$ 14.00
Plucked from wild trees growing high on Ai Lao Mountain, this loose leaf shou cha is perfect as an introduction to puerh or as a refreshing breather for the afficionado. It has been sorted to include only the tips and has an effect that is clarifying and uplifting.
The first steep yields a bright and vivid infusion, with each consecutive cup reaching deeper notes of the leaf. The mineral content of the soil is prevalent in the cup with bright, energizing notes of copper, and grounding undertones of cocoa and damp earth. The liquor has a silky mouthfeel and leaves a lasting coolness in the throat, unusual for a tea of this style.
$ 5.00
Hello Tea Friends! As you may know, we had to temporarily close the our brick-and-mortar shop. As a result all of our amazing co-workers are out of work and relying on unemployment, which just doesn't cut it.
If you can, will you please consider adding a tip to your order? The funds collected will go directly to Lili, Joanna, Kevin, Dakota, Ellie, and Niko. You can contribute in as many increments of $5 as you wish :)
I sincerely hope you are safe and healthy in the midst of these uncertain times. Thank you for being a part of our little tea family.
$ 9.75
Here's a tea you won't find anywhere else. Awa Bancha is only made in one small prefecture in Japan, and is barely known even in Japan. It goes through a unique lacto-fermentation process that yields a tea like no other.
The uniqueness of this tea starts at the plucking, which takes place in the summer, when the leaves have grown large and hardened. Every leaf is stripped from the branches, so each year the whole plant re-grows and there is only one harvest each year. From there, the leaves are boiled to soften them and make them more pliable. They are then rolled, similar to an oolong, but then packed into fermentation jars, and covered with banana leaves and heavy rocks to soak in their own juices. Because the tea is harvested so late, the leaves have a higher sugar content, which increases the fermenation that occurs. About a month later, the leaves are removed and air-dried.
The result is a drink that is slightly sour, sweet, and tangy depending on how you steep it. It is incredibly versatile and can be boiled over a fire to get the medicinal properties, or steeped more delicately to extract the sweeter notes. Awa Bancha's nickname used to be "peasant's tea" because it was typically boiled and every leaf was used, unlike other teas.
The flavor is best suited for those who love pickles, sauerkraut and all things probiotic. It is great for the gut and the more you drink it, the more your body will crave its effects.
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2019 leaf plucked from 2000 meter elevation trees on Ai Lao Mountain. The leaf composition is a perfect blend of expertly plucked tips and larger leaves with very little breakage in the processing. The result is a smooth, well-rounded tea with notes of apricot and sweet hay. These cakes can be broken up and enjoyed now, or stock op on a bamboo-wrapped tong and age it!
$ 17.00
We have two types of ceremonial-grade matcha. Shohaku is best for making Usucha, (thin tea) while Kinrin is even smoother and can be used for Koicha (thich tea) or Usucha.
Shohaku is a great everyday matcha that is excellent prepared traditionally and still has a slight tannin characteristic so it won't get lost if you add it to a latte or smoothie. The color is vivid green with a deep seaweed-like base and bright grassy finish.
The Kinrin is a velvety-smooth matcha with robust umami flavor and offers rich notes of steamed kombu and a light sweetness. To prepare this as Koicha, use three times as much tea with less water and whisk with a chasen at least 200 times!
Both of our matcha offerings are produced and stone-ground by Marukyu Koyamaen, a family tea business that has been growing and producing tea in Uji for over 300 years.
$ 23.50
These sheng (raw puerh) pearls are hand rolled into 7g servings from the mao cha we used to press our cakes in 2018. If you aren't ready to commit to a whole cake, or like the ease of having pre-weighed portions, this is a great option.
These pearls comprise first-flush, pre-rain tips which were plucked in 2018 from strictly old growth, wild trees and have a lot going on. Best when flash steeped repeatedly, this tea is like a slow drip of energy, and really can steep all day. The aroma is fresh, bright and incredibly floral. When sipped, the tea leads with an intense burst that is at once dry and silky, leaving a cooling sensation in your throat. The flavor is verdant with notes of dried apricot, and the astringency is beginning to smooth out and embrace it's inner earthiness in the years it's been aging.
These pearls will only get better over time and supplies are limited.
$ 27.00
For those who understand that making tea is making art. These pieces are hand crafted with genuine Jingdezhen clay and have a mineral content which reacts with the heat in the firing. The glaze cascades from turquoise to warm sand to burnt umber, and has it's own unique freckles. No two pieces are the same.
The pot holds roughly 150ml and has an incredibly smooth, long pour. The lid fits snugly on top and even has a built in lid stand.
Each cup is squat and sturdy and can hold roughly 30ml.
The set includes one pot, two cups and a free glass pitcher (not pictured).
$ 17.00
One of our favorite teas! These tiny leaves have so much going on. Plucked in Fujian in the early spring, the tips are fully oxidized and lightly smoked. The dry leaf smells like plums and burnt caramel and just the steam is intoxicating. The tea itself is bold and sweet with a perfect balance of hardy oak smoke and chocolate and delicate fruity overtones.
$ 24.50
This high-grade, pan-fired tea is a delicacy. Each tip is perfectly flattened in the wok by expert hands and the leaf integrity is undamaged as a result. The flavor is sweet, fresh, crisp and soothing. It's silky mouthfeel coats your mouth and throat and has a lingering flavor of asparagus and buttery artichoke. This tea is plucked in the early spring and is available for a limited time. Once we run out, it's gone until next year!
$ 10.00
Everyone loves tea, but figuring out exactly what kind someone wants can be a puzzle.
Enter: Magical Gift Card!
Whether you have a sick friend who needs a pick me up, a boss who has it out for you, a partner who banished you to the dog house, completely forgot your mother's birthday, or don't know what to get someone for your first Valentine's Day together...
The Magical Gift Card can cure all these problems and more*
*these statements have not been approved by the FDA
PLEASE NOTE: Gift cards issued online can only be used on the website. Unfortunately, they can not be redeemed in the store :(
$ 74.00
We are honored to offer you this tea. These 200g cakes are a community effort to interlace feral and old growth tea from around the village and mountains of Mangjing. The leaves were plucked and fermented in 2015 and have since developed into an incredible tea which we had pressed in 2019. The aroma is thick and earthen, yielding to a deep chocolate liquor with an incredible velvety mouthfeel. Each sip leaves traces of cacao, berries and peat all the way down to your stomach, where it fosters an internal warmth and grounding energy.
The village of Mangjing is situated in the ancient tea-producing Jingmai Mountain range and is home to the Bee Immortal Tree, central to the village's agricultural calendar. The immense banyan tree is draped in dozens of beehives, which are closely watched throughout the year. When the majority of bees return in the spring, it is the signal to begin plucking the tea trees.
This tea is a decadent shou cha that can be steeped all day long and still present new flavors. The roots of these trees tap into so many layers of minerals in the rich soil, that each steep unveils new depth and complexities.
$ 11.50
Each of these expertly plucked buds is hiding a young leaf bud that will reveal itself upon steeping. The downy hairs covering the leaves create a silver shimmer and offer aromas of fresh herbs and sweet hay. The liquor is a soft yellow-pink color and imparts delicate flavors of melon seed and clover blossoms. Unlike other white teas that comprise such young leaves, this tea has a lot of character and full body. It is quite versatile and can be steeped in multiple short steeps, or a long infusion without getting bitter or losing its nuances.
$ 15.50
Made from a blend of two Taiwanese oolong cultivars, grown in Pu-er and processed as a black tea, this tea has a growing and dedicated cult following.
The family who tends to these plants operates a small organic farm and grow mostly Taiwanese cultivars. Red Dragon comprises leaves hand plucked from Ruanzhi and Jinxuan cultivars, grown at nearly 2000 m elevation.
This tea offers up a complex cup that is both wholesome and seductive. Enticing aromas of juicy lychee and smokey cedar give way to a full-bodied cup with the perfect balance of sweet and tart plum and toasty barley.
$ 12.00
This has been one of our most popular herbal offering in the shop for some time. I'm sorry it's taken so long to get on the website!
A sweet, calming, cleansing and slightly spicy blend of organic chamomile, lemon balm, ginger, lavender and sage, Simmer Down is the ideal stress-reliever. Egyptian chamomile soothes and relaxes while clarifying sage and cleansing lavender work together to lift your spirits. Lemon balm is a natural stress-reliever, and the hint of ginger create an internal warmth that helps everything absorb and circulate better. This caffeine-free blend is ideal in high-stress environments or before bed to help relax the body and mind.
$ 24.00
This is a staple for everyone who drinks a lot of tea. Arguably one of the easiest methods for preparing all kinds of tea, the gaiwan (literally bowl with lid) is simple and artful.
This gaiwan is made of thick porcelain and holds roughly 150ml. You can use it solo and pour it into a large cup, or combine it with a strainer and/or pitcher to serve into smaller cups.
If you have never used a gaiwan before, it is an excellent method for making a multitude of different teas, mostly Chinese and Taiwanese greens, reds, blacks, oolongs, and some younger or sheng puerhs.
$ 28.00
**This limited offering is available for pre-order now. There will be more arriving in late May and you will be first in line to receive your tea the week it arrives**
This interesting tea is grown in Hunan and processed in a similar way as sheng puerh. The leaves are plucked in the spring, withered, fired, and rolled. But what sets this tea apart is the roughly 2 months of repetitive low-heat smoking that the leaves undergo afterwards. The result is a bright, energizing tea with a tannic overtone, contrasting with the earthen wood smoke that is most prominent in the first few steeps.
Plucked in 2015, the leaves have aged beautifully in bamboo baskets which have allowed the flavors to interact seamlessly. This tea has a cult following in the shop!