A few ways to select a tea

Select a tea by category, region, taste or TCM character

At TeaHong.com, we try to put ourselves in our customers’ shoes. Different people have different priorities. Each sees the world differently. Naturally when it comes to selecting a tea, your criteria may not be the same as that of any other tea drinkers. That is why we group our tea products in different ways so you can see them in the context that is closest to how you think when selecting a tea.

Selection by
Tea Category

Selection by
Tea Region

Selection by
Taste Preference

Selection by
TCM Character

Our tea regions

Fenghuang / Phoenix

Tea farmer withering tea leaves in the afternoon sun

Yunnan

Young Master Zou explaining about degree of fermentation with a handful of tealeaves undergoing the post-fermentation process in the making of shu cha pu'er.

Minnan-Mindong, Fujian

Wang's peak farm

Japan

a technician in full protective clothing working on a matcha grinder

Nepal, the Himalayas

Tea Regions of TeaHomg.com: Nepal / Himalayas

Taiwan

Master Li talks about ant problem in his wild Red Jade tea field

Wuyi-shan

the process of Yao Qing, Wuyi Shan

Huangshan/ Anhui

Tea picking on the hill side terrace

Zhejiang

Tea Hong: Finest Hand-roasted Green tea: Longjing Spring Equinox

other regions

Selection by Tea Category

 

The most common way to group different varieties of tea is by the category of processing method with which they are produced. Some call it Tea Classification, others Tea Categorisation. We think the later label is semantically more accurate.

Many connoisseurs and tea specialists organise their collections with this concept.

The above chart shows the five main categories: Green, Black, White, Pu’er ( Post-Fermentation ) and Oolong teas. Click the pie chart to browse the category of tea, click on your choice and enjoy the browse!

Need more info about a category before seeing the products? Here are some articles:

Selection by TCM Characters

This is for those who understand the needs of answering the voice of the body. A well customised and balanced collection not only helps to maximise tea’s health benefits, but also tea’s gastronomic qualities. At Tea Hong, we also categorise our collection by traditional Chinese medicinal character.

Selection by Taste

Teas are like raw gems. At Tea Hong, we try to curate an all compassing array of supreme quality selections that represents the finest of different regions and their archetypical taste profiles. Yet even the finest of the most pristine teas are subject to the manifestation by the brewer. It is like a raw piece of gemstone waiting to be shaped in order to show its true beauty. Explore these treasures. Make our teas shine.

tasting

Tasting is the ultimate way to learn about a tea

Experience and explore

Begin by tasting a few selections using various infusion styles to gain more specialist understanding of the finesses and differences. Relate this with your personal preferences and you will gradually carve out a direction in building your own repertoire of tea. This will be your very own line that best suits your taste and your needs. With repeated usage your senses and perceptions will deepen. This will empower you with the connoisseur skill to easily master yet more varieties to continue to gain levels in the vast world of tea.

Information on a tea page

Detail information on each tea page includes a description, taste profile, infusion tips and a few properties described with icons. This article gives a general orientation in case you want to prepare yourself before browsing.

Check out our trending best sellers

If all these other ways of thinking about how to select a tea are not for you, perhaps you can see what other people are buying. These are a random display of some of the trending best sellers:

Read how other users think of the tea…

Yet another way to get an idea is to see how other customers see our products. These are random reviews they have posted in this site, and click on the link to go to the product page:

This tea sings

There is not much I can add to the official description of this rare and fine tea. It is all the things described -- mellow, floral tones, undulating earth tones. I have a bowl of Honey Orchid Supreme going at work today. The first two infusions delivered exactly what was promised. I poured water for my third infusion but got sidetracked into a meeting, so let it steep too long. Surprisingly, this "over-steeped" infusion was strong, yes, but never crossed the line into unpleasant bitterness. As described, it fully revealed itself with longer steeping. This tea is complex and a pleasure to drink. It will give you what you ask of it -- a soft and mellow experience or a quizzical moment as you try to define its complexity with a stronger-brewed cup. Either way, it is sure to ping your happy place. Every tea from Tea Hong has delighted. I now mourn all the years I wasted drinking "shadow-of-tea-powder" that comes in a typical western tea bag. I can never go back to that now.
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Karen Ager
Honey Orchid Supreme 2018 Image
Honey Orchid Supreme 2018
This is a very fantastic tea. I usually like the more fruity Dan Congs, such as the Eight Immortals Wudong or the Huangzhi Xiang Classic and have tried some more fruity Song Zhong from other sellers. But this tea, even though it doesn't have the strong fruitiness that I usually enjoy so much, still makes me appreciate this tea even more for its very pleasant taste which I would probably describe as vanilla pinewood with a very pleasant sweetness. This tea has a very long and pleasant aftertaste and during the session the whole room fills with the unique smell of this tea.
But I think what makes this tea so unique for me is that its taste has a certain calm wisdom to it. Drinking this tea almost feels like a form of mediation that directs my thoughts inwards and makes me think about the things in life that truly matter. I don't think any other tea I've drunk so far has so much wisdom in its taste. This works very well with the calming body sensation that this tea brings during the session. It is a gem in my tea collection that really has the perfect balance.
I prefer to brew it using 3g in a 100ml clay pot at 95°C, increasing the temperature to 99°C for the later infusions to get more out of the leaves.
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Tobias D
Danhu Old Bush Song Cultivar, Phoenix dancong oolong Image
Danhu Old Bush Song Cultivar, Phoenix dancong oolong

Ask Yourself

When seeking evenness of mind and a better disposition, ask yourself which tea might help you face the day with strength and calm. No tea may be more suited to the task than Alishan Guanyin.

Nine grams of this beaded beauty produce a liquor the color of an orange-amber sunrise. The vessel lid offers the smell of warm vanilla and a refined perfume of iris, oak moss and cedar wood – a scent worthy of dabbing onto the skin.

This tea whispers balance; its gentle steam patiently waiting to be inhaled. Ask, and Alishan will deliver perfectly even doses of quiet insight to both nostrils. A fresh morning breeze wafts over with subtle, smoldering hints of a distant bonfire.

Next is a fleeting mouthful of sweet summer peaches dissolving into a slightly smoky, spicy-clean aftertaste balanced on the tip of the tongue, mid-palate and throat.

Notice the transformation of the tiny, toasty tadpoles as they make a magical metamorphosis in your mug. They swell into wild, squiggly creatures of dark slate green. Balance gives way to spontaneity as these friendly, appealing leaf-beings inspire your free spirit. If you don’t believe me, ask them yourself.
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Karen Ager
Alishan Guanyin 2018 Image
Alishan Guanyin 2018

Excellent tea

果如所言,2014的宋種,確較往上幾年好飲、且更耐沖泡,沖至六七泡,後勁淩厲,餘香猶在。
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LO Wai Man
Song Cultivar 2018 Image
Song Cultivar 2018
A bearer of of satisfaction and contentment in a cup, this BaXian is undoubtedly worthy of its namesake and high praise. Thank you for offering such an amazing tea!
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Chiam JY
Eight Immortals Wudong 2020 Image
Eight Immortals Wudong 2020

Stunning & memorable (2011 version)

This is an outstanding tea that is unlike and better than any other Wuyi oolong I've tasted (with the possible exception of Tea Hong's Sacred Lily). It infuses forever, and somehow manages to display lasting aromatic characters alongside power and intensity, but with no element dominant and no intrusive charcoal. Every mouthful is pleasurable. It's worth every cent.
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Critical John
Cassia Extraordinaire 2016 Image
Cassia Extraordinaire 2016
This quickly became my favorite Gaiwan.

The design is wonderful and reminds us to connect with nature. It is easy to decant due to the perfect shape of the lid.

The only wish I would have is for a slightly smaller version of the same design, maybe around 100ml for smaller gongfu sessions.
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Tobias D
Celeste Green Gaiwan Image
Celeste Green Gaiwan
This is the best Oolong I've ever had.
The vanilla and mandarin orange flavour honestly blows me away.
It's such a rich-tasting tea, I would even say that the price is too low for what you are getting.
If you consider this tea but you are unsure because of the price, I can guarantee you that you won't regret buying it. A must-have tea.

I used 6g for 200ml water and my infusion times were:

1. 1 minute
2. 45 seconds
3. 45 seconds
4. 45 seconds
5. 1 minute
6. 1 minute
7. 1 minute and 30 seconds
8. 2 minutes
9. 3 minutes
10. 5 minutes

You can even try more infusions.
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Maximilian Vorhoff
Danhu Old Bush Song Cultivar 2018 Image
Danhu Old Bush Song Cultivar 2018

Elegant, complex fragrance

The first time I had this tea I used the standard infusion parameters. It came across like the Snow Orchid, unsurprising as they are both categorized as bouquet Phoenix oolongs. But from smelling the infused leaves, I can tell that this Orchid Gratus is gravitating towards the traditional Phoenix style. The infused leaves also shows more oxidation than Snow Orchid.
Then I tried it with 4g/100ml in 40 seconds. Wow, it reminds me of the Big White but without the faint sweet potato/peach aroma, yet somehow more complex. Smelling the tea is like smelling a good perfume, it is almost like there are many different fragrance combined together in a cup of tea. I'd say the aftertaste is not long, therefore I would twirl the tea in my mouth a little bit longer before swallowing it to enjoy the beautiful fragrance.
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Teddy Lionel
Orchid Gratus 2017 Image
Orchid Gratus 2017
A True Delight to Taste & Smell Senses!
There are a few teas that truly delight the senses. This is one of them! The tasting notes are varied, blending on top of one another, subtle and yet distinctive.
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Jeffery Leong
Honey Orchid Supreme 2018 Image
Honey Orchid Supreme 2018
One of the few teas that made my heart skip a beat, or shed a tear in pure admiration. Everything about this tea is graceful, refined and elegant. I was shocked since the entry is quiet and subdued, but the mid to late palate is so smooth and gentle with veritable depth. I've never thought that an oolong could emulate a gushu pu'erh. Too many plantation teas smack you in the face with their sappy, candy-like fragrance. This one is the definition of minerality and long aftertaste.
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Daniel Wa
Danhu Old Bush Song Cultivar, Phoenix dancong oolong Image
Danhu Old Bush Song Cultivar, Phoenix dancong oolong
In short: One of the best, if not the best, Pu'er teas I've tasted.

In some way this is the Pu'er version of Honey Orchid Supreme, so I think most people who love that tea will also like this one. It has strong notes of honey and some fruity undertones of peaches, orange, and apricots. The first infusions have some woody / mossy notes that remind me of an old forest. In the later infusions this gets replaces by a very pleasant and soft sweetness that gives the tea a very optimistic energy. The Cha Qi of this tea increases concentration while still calming the body.
The aftertaste that remains in the mouth after drinking the tea is probably the best I've had from Pu'er teas. It's sweet and fruity without any dryness or bitterness. It stays in the moth for quite long.

I usually brew this tea in a Sheng-Pu'er-seasoned Zini Yixing clay pot, because the clay thickens and softens the tea even more to enhance the mouth feel. But it also brews very well in porcelain or silver. It has become one of my favorite teas.
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Tobias D
Pasha 2013, matured Pu’er shengcha Image
Pasha 2013, matured Pu’er shengcha

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