"Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things." - Okakura Kakuzo "Book of Tea" (1906)
Robust and inexpensive Chinese green tea. Leave have been tightly rolled. A few hundred years ago some English importers in China mistook this tea for gunpowder, hence the name.
Pi Lo Chun
Pi Lo Chun
Translated as "Green Snail Spring" this legendary green tea has a peachy taste and wonderful complexity. Pi Lo Chun has been grown in the high mountains of Dang-Ting, China for at least a few centuries and is still hand processed by skillful tea artisans the old way. Superb!
Silver Spring Plum
Spring Plum Silver-Green
This display tea got its name from its shape rather than taste. Young leave buds, tied together into a plum sized ball with a silver string. Complex flavor makes this as a rosetta opening tea once infused a worthwhile show of exploration.
White Monkey King
White Monkey King
Sweet and a little nutty, this rare tea from a family owned tea farm in the high mountains of China is reminiscent of early mountain morning fog. Some leaves are silver tipped, a sign of their freshness.
Lung-Ching
Lung Ching "Dragonwell"
Lung Ching has been produced at the same plantations near Hangzou, China for at least a thousand years. A definite favorite of China's emperors for centuries, this is a must have for every serious tea drinker. The leaves are flat and sword shaped. Sweet and fragrant chestnut taste.
