Tea Talk

YiXing Government Will Resume Purple Clay Mining Soon

2010-06-08T13:27:00.001+08:00

YiXing is famous for its Zi Sha (Purple Clay) wares. To protect limited Purple Clay resource, YiXing government banned Purple Clay mining in 2005. Although many real Purple Clay wares on the market now are made from Purple Clay mined prior to the ban, many cheap Purple Clay products are made from faked clays.

YiXing government announced recently that it will lift the mining ban by end of this month. This no doubt is a good news to Purple Clay collectors. According to recent news, actual mining location and quantity will be decided after necessary assessment.

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2010 Spring Tea Update

2010-03-29T13:11:00.001+08:00

2010 is no doubt a challenging year for Chinese spring tea production. By estimate, spring tea production in Yunnan will experience 50% reduction due to the extreme draught condition. Recent news reported that 90% tea plantations in Yunnan are impacted by the draught. And the cold weather had delayed West Lake Long Jing harvest to late March, and production level is expected to be down. Bi Luo Chun harvest was also delayed by the cold weather. Down south, the cold weather also cost FuJian tea industry dearly. FuJian is the production region of black tea, white tea, and oolong tea. The cold weather not only caused delay of spring tea harvest, also impacted quality.

We will post updates as new teas become available.

Linda

www.teahub.com

Making Hong Pao Black Tea

2010-01-31T08:09:00.006+08:00

How does the idea of mixing up Da Hong Pao with Yunnan Black sound? I came across this idea few weeks ago, and the blended tea turn out to be a blessing.

I mixed up our Heavily Roasted Da Hong Pao with Yunnan Black at 2:1 ratio, quickly rinsed the leaves then let them brew for 45 seconds. At first sipping, the familiar aroma of heavily roasted Da Hong Pao was prominent - toasty with osmanthus aroma dancing at back of the throat. The taste was soft, mellow, and sweet. The heavy rock mouth feeling of Da Hong Pao was balanced out by the softness and smoothness of Yunnna Black. What a pleasant surprise!

Linda

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West Lake Tea Farmers Grow Back Long Jing Varietal Trees

2010-01-21T16:14:00.003+08:00

According to recent news from West Lake, local farmers started to grow back Long Jing Varietal trees last year. Long Jing Varietal is traditional Long Jing tea tree. Long Jing #43 tea tree was introduced in 1970s, and gained popularity among tea farmers due to its early harvest time, which in turn translate into higher profit. There was a period that many West Lake tea farmers cut down their Long Jing Varietal trees to grow Long Jing #43.

Although Long Jing made from Long Jing Varietal and Long Jing #43 share many common characters, they also have some differences. Many long time Long Jing drinkers prefer the taste of Long Jing Varietal.

It is estimated that about 90% of Long Jing trees in West Lake area will be Long Jing Varietal by end of this year. Although Long Jing #43 may start harvest in early March, Long Jing Varietal harvest normally starts around late March. This dramatically cut short Pre-Ming production period. People are anticipating a price increase of this year's Long Jing production.

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Emerald Green Tea – a new star from GuiZhou

2009-07-25T09:31:00.000+08:00

Although little known outside China, GuiZhou has long been the home of many famous Chinese teas such as DuYun Mao Jiao, GuiDing Yun Wu (Mist and Cloud). GuiZhou is the only low altitude, high elevation, low sunshine tea region in China. These unique geographic and weather conditions make it one of the best tea grown regions in China.

Emerald Green Tea was first introduced in 2001. Although it only has less than 10 year’s history, it has received many national awards. Mr. ZongMao Chen, the editor-in-chief of the famous Tea Bible, said that in 2001 “The Emerald Green Tea that I had in the past few days tasted strong after 7 infusions. Based on mine many years’ experience tasting teas, quality of GuiZhou tea has far passed that of many other teas, including famous teas such as West Lake Long Jing”.

Emerald Green Tea was made of one bud and two to three leaves from high zinc and selenium tea gardens in GuiZhou. This rare zinc and selenium gives additional medical benefits to this tea. Emerald Green Tea is high in tea polyphenols and amino acid and low in caffeine. Therefore, it has rich mellow taste without unpleasant bitterness.

We will be visiting the producer this summer. More to come!

Tea Lovers at TeaHub
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Zi Sha Tea Pet

2009-07-10T07:49:00.005+08:00

If you do a tea tasting at your local tea shop, you may notice your host pouring teas over little Zi Sha displays while he/she serving you teas. Those little Zi Sha displays are called Tea Pet. Funny, right? Like the name suggests, tea pets are for you to take care of by pouring teas over them. Tea pets can be of many different shapes, some are like animals, some are like fruits, even Buddha.

Because tea pets are made from Zi Sha, they will change colors and absorb tea aromas and oils over time after being raised by teas. People collect aged tea pets. A good Zi Sha tea pet’s price can be more than doubled after being raised for two years. Not a bad investment if you enjoying sharing your teas with your tea pet!

Check out our tea pet selections at our online store!

Linda
www.teahub.com

Taiwan Oolong – the Names and Types

2009-07-08T23:17:00.001+08:00

I was at a Taiwan Oolong tasting last week. The host was very kind and showed us quite a few Oolong from Taiwan. “Four Season”, “Jin Xuan”, “Alishan”, she called out the tea names while pour the teas. Not before long, I could tell people started to get confused. “What was the one we just tasted again?” So how many names/types Taiwan Oolong has?

People familiar with Taiwan Oolong are familiar with names such as Bao Zhong (Pou Chong) and Dong Ding/High Mountain. Those are names based on different levels of fermentation. Bao Zhong is 7.5% to 19% fermented, the lightest among all Taiwan Oolong. Dong Ding/High Mountain is 20% to 30% fermented. Oriental Beauty is 50% to 60% fermented, the heaviest among all Taiwan Oolong.

Names such as Four Season and Jin Xuan, on the other hand, are based on different varietals. Qing Xin Oolong was originally imported from mainland China. It is a good raw material for making Bao Zhong and Dong Ding. Jin Xuan (also known as Tai Cha #12) and Cui Yu (also known as Tai Cha #13) are new varietals developed in Taiwan in the 80s. Four Season got its name because it can be harvested in all seasons.

DaYuLing, Li Shan, Shan Lin Xi, and Alishan are four high mountain tea production regions in Taiwan. DaYuLing, located 2,300 to 2,600 meter above sea level, it is the highest among the four. Followed by Li Shan, which is 2,200 to 2,400 meter above sea level. Shan Lin Xi is at 1,100 to 1,800 meter above sea level, and Alishan is at over 1,000 meter above sea level. High mountain Oolong from DaYuLing is considered the best.

What are you drinking now?

Linda
www.teahub.com

Oriental Beuaty Production May Be Impacted By Weather

2009-06-13T00:48:00.003+08:00

Recent news from XinZhu, the production region of Oriental Beauty, a highly fermented Oolong from Taiwan, suggested possible decrease in this year’s production. High temperature and lack of rain are all contributing factors to this year’s low production.

Oriental Beauty, also called Bai Hao Oolong or Champagne Oolong, is made of young leaves and buds that just been bitten by tea insects. Oriental Beauty is much more close to black tea than other Oolong teas.

Tea Lovers at TeaHub
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Making Tie Guan Yin Cold Brewed Iced Tea

2009-06-07T10:26:00.001+08:00

Another hot day today! I decided to make some iced tea for the hot day. I was in a mood for Tie Guan Yin and wanted something very simple. 5 minutes + 3 hr wait later, I am drinking my cold brewed Tie Guan Yin iced tea.

Here is how I did it:
Step 1: I measured 4g Moderately Roasted Tie Guan Yin and added it to an empty water bottle.
Step 2: I poured in 1L bottled water, and let the water bottle cooled off in refrigerator for 3 hours
Step 3: Time to enjoy! If you are like me, you can drink with the tea leaves in. Otherwise, drain the leaves before drinking it.

Linda
www.teahub.com

Reading Long Jing Tea Leaves

2009-06-02T09:45:00.011+08:00

A friend of mine showed me a photo of Long Jing he found on the internet the other day. After carefully examining the photo, we both agreed that it was a faked Long Jing. The so called Long Jing was actually made from Zhu Ye Qing of Si Chuan. We posted a blog back in 2004 warning people about faked Long Jing from Si Chuan. Below are photos of the most common faked Long Jing on the market. The one on the left is Wu Niu Zao from Wen Zhou, Zhe Jiang, and the one on the right is Zhu Ye Qing from Si Chuan.

Both Wu Niu Zao and Zhu Ye Qing are early harvest teas. Because that early harvest Long Jing demand much higher prices and only have limited productions, some illegal business people chose to fake Long Jing with Wu Niu Zao and Zhu Ye Qing in pursue of maximum profits. Real Long Jing teas have beautiful straight, flat leaves with none or very few hairs. Faked Long Jing, on the other hand, have fluffier leaves, some even covered with hairs. Leaves of faked Long Jing from Zhu Ye Qing are smaller than real ones. Leaves of faked Long Jing from Wu Niu Zao are bigger than real ones. We have more info regarding authentic West Lake Long Jing on our site.

What's in your cup?

Linda

www.teahub.com

Purple Lady Green Tea

2009-05-27T14:25:00.007+08:00

We first introduced Purple Lady green tea to oversea tea drinkers in 2004, and it was very well received among our customers. This purple color green tea not only has unique color and taste, but also has many medical benefits.

First Purple Lady tea tree was found in 1985. After several years’ R&D, researchers are now able to grow Purple Lady tea trees in selected regions. Purple Lady green tea was made from leaves of Purple Lady tea trees. Its dry leaves are in dark purple color. It has mellow taste and unique aroma. Water of different PH level brews it into different liquor color.

Some medical researches show that Purple Lady green tea can lower blood pressure. Researchers are now studying its effect on weight loss and lower blood sugar.

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Tradition vs. Profit

2009-05-19T09:59:00.001+08:00

I came across a news recently that a Wu Niu Zao grower in ZheJiang produced lightly roasted Oolong from Wu Niu Zao tea tree leaves. This definitely comes with tremendous financial benefits. Traditionally, Wu Niu Zao is only harvested in early spring to make Yong Jia Wu Niu Zao green tea. With the new development, Wu Niu Zao can be harvested again in late spring to make Oolong, a tea that is gaining popularity now.

While we support the effort of new tea R&D, I am concerned about the trend of chasing popular teas for profits. Wu Niu Zao is both a tea tree name and a tea name. Although Wu Niu Zao is a wonderful green tea, its name is quite often associated with faked West Lake Long Jing made from Wu Niu Zao leaves. During the Pu-erh heydays, almost every tea producer in Yunnan was making Pu-erh. Green and black tea raw materials were all put into making Pu-erh. People later realized that not all of them were suitable for making Pu-erh, and not all the producers were skillful at making Pu-erh.

I will be thrilled to celebrate and promote the birth of a new tea if the grower gives his new tea a new name, instead of calling his tea Oolong. Otherwise, I’ll remain skeptical when I see a green tea producer making Oolong or an Oolong tea producer making Pu-erh.

What’s your view on this? I would like to hear from you.

Linda

Sipping White Peony on a sunny spring day

2009-05-12T07:27:00.007+08:00

Linda has been bugging me about writing a review for our Spring Organic White Peony for days. Finally, on this sunny spring day, I sit down and begin blogging….

Well, where share I begin? This is a lovely tea. Upon opening the foil bag, I found myself happily surrounded by this intense, albeit pleasantly refreshing aroma. “This must be a good one” I said to myself. I brewed a cup in a white Gai Wan. A complex and refreshing aroma rose from the cup. Sipping it is another joy. It left a clean, crispy feeling in my mouth and I could not help noticing the sweet after taste dancing on my tongue.

At $0.40 per brewing, this is one of my favorite daily drinks now. Did I mention that White Peony also has medical benefits?

Alex
Happily drinking White Peony in GuiYang
http://www.teahub.com/

How Long Jing Is Made

2009-04-24T09:16:00.008+08:00

High grade Long Jing are still being processed by hand. This short video shows how Long Jing is hand made by workers. The first step is called Qing Guo. Workers process fresh tea leaves by hand in 80 to 100 celsius degree woks for 12 to 15 minutes. This step turns tea leaves into initial straight, flat shapes. The second step is to classify leaves into different categories. The third, and final step is called Hui Guo. Categoried leaves go through further process by hand in 60 to 70 celsius degree wok for 20 to 25 minutes. Workers apply different techniques to remove the tiny hairs and compress the leaves into final smooth, flat shape.

After watching this video, will you have more appreciation for the cup of Long Jing in your hand?

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China National White Tea Production Standard

2009-04-02T07:27:00.002+08:00

The Chinese National White Tea Production Standard (GB/T 22291-2008) is effective starting March 1, 2009. This is the first national standard regulating white tea production. According to the standard, white tea can be classified into three categories: Silver Needle (白毫银针), White Peony (白牡丹), and Gong Mei (贡眉). Silver Needle can be further divided into two grades: Te Ji (特级), and Grade 1. White Peony and Gong Mei have four grades: Te Ji and Grade 1 to 3.

The standard outlines quality requirements of each grade ranging from criteria such as dry leaf appearance, aroma, liquor, taste, to leaf water content, dusty percentage, etc.

This standard is limited to traditional white tea. The production technique of new white tea, which was introduced in l968, is quite different from traditional white tea, and is not covered in this standard.

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2009 Spring Tea Updates

2009-03-12T12:10:00.001+08:00

It is this time of year again – Spring! And yes, new teas are coming! Here are quick updates on some of our popular teas:

West Lake Long Jing – Harvest time expected to be delayed till after March 20 due to recent cold weather. Tea drinkers will have to wait till April for large productions to hit market.

Yunnan Black – The extreme dry weather since late last year has severely delayed this year's black tea harvest. Our producer is expecting harvest to be delayed till May.

Linda
www.teahub.com

Tang Cha Club (唐茶会）

2008-06-24T13:10:00.004+08:00

It is not a traditional tea house. You won't find Long Jing, Tie Guan Yin there. However, if you are in Shanghai, it worths a trip there. I like its décor..I like its casual, relaxing atomosphere...not to mention some of its flagship drinks. Here are some of my favorite décor... cute, right?

Linda
www.teahub.com

2008 Spring WuYi Rock Tea Expected to Hit Market in July

2008-06-23T13:17:00.000+08:00

This year's spring WuYi Rock Tea starts to show up on market in the recent few days. Industry insiders are expecting all types of WuYi Rock Tea to hit market in July. Recent words from our Da Hong Pao producer were that their Da Hong Pao wouldn't be available till late June, early July. Due to large demand, overall price of this year's WuYi Rock Tea will raise 20% to 30%.

Linda
www.teahub.com

Lightly Roasted vs. Heavily Roasted Tie Guan Yin

2008-06-15T14:40:00.009+08:00

I have wanted to blog about green (lightly roasted) vs. traditional (heavily roasted) Tie Guan Yin for quite some time. Finally, I devoted this afternoon to do so. I have long formed my opinion between the two. To be fair, I brewed the two of the same grade (Grade AA) side by side this afternoon and started blogging while I was sipping....

I took a picture before brewing. You can easily differentiate the two by simply looking at dry leaves. Color of lightly roasted Tie Guan Yin dry leaves is green. That of heavily roasted Tie Guan Yin, on the other hand, is much darker – more of a brownish color. Dry leave aroma of the two are also quite different. While smell of lightly roasted Tie Guan Yin dry leaves is soft and floral, that of heavily roasted Tie Guan Yin dry leaves is heavy and roasty.

I brewed up the two and slowly sipped them down... The lightly roasted Tie Guan Yin filled my mouth with soft, long lasting orchid aroma infusion after infusion. It was refreshing, buttery, and sweet. The heavily roasted Tie Guan Yin offered more complex taste. At first, it was this mouth full of orchid aroma with a honey undertone, then a nutty aroma arisen from back of my mouth...It was thick, mellow, smooth with vivid long lasting sweet aftertaste.

Lightly roasted Tie Guan Yin started in the early 90s when Taiwan tea manufactures first entered mainland. It quickly gained popularity in mainland due to its pleasant aroma. Because lightly roasted Tie Guan Yin has some green tea characteristics, it has shorter shelf life and requires fridge storage . Heavily roasted Tie Guan Yin, on the other hand, remains seasoned tea drinkers' favorite because of its complex taste. It has longer shelf life and can be stored in room temperature. Unlike lightly roasted Tie Guan Yin, heavily roasted Tie Guan Yin does not hurt stomach. After several years' retreat, heavily roasted Tie Guan Yin is coming back to reclaim its market.

Linda
www.teahub.com

A Comparison of Xi Ping, Gan De, and Xiang Hua Tie Guan Yin

2008-06-08T14:52:00.001+08:00

Inner AnXi is famous for its Tie Guan Yin tea. Xi Ping, Gan De and Xiang Hua are the three most well known tea production areas in Inner AnXi. Tie Guan Yin from the three areas have different charateristics.

Xi Ping is the origin of Tie Guan Yin. Xi Ping Tie Guan Yin is famous for its excellent taste. Its aroma is relatively light. Xiang Hua is the major Tie Guan Yin production area. Xiang Hua Tie Guan Yin is famous for its high aroma and good taste. Mainly younger bushes, Gan De Tie Guan Yin has high aroma but light taste. Gan De is famous for its lightly roasted Tie Guan Yin.

By carefully blending Mao Cha (raw tea) from different areas, tea producters can now offer Tie Guan Yin of good taste and aroma.

Linda
www.teahub.com

Five cups of tea per day may help quit smoking

2008-05-17T10:33:00.002+08:00

Need another reason to start drinking tea? Dr. Tao at Beijing Military General Hospital's Addiction Treatment Center told reporters that five cups of tea per day may help quit smoking. According to Dr. Tao, tea not only can help kick the nicotine urge, but also can help detoxification by acting as a diuretic.

Linda
www.teahub.com

Quality of this year's Tie Guan Yin is better

2008-05-16T13:31:00.001+08:00

This year's AnXi Tie Guan Yin starts to be available on the market. Due to this year's good weather, quality of this year's production is better. The best time to harvest spring Tie Guan Yin is the several days around LiXia (Start of Summer) . AnXi tea farmers enjoyed several sunny days around this year's LiXia.

Linda
www.teahub.com

Decoding West Lake Long Jing Grades

2008-04-20T12:26:00.003+08:00

We have received several emails from customers were confused by the grading systems different sites use for their West Lake Long Jing. In stead of answering those emails individually, we feel it is better that we address it to all of our customers via our blog.

City of Hangzhou published Long Jing Local Standard in 2005. According to this standard, West Lake Long Jing can be classified into seven grades: Jing Pin(精品), Te Ji (特级), and Grade 1 to 5, with Jing Pin being the highest grade and 5 being the lowest grade.

Both Jing Pin and Te Ji West Lake Long Jing are certified by Hang Zhou Quality Control Center and packed under controlled environment with special anti-fake label and certificate, which allow customers to check authenticity online or by phone. The anti-fake number is 17 digits long and the certificate number is 8 digits long. Only 1,750kg Jing Pin and 2,800kg Te Ji West Lake Long Jing were produced in 2007. The this year's first 600kg Jing Pin West Lake Long Jing went on market on April 7.

While Te Ji West Lake Long Jing is consist of 70% one bud and one leave tea leaves and 30% one bud and two leaves tea leaves, that ratio is reversed in Grade 1 West Lake Long Jing. Therefore, if the West Lake Long Jing you bought is mainly consists of one bud and two leaves, it is not a Te Ji no matter how your vendor rates it.

Video: How Long Jing is Made

Linda
www.teahub.com

Tie Guan Yin expected to be available after May 1st

2008-04-15T12:43:00.002+08:00

We received many inquires about this year's Oolong. Unlike green teas which value early spring young leaves and buds, Oolong teas require maturer leaves that can stand the partial fermentation process.

Although AnXi Oolong started harvest this week, those harvest now are Huang Jin Gui, an Oolong famous for its high aroma. Tie Guan Yin lovers will have to wait till May for this year's Spring Tie Guan Yin. AnXi Tie Guan Yin will start harvest on April 28 and mass production will start between May 2 to 7.

Linda
www.teahub.com

West Lake Long Jing Expected to Hit Market on April 1st

2008-03-26T12:39:00.000+08:00

Although some early harvest started to hit market in recent few days, large production will have to wait till April 1. As expected, quality of this year's production is the best among past few years. Shortened pre-Ming harvest period caused shortage in quantity, and that in turn, drove up this year's price by 10% to 20%.

Linda
www.teahub.com