white tea, but one of China’s most famous green teas. Learn its fascinating history, unique pale leaves, and why its umami-rich...
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What Is Mengding Yellow Tea? China’s Hidden Yellow Tea Treasure
Mengding Yellow Tea is one of China’s rarest tea treasures, crafted in the birthplace of cultivated tea. Learn why this hidden gem is prized for its rich history, labor intensive...
Should You Buy The Earliest Harvest Dragon Well Green Tea?
Early birds may get the worm, but is this true for early harvest tea? When spring is just around the corner, as early as the first week of March, there...
The Difficult Art of Roasting Lu An Gua Pain Green Tea
You probably already know that roasting is a process used in making tea, especially for oolong teas. Green tea, on the other hand, is not roasted, rather, pan-fried in the...
Why Quality Water Is Important for Your Brew - The Wonderful Duet of Tea and Water
A famous tea scholar from Ming dynasty once wrote in his book, “that beautiful tea’s inner aroma is stimulated by water. No water, no tao of tea”. Water bears tea,...
Do you really know your Dragon Well? An Emperor's Tale...
The origins of Dragon Well begin in West Lake, located in modern Huangzhou City. Here, it is said that about three hundred years ago, the emperor of Qing dynasty, Qian...
3 Fun Facts You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Pu’erh Tea
In continuing with our series of articles on pu’erh tea, today we will present to you the five things you (probably) didn’t know about pu’erh. 1. Pu’erh Tea is...
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...
Top Green Tea FAQ's
Green tea’s popularity has been on the rise for many years and with good reason. Not only does a properly brewed high quality green tea taste great, but many studies...
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...
Caffeine and Your Tea: Myths and Misconceptions
There are a surprisingly large number of people with caffeine sensitivities. Even when exposed to low amounts, these people will experience the effects from it, suffering from sleep disturbances or...
Green Tea Steeping FAQ: How Long You Should Brew, Resteeping, Water Quality and More
In today’s post, we’re going to look closely at some of the most commonly encountered problems and questions tea drinkers have when attempting to brew green tea. If you’ve ever...
Why is West Lake Dragon Well Green Tea More Expensive Than Other Dragon Wells?
Long Jing: The Hidden Factors Behind Tea Pricing If you’ve ever explored the world of West Lake Dragon Well (Long Jing) green tea, you may have noticed a striking difference...
How to Season a Yixing Purple Clay Teapot
Whether you’ve just purchased your first Yixing teapot or are simply thinking about it, it’s important to know that some care should be taken to ready your teapot for seasoning....
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,...
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...
Why Tea Lovers Look Forward to the Tea Harvest
Imagine if you had a chance to rewrite a calendar. Specifically, imagine that you’ve been tasked with designating the holidays. What would you do?You might, at first, wish every day...
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....
A Look at the Latest Award-Winning Teas, pt. I: Long Jing Dragonwell
It’s no secret that we take a great deal of pride in the teas that we choose to source. We travel to China at least twice a year, visiting...
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...
If Your Tea Doesn’t Taste Right, You May Be Making One of the Most Common Mistakes
Following up last week’s blog on some of the most important elements that affect your perfect cup of tea, we decided to complement that advice by zeroing in on an all-too-common...
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 Goes Into a Good Jasmine Tea?
It isn’t easy to find a good Jasmine tea. As a tea buyer, we have to think about the base for the tea, the quality of the flowers, and 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...
Lu An Gua Pian is a Green Tea Like No Other
In the southeastern region of China lies Anhui Province, an area reputed by artists and poets for its unmatched natural beauty that playfully contrasts dark granite stones with towering pines,...
A Steamed Chinese Green Tea? Meet Enshi Yu Lu Green Tea
One of the supposed differences between Chinese green tea and Japanese green tea is the step taken that halts the tea leaves from degrading, a step known as shaqing or...
A Hidden Treasure in Plain Sight: The Allure of Anji Bai Cha
In the northwestern region of Zhejiang Province of China lies Anji County, home to Anji Bai Cha, one of the most sought-after teas in the world. This tea, however, is...
What Is Pre-ming and Pre-rain? Chinese Spring Harvest Tea Terms
It’s only a matter of time before we start slowly rolling out some fresh batches of the classics as well as some new surprise teas. We’ve been very busy over the...
The Legend of Longjing Dragon Well Green Tea
Located in Zhejiang Province in China, within Hangzhou City, lies a village nestled at the base of Wengjia Mountain known as Long Jing. The name of this village literally translates...
Celebrate Mother’s Day with the Right Cup of Tea
Mother’s Day is just around the corner (Sunday, May 13)! And so if you’re wondering how to celebrate the occasion, might we suggest that there’s nothing better than a good...
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...
Three Tea Life Hacks You’ll Wish You Started Doing Yesterday
A life hack refers to any tricks, shortcuts, or other lifestyle changes that can improve the quality of our lives in big ways with very little costs. Drinking a can...
MeiMei Fine Teas is Awarded a Silver Medal in 2018 Global Tea Championship
Each year, the Global Tea Championship features a diverse and large number of entrants representing a handful of categories. This year’s tasting competition took place in Boulder, Colorado on March...
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 II
So what else do you need to know? In general, you want to think carefully about the kind of tea you intend to prepare. Teapots or gaiwans crafted from...
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 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...
The First Thing to do with Your Loose Leaf Tea
If it’s your first time purchasing loose leaf tea, things can seem a little overwhelming once you have the leaves at home for yourself. Many of us were raised on...
The Colors of Our Teas – A Quick and Friendly Guide to Tea Types
Tea comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors, ranging from the ethereal and mysterious Moonlight White tea to the rich and earthy Lao Liu Bao dark tea. To...
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...
Thanksgiving's Blessings and Nature's Great Gift
What was once one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States next to Christmas has become an increasingly discussed subject of controversy. Most of us are familiar with...
The Perfect Tea Gift Guide: Eight Exceptional Gift Ideas for the Tea Lover in Your Life
It is hard to believe, but the Holiday Season is almost upon us, officially starting in one week on Thanksgiving. While it is a season to be celebrated with good...
How to Measure Your Loose Leaf Tea
It can be a little difficult transitioning from bagged tea to loose leaf tea. Bagged teas can make things convenient for tea drinkers because they have already separated the tea...
What is Purple Tea?
Tea enthusiasts are usually pretty familiar with the basic types of tea. The two most common types of teas are green and black, but as you expand your interest in...
What Is Pu’erh Tea and Why Is It So Captivating? (Part II)
There is no denying that the flavor of pu’erh tea is very unique and complex. If you have had experience with it before, you have probably noticed that every brand...
The History of Tea Bags
For the past several decades, we have lived in a culture of convenience. Contributing to this trend has been the emergence of the tea bag. The use of...
The World of Natural Flavored and Scented Teas
Last week, we looked at some of the problems with flavored teas in the tea market. Between questionable additives, use of inferior teas, unnatural or overpowering flavors, and inflated pricing,...
Flavored and Scented Teas - What You Need to Know
While many of us new to the world of tea often find ourselves first attracted to flavored tea, there is no denying that such teas can present a multitude of...
What’s New? A Glance at New Harvest Spring Green Teas
After traveling to China in April and May to source some fresh, exciting teas for the upcoming season, MeiMei Fine Teas is finally proud to present our latest lineup of...
The Truth about Long Jing Dragonwell Green Tea
It is difficult to discuss the differences between each kind of tea without using the term “processing,” but unfortunately, this word conjures to mind a host of negative associations. Usually...
Why Jasmine Tea is Perfect for Relaxation
For the health-conscious consumer, opening oneself up to the world of tea proves to be an excellent decision. Whether or not one puts faith into the many positive studies on...
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...
Victoria's Tea Sourcing Trip 2017 - Meng Ding Mountain, Sichuan
This is the first in a series of photocentric blog posts sharing some of Victoria's adventures for the year! Here's a look at her journey to Mengding Mountain, the origin...
Should You Microwave Your Tea?
Articles have been making their rounds across the internet recently, such as one by Huffington Post, which appear to be citing an Australian study from the University of Newcastle that...
Why Single Origin Tea?
The spring is near around the corner, my annual tea sourcing trip is coming up. This year the weather has been warmer so the harvest season is coming earlier. I...
How Tea is Made
Sometimes when we see the price of high-quality tea, we wonder whether it’s worth it. We think the taste speaks for itself, but that’s not the only thing that’s taken...
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...
Yellow Tea: The Liquid Gold Historically Reserved for Royalty
Those of us new to the world of loose leaf tea are usually surprised to find that tea can be classified into more than just green and black tea varieties....
Pu'erh Tea Fundamentals: What Is Pu'erh Tea and Why is it Special?
Puerh tea originated in the Yunnan Province in China, somewhere around the 4th Century. In fact, it derives its name from Pu’er City, which is located in southern Yunnan Province....
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...
Tea Spotlight: Award Winning Lu An Gua Pian Chinese Green Tea
We are proud to announce that our Liu An Gua Pian (“Sunflower Seeds”) Green Tea is a winner in the 2016 North American Tea Championship!!! What makes...
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 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...
A Princess in the Deep Valley - Tai Pin Hou Kui Green Tea
Tai Pin Hou Kui is one of the top ten most famous Chinese teas, it became world famous when it won the gold prize for teas at the Panama World...
How Liu An Gua Pian Green Tea Is Made
During my tea trek in April 2016, I had the pleasure of visiting Jinzai county, the core production area of the famous Liu An Sunflower Seeds green tea in Liu An, Anhui province...
The Spirit of Tea in the Chinese Tea Mountains
During my tea trips to the hillsides of the Chinese tea mountains, I had the privilege of meeting many farmers, tea masters, tea lovers, and tea merchants. I loved their smiles, warmth...
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...