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A Game Changing Book About Tea
There are few books about tea that add to the discussion about tea in any meaningful way, but Mary Lou and Robert Heiss’s new book, ‘The Tea Enthusiast’s Handbook’ is one of them…
Gu Zhu Zi Sun (Purple Bamboo Shoot)
In the Gu Zhu Valley rests the origins of documented Chinese Tea Culture, for it is the place where Lu Yu managed the Emperor’s tea factory during the Tang Dynasty. He did so for twenty years while he wrote the first book about tea and tea culture…
Early Spring Green Tea Arrivals
I am a green tea lover, so there is nothing that gives me more of a thrill that the arrival of the first green teas. For the last two years I have been here in Tucson waiting like everyone else for the tea to arrive…
Harvest in Anji in Early April 2010 Bai Cha
Seven Cups was the first to import Anji Bai Cha five years ago. It is a rare green tea that was lost for eight hundred years. When ever you hear about white tea being mentioned during the Song Dynasty, it is Anji Bai Cha, which means white tea…
Green Tea Tour according to Yvonne Russell
The oolong tea tour is underway now despite the problems caused by the eruption of the volcano in Iceland that stranded our travelers from Denmark. They are in the air even as we speak, and will meet up with the tour in Wuyishan.
Yvonne Russell offered us some feedback and photo’s from the Green Tea Tour and gave us permission to publish it. Yvonne is a customer of the Seven Cups Tea House in Denver. Since it makes us sound good, we thought we would.
2010 Green Tea Tour | Huangshan
Huangshan is one of those places that for millennia has drawn Chinese artists. It is also a center for tea culture. The area was instrumental in the development of modern tea making techniques that developed during the Ming Dynasty.
2010 Green Tea Tour | Hangzhou
I’m behind on posting for the Green Tea Tour. Please forgive while I catch up. The tour stayed in Hangzhou for a couple of days and sent these photos back. The tea was just beginning to be harvested because of temperatures way below what is normal for this time of year. Hangzhou is the modern center of Chinese Tea Culture.
2010 Green Tea Tour Day 6 | HuZhou
Just south of HuZhou is the ancient town of Nanxun. It is a small town that is built around the canals that crisscross the area below Tai Hu. Life on these canals is prehistoric….
2010 Green Tea Tour Day 5 | Mo Gan Shan
Yellow tea is rare, but the rarest is Mo Gan Huang Ya. The fifth day of our tour was visiting Mo Gan Shan where this tea is made. Mo Gan Shan is next to the city of Deqing about 30 minutes from Hangzhou. Also it is rare in China for the tea maker to be woman. Wang Qiang Zhen is one of the very few women that is master tea maker…
Seven Cups Green Tea Tour Day 4
The tour was in Yixing on the four day, famous for it’s earthenware tea pots. Yixing is on the northern edge of Tai Hu. Pottery has been found in this area dating back to 10,000 years ago…
Seven Cups at Whole Foods Market
It is a milestone for our small company to be accepted as a vendor in the tea section at Whole Foods. In fact we are featured in their stores here in Tucson.
Seven Cups Green Tea Tour Day 3
Our little band of travlers made it to Jiangsu Province today to visit the gardens where Bi Luo Chun is grown. Bi Luo Chun is one of the most prized Chinese green teas. The growing area is small and this tea is often faked. The real thing however is spectacular.
Seven Cups Green Tea Tour Day 2
The tour today was in Anji. Anji Bai Cha is one of the great green teas. Bai cha means white tea in Chinese but this tea is green. This tea was the favorite of the famous Song Dynasty emperor, Song Hui Zhong.
Seven Cups Green Tea Tour Day 1
Our Green Tea Tour is underway and here are some photos that Tang Le sent me last night. They are in Changxing in Zhejiang province. Changxing is just south of Tai Lake about 1.5 hours west of Shanghai.
Tea Mind
This morning it rained in Tucson! For many people living in many places this would be a dreary event; but here in the desert it’s cause to celebrate. Our water-harvesting barrels become full, and our few plants receive a much-needed dusting…
Mediocritea
I’ve just returned from a whirlwind trip to China. I was sent a ticket by a Chinese corporation that is thinking about opening a chain of retail tea shops. Their plan is to create a ‘tea beverage’ and they want a trustworthy supplier…
Making Wu Yi Rock Oolong | Part III
Welcome to our tea and tea culture video podcast with Zhuping Hodge, tea master and owner of Seven Cups. Last year we launched three very successful tea tours to China. Many hours of video were taken and we want to share them with you. In the previous podcasts Zhuping toured the rock oolong tea factory. Now watch as she sits down with famous tea master Mr. Liu. Please note this is part 3 of 3 videos with the famous rock oolong master.
Production of Tea | WuYi Mountain Rock Oolong
Welcome to our tea and tea culture video podcast with Zhuping Hodge, tea master and owner of Seven Cups. Last year we launched three very successful tea tours to China. Many hours of video were taken and we want to share them with you. Follow Zhuping as she tours Mr. Liu’s rock oolong tea factory…
The Safety of Chinese Teas
Recently I sent out a newsletter that had a picture of puer being fermented. Someone sent me an email that said that the photo was not appropriate for people who were already afraid about the safety of Chinese products.I can understand why that might be a perception commonly held…
World Tea News To Charge Subscription
This a comment that I wrote following Heidi Kaiser wrote on the blog T Ching announcing that the World Tea News will have it’s own URL and charge a subscription. The is a photo of the Wall Street Journal on a driveway, as if there is somehow a parallel between the two. Oh please…
An Update on Fair Trade in Tea in China
I know that there is not a big fair trade movement in China, especially with tea, so when I hear that there is, I’m a bit puzzled.
Soon, Bloggers Must Give Full Disclosure
This is a ruling I’m glad to see. We have been on-line for 7 years, and we have seen a lot of things change. A lot of the changes have been great, but I haven’t seen an explosion in integrity. I have seen some awful things, like the websites that have been selling cheap oolong… // MORE
Best of Tucson 2009
We proud to say that we have one the ‘Best of Tucson’ award for the 5th year running in both Best Tea Service and Best Bulk Tea Selection.
The Great Puer Tea Heist
At 3:06 am a big rock slammed the front window of the Seven Cups teahouse in Tucson setting up a classic smash and grab robbery. The thieves jumped through the broken window and grabbed some aged puer cakes
Puer tea tour: Kevin Rose and Tim Ferriss in Jinggu
Check out Glen McElhose’s video ‘Random Episode in China’ with Kevin Rose and Tim Ferriss for our puer tea tour. (This video contains adult content)
How Wu Yi Rock Oolong Gets Made
Production of Wu Yi Rock Oolong This video was taken during a visit to Rock Oolong tea gardens. During the first part of the video, Zhuping is speaking with a tea picker who describes to her how the tea is picked and how the bushes are distinguished. The second portion of the video is an… // MORE
Tim Bowen’s Puer Tea Tour Site
Tim Bowen has created a great site to share his photo’s from our 2009 Puer Tea Tour. He has also written a day by day account.
Bai Ji Guan – One of the Four Famous Rock Oolongs
Bai Ji Guan | White Rooster Crest During this podcast, Zhuping Hodge, tea master and owner of Seven Cups, visits the Rock Oolong region in the Wu Yi Mountains of Fujian province. She happens to be standing by the Bai Ji Guan bushes, which are notorious for their coloring and their small yield. Bai Ji Guan, also… // MORE
Puer Tour: Glen McElhose's Photos
Glen’s McElhose’s photos of our trip to Yunnan have been published and they are really amazing.
2009 Oolong Tea Tour-Photo Gallery
[album id=6 template=compact] Here are photos from the 2009 Oolong Tea Tour with Zhuping. Stay tuned because the 2009 oolongs are on the way.