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...
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Off the Beaten Path - A Paradise Tea from the Sunshine Scattered Jungle
To harvest this tea, the villagers must go upstream, cross the river at some point, and climb up the hills and mountains by foot, 5 or 6 hours by foot....
What You Need to Know About Da Hong Pao
Fifty-one years ago, on Feb. 21st, 1972, history took a major turn. Chinese Chairman Mao gave the visiting President Richard Nixon of the United States, a welcome gift, a thoughtfully...
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...
A Letter to Our Valued Tea Lovers - Our Response to Covid-19 Pandemic
While we are all facing the shock and unprecedented times related to the pandemic of Covid-19, we wanted to send out our thoughts to you and your family and wish...
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...
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...
Beyond the Tea Sourcing Trips – Why Terroir Matters, An Interview with Victoria Wu (Part 2)
- Continued from Part 1 Derek: You said that you wanted to be able to provide your teas are of the highest quality. Is this why you decided that you...
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...
Wuyi Rou Gui: What’s the Difference between Shui Lian Dong and Ma Tou Yan?
You may have noticed that we carry two different Wuyi Rou Gui oolongs on our website, one that is sourced from Shui Lian Dong (the famous “Water Curtain Cave”) and...
What is Fo Shou (Buddha’s Hand)? An Authentic Wuyi Rock Oolong Tea Like No Other
Fo Shou (佛手), or Buddha’s Hand Oolong, traces its origins back to the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127 AD). Near Eternal Spring in Yong Chun County, Fujian province, this varietal was...
A Brief History of the World’s Oldest Tea: White Tea
White tea is renowned for being the least processed kind of tea, even less so than green tea. Crafting a white tea usually involves just a few simple steps —...
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...
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...
What is Teng Tiao Cha (“Rattan” or “Vine” Tea), and What Makes It So Unique?
Last week, we introduced you to Mengku pu’erh, discussing the important characteristics typical of Mengku teas. There is, however, an outlier to this group, a puerh so unique that it...
Pu’erh You Should Know: A Brief Introduction to Mengku Pu’erh
Mengku is one of the four major pu’erh production areas in Yunnan province, and though its fame skyrocketed in the early aughts with some excellent marketing by Shuangjiang Mengku,...
What You Need to Know about Anxi Tie Guan Yin Iron Goddess of Mercy
One side of the mountain gently slopes downward, an Iron Goddess of Mercy statue crowning the ridge, overlooking the valley down below. On this slope are rows upon rows of...
Meet the Intoxicating, Enchanting Long Yuan Mark, a slightly-Roasted Raw Pu-erh tea
Ever heard of a fire-roasted puerh? This gem hails from the Bulang Mountains in Meng Hai, Yunnan, made available from a highly respected puerh producer. The first production run...
A Look at the Latest Award-Winning Teas, pt. II: Wuyi Rock Oolong Rou Gui
Today, we want to tell you about our other award-winning tea: Wuyi Rou Gui, a special rock oolong geared towards the connoisseurs. Nestled within a small valley within the Wuyi...
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...
What You Need to Know About Commercial Grade Tea
We’ve all been there. Whether you’re visiting a hip, local neighborhood for some window shopping or you’re strolling down the aisles in the grocery store, inevitably, you will find some...
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...
The Story of Keemun Black Tea: How the World’s Most Famous Black Tea Came to Be
In 1875, a retired civil servant named Yu Gan Chen returned home to Qimen County after spending some of his professional life in the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian. At the...
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...
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 Wonderful World of Wuyi Oolong Rock Teas
In the northern part of Fujian Province in China lies the Wuyi Mountain Range (known as Wuyishan), which hosts a beloved national park. The area was recognized by UNESCO as...
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...
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...
The Truth about Pesticides and Tea
You may have read reports about pesticides, herbicides, toxins, and other carcinogens possibly contaminating your teas. Unfortunately, these concerns are not unfounded. Multiple, independent organizations have conducted research and tested...
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...
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 Importance of Sustainability in Tea Farming
Last week, we touched on what ethically sourcing tea is and why it matters. This week, we’re going to look a little more closely at the practices of sustainable farming...
The Importance of Ethically Sourced Tea
Our society has grown increasingly health conscious over the past decade. An increased awareness of synthetic chemicals that deteriorate the quality of our food has changed our consumer behavior, forcing...
What is Oxidation in Tea?
Last week, we shined some light on the world of tea processing by looking at Long Jing Dragonwell green tea to gain some insight into exactly how some of these...
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...
Victoria's Tea Travels (2017) - Chaozhou City
Last week, Victoria traveled to Chaozhou City, located in eastern Guangdong Province and not far from Phoenix Mountain, most famous for producing Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong teas. Chaozhou boasts an...
Victoria's Tea Travels (2017) - Wudong Mountain, Pt. II
Today, we look at the rest of Victoria's visit to Wudong Mountain from a week and a half ago where she was in source of some wonderful Phoenix Dan Cong...
Victoria's Tea Travels (2017) - Wudong Mountain
Victoria recently traveled to Fenghuang City in the Guangdong Province of China in search of the best Phoenix Dan Cong oolong teas she could find! This journey took her to...
Victoria's Tea Sourcing Trip 2017 - Fengqing, Yunnan Pt. II
Not only is the 3,200 year-old puerh tree located in Fengqing, Yunnan, but it is where you can find other majestic and breath-taking sights as well. In the second week...
Victoria's Tea Sourcing Trip 2017 - Fengqing, Yunnan
Recently, Victoria traveled to Fengqing, Yunnan to see a 3,200 year old puerh tea tree, said to be the oldest puerh tree. This particular tree made its rounds across the...
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...
Spring Harvest Highlights - Huo Shan Yellow Tea
The spring season brings with it not only nicer weather and lively scenery, but new harvests of teas! We are all quite antsy to see (and taste) the new spring...
Why True Origin Tea?
“An orange grown in the south of the river is an orange, but grown in the north, it is a tangerine” - from an ancient Chinese poem. Last week, we...
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 Spotlight: Jingmai Mangjing Ancient Tree Loose Leaf Gu Shu Puerh
Last week, we discussed what makes puerh tea unique and mentioned some of the health benefits one might enjoy from adding puerh to one’s daily tea drinking rituals. ...
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 King of Puerh Tea Lao Ban Zhang
Greetings from the Lao Ban Zhang village, the home of the renowned "King of Puerh" tea! Victoria's current tea trek has taken her to Bulang Mountain, Yunnan province, where...
About MeiMei Fine Teas - World's Best Chinese Tea
While most tea businesses are focusing on a wide variety of teas and featuring herbal and fruity blends, we have chosen to refine our focus on what we consider to...