It's All About Tea

Every tea enthusiast has probably come across this scenario. We are always interested in trying many different types of tea — we order tea from various tea shops, bring tea back from holidays, and even receive tea as gifts from caring friends who are aware of our love for this magical drink.

And then one fine day, somewhere in our tea cupboard's depths, we might discover a tea that got accidentally forgotten. Or perhaps it wasn't brewed in a timely matter. Well, it might be hard to keep track of every tea we have. But has the tea already gone bad? (Read more)

Jian Zhan teacups have been prized in China and Japan for hundreds of years. During the Song Dynasty, there was even a time where it was considered better not to drink tea at all rather than drinking it from a cup that is not Jian ware! 

Following the Song Dynasty, the great art of making Jian ware pottery faded in China. It wasn't until recently that pottery artists are starting to pick up the long-forgotten art of Jian pottery, re-learning it from Japanese potters. The latter have adapted it into tenmoku pottery. (Read more)

Anji Bai Cha is a comparatively young tea with a long history. Its cultivar was first re-discovered in 1982. As the name suggests, Anji Bai Cha comes from Anji County in Zhejiang province. It is still predominantly produced in Anji County, although there are a few other farms in other parts of Zhejiang province producing the tea.

Anji Bai Cha translates as Anji white tea, although it is actually a green tea. Why? Let's follow its long history to find out! (Read more)

Japanese black tea is referred to as koucha in Japan. Like hong cha, koucha translates as red tea and is red tea and not black tea. Wakoucha refers specifically to black tea produced in Japan. "Wa" referring to Japan in this context. The properties of Japanese black tea are the same as those of hong cha — it is a fully oxidized tea made from the leaves of camellia sinensis.

In a country that predominantly drinks green tea, black tea production has always taken up a tiny part of the Japanese tea production industry. (Read more) 

Most commonly, chen pi (citrus peel) is associated with pu-erh or aged white teas. It is no wonder why particularly post-fermented and aged teas go best with the dried citrus peel. Aside from tea, its use is widespread in Chinese medicine. Many people choose to drink chen pi tea precisely because of the benefits it brings, according to Chinese medicine. (Read more)