Great outcomes in tea-making are not a given. Sometimes it goes according to plan, but often times tea-makers are presented with circumstances that may not reflect what they were hoping for and it’s time to make tough decisions. They can simply follow a written procedure regardless (and many of them do), but each situation brings change, change brings challenge, and challenge brings charm – if you can adapt. The 2022 spring season Tieguanyin project certainly brought challenge. Buy The Tieguanyin Project, Spring 2022 Tea fields in Dehua County, Fujian Province   Challenge #1 was to choos ..read more

Forget What You Know About White Tea White tea is difficult to describe objectively. It is minimally processed, yet can have widely varying outcomes. All white tea goes through an unusually long withering process which gives it that pervasive light sweetness at its core. For a more thorough description, click here, but it’s primarily a long time withering and a short time drying. There are some producers who break rules and incorporate oolong techniques like shaking and rolling their white tea. You could make an argument that that isn’t white tea, but to quote the great Kris Kristofferson, “If ..read more

Review: What is Red Dawn? Mr. Lin on harvest day for 2022 Red Dawn   We’ve written about Red Dawn before, but here’s a quick overview. Red Dawn is a black tea from Anxi county in the Fujian province of China. Anxi county is famous for its traditional style of oolong (not black tea). This tea is a combined effort of Daniel Hong (who came up with the idea for Red Dawn during the initial outbreak of coronavirus in 2020) and Mr. Lin Rui Fu (who owns the fields, factories, and skills to pull it off). Red Dawn is combination of unique elements: It’s a black tea made from a tea cultivar used a ..read more

What is Jasmine Tea? “Jasmine Tea” is tea (Camellia sinensis) scented with jasmine blossoms (Jasminum sambac). The base tea typically used for scenting is green tea, though it is possible to use other types of tea. A tea is “scented” by repeating a series of steps in which the tea absorbs the fragrance directly from the jasmine blossoms. It is possible to use flowers other than jasmine for scenting, but jasmine is by far the most popular. How is Jasmine Tea Made? Jasmine teas are typically “scented” for 1-4 rounds. There are jasmine teas scented five or more rounds, but these teas are rare an ..read more

A TeaSource Exclusive! Only 8 kilograms made each for this one-time experiment! The Tieguanyin Project, Fall 2021 edition Click here to buy! You will receive the following: One 2oz bag of Tieguanyin Project, Fall 2021 made by Daniel Hong One 2oz bag of Tieguanyin Project, Fall 2021 made by Ming One sample of November Tieguanyin, also made by Ming (not related to this project, but a good point of reference) The fall edition of this project is a dual path – two teas from the same material, but two different tea makers doing it two different ways. Queen Bee Mountain Both teas w ..read more

The locals refer to the Huang Jin Gui cultivar as Huang Dan (translation “yellow morning/dawn”). Red Dawn is a black tea by any reasonable definition, but what we call “black tea”, the Chinese call “red tea (hong cha)”. So this tea got the name “Hong Dan (红旦) = Red Dawn". Buy the 2021 Red Dawn  2021 Red Dawn leaves   The younger leaf of the 2021 lot makes for a stronger, bolder cup without sacrificing too much of that peach/floral aroma of the 2020 lot. It was harvested on March 16, 2021 (six days earlier in the calendar year than 2020) and finished production on March 20, 2021. The ..read more

What do we mean when we refer to different "lots" of tea? All tea produced is unique to its place and time. A tea produced in spring is not the same tea produced in the fall, even if they are using the exact plants/garden/person/equipment/technique. The spring tea is the “spring lot” and the fall tea is the “fall lot.” This can be even more specific to teas made a week apart (as opposed to seasons). The important takeaway is that a “lot” is a distinction – 2020 Red Dawn and 2021 Red Dawn are distinct “lots” of tea. All other facets are near identical, except they were made one year apart. No m ..read more

Roughly pronounced “Hwong-Jin-Gwee”, it is one of two famous cultivars from Anxi county, Fujian province (the other is the far more famous Tieguanyin). Anxi wulong is a traditional form of wulong tea, so almost all Huang Jin Gui plant material is produced this way, though sometimes it is made into green tea. It has a thin leaf with a high/sharp/floral aroma that is easily released. Using it as material for black tea (as in Red Dawn) is rare. The aroma can shift from floral to honey/peach from light shaking/fermentation. Huang Jin Gui is locally known as “Huang Dan” (“yellow morning”) and is ex ..read more

Rare, very limited quantity pressed wulong tea now available! Each piece is approximately 9 grams each. Click here to buy! Immortal Diamond (Zhang Ping Shui Xian) is the only deliberately pressed wulong tea   Immortal Diamond is a uniquely geometric tea with a soft texture and clean, cooling, mineral character. The floral aroma is symphonic in its performance and worth the price of admission alone.  Ms. Zeng Puyu in her tea garden in Fujian   Produced on June 3, 2021, by Zeng Puyu from Middle Pacific Village, Long Yan City, Fujian. The Chinese name for the tea i ..read more

TeaSource Exclusive! Only 12 kilograms made of this one-time only experimental tea! Available in 4 oz. quantities only. Click here to buy!   The Tieguanyin Project, Spring 2021 Produced on May 2, 2021 by Daniel Hong. The material was harvested from the west side of the Bamboo Tea Garden in Lutian Village, Anxi county, Fujian. The exact translation for Tieguanyin is “Iron Goddess of Mercy” and the loose pronunciation is “tee-gwan-yin.” By definition these teas are made from the Tieguanyin cultivar. Anxi county is home to this revered and respected tea. What is the Tieguanyin Project? Dan ..read more