Specialty Tea Category

The deep red-purple new leaves of the Zi Juan purple tea cultivar growing on top of the bushes.

What Is Purple Leaf Tea, Really?

By , on June 6, 2019 in: Specialty Tea

An old tea plant turns over a colorful new leaf Though “purple tea” is sometimes marketed as a whole new type of tea in the vein of black or green tea, this name actually refers to the cultivar of tea plant used to make it. There are many purple tea cultivars out there, even just… // MORE

Tasting Chinese Tea At TRA

Can I Judge the Quality of My Tea by Taste Alone?

By , on April 18, 2017 in: Specialty Tea

Paradoxically, taste is both the least important and most important elementwhen it comes to establishing the quality of a specialty tea. Taste is the least important element in that taste is, after all, dependent on the individual. What tastes bad to some tastes good to others.

A woman evaluating tea aroma by smelling a gaiwan full of tea.

What Does the Aroma of My Tea Say About Its Quality?

By , on April 13, 2017 in: Specialty Tea

Tea Aroma as a Standard for Specialty Tea This post is part of a continuing series of writings by Seven Cups founder, Austin Hodge, for the International Specialty Tea Association. The aim of this series is to detail twelve elements that can be used to authenticate and value specialty tea. The previous post on tea color as a… // MORE

What Does the Color of My Tea Say About Its Quality?

By , on April 11, 2017 in: Specialty Tea

Tea Color as a Standard for Specialty Tea This post is part of a continuing series of writings by Seven Cups founder, Austin Hodge, for the International Specialty Tea Association. The aim of this series is to detail twelve elements that can be used to authenticate and value specialty tea. The previous post, the impact the percentage… // MORE

Silver Needle drying naturally in the sun.

Why Does the Moisture Content of My Tea Leaves Matter?

By , on March 30, 2017 in: Specialty Tea

The Percentage of Moisture Remaining as a Standard For Specialty Tea This post is part of a continuing series of writings by Seven Cups founder, Austin Hodge, for the International Specialty Tea Association. The aim of this series is to detail twelve elements that can be used to authenticate and value specialty tea. The previous post on how… // MORE

How Does the Way Tea Is Processed Impact Its Quality?

By , on November 3, 2016 in: Specialty Tea

Processing as a Standard For Specialty Tea This post is part of a continuing series of writings by Seven Cups founder, Austin Hodge, for the International Specialty Tea Association. The aim of this series is to detail twelve elements that can be used to authenticate and value specialty tea. The previous post on the tea master as… // MORE

Yancha Tea maker in the roasting room

How Does the Tea Maker Impact My Tea’s Quality?

By , on November 2, 2016 in: Specialty Tea

Tea Maker as a Standard For Specialty Tea This post is part of a continuing series of writings by Seven Cups founder, Austin Hodge, for the International Specialty Tea Association. The aim of this series is to detail twelve elements that can be used to authenticate and value specialty tea. The previous post on the impact of the… // MORE

Leaves from a Qi Lan Wulong Tea Cultivar with notes

What Do the Genes of a Tea Bush Say About Quality Tea?

By , on October 21, 2016 in: Specialty Tea

Tea Cultivar as a Standard For Specialty Tea This post is part of a continuing series of writings by Seven Cups founder, Austin Hodge, for the International Specialty Tea Association. The aim of this series is to detail twelve elements that can be used to authenticate and value specialty tea. The previous post on the impact of the… // MORE

Plucking young tea leaves in China

How Does the Timing of a Harvest Impact a Tea’s Quality?

By , on September 28, 2016 in: Specialty Tea

 Harvest Date as a Standard For Specialty Tea This post is part of a continuing series of writings by Seven Cups founder, Austin Hodge, for the International Specialty Tea Association. The aim of this series is to detail twelve elements that can be used to authenticate and value specialty tea. The previous post on how the environmental conditions… // MORE

Tea Bushes in Wuyishan National Park

How Does Origin Contribute to the Authentication of Tea?

By , on September 12, 2016 in: Specialty Tea

The Origin as a Standard For Specialty Tea  This post is part of a continuing series of writings by Seven Cups founder, Austin Hodge, for the International Specialty Tea Association. The aim of this series is to detail twelve elements that can be used to authenticate and value specialty tea. The previous post, on plucking and leaf… // MORE

The condition of the leaf is one of the standards for specialty tea. Here is a picture of Anji Bai Cha Tea Bush leaves.

How Does the Condition of the Leaf Impact My Tea’s Quality?

By , on December 8, 2015 in: Specialty Tea

The Leaf As a Standard for Specialty Tea The first element in evaluating quality in specialty tea is the finished tea leaf. The examination of the leaf tells many stories. With few exceptions, a well-processed tea leaf should be completely intact, unbroken, pristine, with wulongs being one of the exceptions. This element is the first to… // MORE

The picking standard of Shui Xian Wuong tea leaves. Zhong Kai Mian and Xiao Kai Mian.

A Short and Handy Guide to Wulong Processing

By , on March 3, 2015 in: Specialty Tea

Harvesting & Picking Standards If there was ever a sign of how sophisticated the western tea-drinker has become, it’s the large number of technical questions we now receive from our customers. Wulong tea is frequently the subject of these questions, and so to help our customers, we’ve written a short guide to its harvesting seasons… // MORE

Stored puer cakes

The “Raw” Appeal of Puer Tea

By , on August 6, 2014 in: Specialty Tea

A few weeks back, Austin clunked a pint glass down on my desk. The glass was loaded to its rim with steeping leaves – thick, stemmy, Yunnan tea tree leaves. He told me it was young sheng puer and he demanded I have a sip. I had an empty stomach, but as an employee I… // MORE

The Radical Tea For the Anti-Establishment

By , on July 3, 2014 in: Specialty Tea

Lu An Gua Pian – Punk Rock Green Tea While some sources allege that Lu An Gua Pian green tea was designed for political elite, and once a favorite of PRC premiere Zhou Enlai, I can’t help but feel there is something seriously anti-establishment about this tea – both in terms of its flavor and… // MORE

Mechanical harvesting of Shui Xian

Field Notes – Wuyishan Wulong II

By , on June 13, 2014 in: Specialty Tea

WuYi Cultivar #105 “Huang Guan Yin” | Shui Xian The following are excerpts taken from a collection of notes authored by Zhuping on April 22nd 2014 in Wuyishan. I picked out two sections of notes that focus on two Wuyi cultivars, one very well known and celebrated, and one widely used but rarely discussed.  My own… // MORE

A handful of Shi Feng Dragon Well

The Price of Long Jing

By , on May 28, 2014 in: Industry News, Specialty Tea

A Major Error In The Reporting of Longjing Prices and What the Real Prices Were in 2014. Every year there is much talk about the price of Longjing, 2014 being no exception. Most of the talk is hype, reporting the extraordinary prices that some Chinese businessman or government official has spent for Longjing. However, these… // MORE

Bai Ji Guan bush seen here growing

Field Notes – Wuyishan Wulong I

By , on April 25, 2014 in: Specialty Tea

Bai Ji Guan   This is excerpt from a batch of Zhuping’s notes sent back from the Wuyi Mountains a few days ago. These notes are part of an effort to pair teas in our catalog with detailed pictures of their bush varieties. I thought they were an excellent explanation of not only a specific… // MORE

Zesty Orange Doughnuts with Black Tea Cream

Recipe – Zesty Orange Doughnuts with Black Tea Cream

By , on April 19, 2014 in: Specialty Tea

Doughnuts are the type of pastry that seem daunting, but are in fact fairly easy to make. They do take time, however; this is a recipe that is easiest when started the night before, because the separate components need time to rest in the refrigerator. Brioche is a buttery, slightly sweet yeast dough that yields… // MORE

A picture of Tong Mu and Qimen

Charles Grey, Earl Grey – A Peculiar Tale of Black Tea

By , on April 10, 2014 in: Specialty Tea

Earl Grey Tea Origins Tea is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world, and in the western hemisphere, the majority of the tea enjoyed is black tea. Perhaps the most popular and recognizable variation is Earl Grey tea, a slightly smokey blend infused with the essence of bergamot orange rind, probably in an attempt to… // MORE

Jun Shan Yin Zhen close up

The Niche of Yellow Tea

By , on April 7, 2014 in: Specialty Tea

Rare and Elusive Yellow Tea: Now Less Rare (But Still Elusive) Years ago I had the good luck to hear a veteran tea maker give a lecture on processing techniques that bracket one category of tea from another. His talk passed through great detail on the chemical contours a tea leaf and how manipulating them… // MORE

Tea in a pint glass

How Tea is Consumed in Some Other Parts of China

By , on March 10, 2014 in: Specialty Tea

Tea Drinking Habits of Ethnic Minorities in China A large part of launching our new website includes a brief (considering how intricate tea history is) scope through the history of Chinese tea.  I’ve been lucky to be presented with the opportunity to sit down with our tea master and owner, Zhuping and receive a one… // MORE

Dealing with Tea Plant Myths

By , on May 19, 2011 in: Industry News, Specialty Tea

Does All Tea Really Come From The Same Plant? One axiom that is typically taught to new tea students is that “all tea comes from the same plant.” If these students continue to learn about tea and study Chinese tea in any depth, they will discover that this statement is almost as wrong as the… // MORE