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The wait is over! We are so excited to finally have these cakes in our hands (and cups). This shou Puerh comes from the Ai Lao Mountains and is delicious by itself, but its real treat is the herbs mixed into the leaves. The leaves of Nuo Mi Xiang (Semnostachya Menglaensis) literally translate to "Sticky Rice Aroma", and for a reason: they give off an aroma uncannily similar to sticky rice. Combined with the Puerh leaves, the combination is deep but uplifting, sweet yet earthen, and steeps over and over again. The liquor is a clean deep red which will keep you going for 8+ gongfu steeps. Each cake has 100g of tea, pressed loosely enough to not require a pick to break it up.
Origin: Simao, Yunnan
Harvest: 2021
*wrapper art by Ali*
$ 14.00
Gorgeous, long single buds plucked from high up in the Ai Lao Mountains. These tea tips are harvested in the spring and stored until the jasmine blooms in the summer. They then go through repetitive overnight layering with fresh blossoms until they have successfully absorbed the succulent floral aroma. This tea is decadent, with lush floral notes accenting the fresh, slightly sweet needle-like leaves. Each sip coats your mouth and glides down your throat like silk, leaving a refreshing aftertaste in its wake
Harvest: 2023
Origin: Yunnan, China
$ 15.00
We partnered with Ozben Felek of Felek Acupuncture, to create this herbal blend for her clinic. Cozy Belly is a gentle herbal blend that makes a wonderful beverage to sip after a large meal, or any time you need a little extra warmth. The warming and moving mixture of Organic Cinnamon, Licorice Root, Ginger and Fennel helps boost digestion and keeps everything moving along. It doubles as a nice herbal chai option as well.
$ 14.00
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 dried in the sun.
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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This spring 2020 shou cha fits perfectly into our Puerh collection. Plucked from 200-400 year old trees, its perfectly balanced flavors of slightly dry raw cacao, damp bark and light minerality sit deep in the throat and belly. It has the ability to steep rich and deep while still maintaining a clear liquor. The small leaf grade is accented with bright red young leaves and is pressed into 100 gram cakes that are able to be broken up without the need for a pick. This tea creates a warmth and calmness that makes it idea in the evening or any time you need to get grounded. We recommend this tea for everyone from Puerh novices looking for an smooth cup, to aficionados needing something flavorful but calming.
We also offer this tea in 7g Baby Cakes!
Harvest: 2020
Origin: Yunnan, China
$ 20.00
These young buds are perfectly plucked and rolled. Each curled pearl is comprised of one tip with one bud and two young leaves. Made in the same style as our Golden Bud Biluochun, this year's tea is made of smaller leaves and has a decidedly juicier flavor. The aroma makes your mouth water with rich with dark chocolate and sweet grapes. Each steep brings our new flavors ranging from cocoa and cured tobacco to malt and tart cherries.
Harvest: 2022
Origin: Fengqing, Yunnan
$ 19.00
This is the sister tea to the Tamaryokucha, grown in Ureshino. Both these teas are shade grown and harvested in the spring, when the leaves are still young and approximately 1/2"-3.4" long. The difference lies in the processing. While the Tamaryokucha is steamed, typical of Japanese senchas, the Kamairicha is pan-fired in a large wok, similar to certain Chinese teas. This method was adopted from mainland China in an area just north of Nagasaki, which is known for it's melting pot of international cultures.
The result of processing this robust Japanese tea with traditional Chinese methods is a completely unique experience. The aroma is both sweet and vegetal with notes of hazelnut and soft to. The mouthfeel is smooth and full-bodied has just enough viscosity to linger long past the tea is gone. Steeping to a soft yellow-green, the soup is both bright and grounding. The vegetal depth and umami characteristics balance perfectly with the warming toasty notes the pan-firing imparts.
This tea is made by a third generation tea producer and only a limited quantity is available this year.
Harvest: Spring 2023
Origin: Ureshino, Japan
$ 40.00
For those who like to add a little green in their cooking. This is a premium food grade matcha, produced by the same folks as our ceremonial grades. It is a vibrant green with intense umami flavor and grassy notes. But it also has an astringent kick to it, which is helpful when using it to cook or bake (or even make lattes and smoothies). When combined with other ingredients, the tannins are canceled out and the flavor of the matcha isn't drowned out. If the matcha is too smooth, it will get pushed into the background with the addition of other ingredients.
Add this to cookies, smoothies, make ice cream, salad dressing, you name it. Not only will it taste great, but you'll also be getting the elevated health benefits like catechins, chlorophyll, vitamins and antioxidants. It's a win-win!
This is NOT the type of matcha you get in the bulk aisle at the grocery store. It is processed in Uji, Japan by a family that has been making matcha for over 300 years.
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Everything you need to make A+ matcha at home. This kit comes with a beautiful, textured black ceramic chawan (tea bowl), chasen (whisk) and chashaku (scoop). You can either get just the set or include some of our Shohaku or Kinrin Matcha at a discount. Each of these items separately add up, so get them together to save on everything!
It comes all packed safely in a compact box and basic instructions are included if you need a little guidance.
$ 20.00
This blend took a year to perfect, and we're so happy to finally offer it to you! It's like a take on other breakfast blends, but using three of our premium, top-notch teas (bonus points if you can guess the ingredients). It can be enjoyed everyday, or save it for those brunch dates. The result really is a tea that is more than the sum of its parts. The blend of the three creates an intoxicating sweet, fruity, smoky, floral aroma with a flavor that is full-bodied and complex. It is very versatile and can be steeped gongfu style in a gawian, or British style in a pot for a few minutes. Move over mimosa, there's a new drink on the brunch table!
$ 28.00
Forget that Lapsang you had at the coffee shop years ago, the one that assaulted your senses with smoke and clung to your mouth for hours after. This is not that tea. Grown in the Wuyi mountains, this Bohea cultivar is expertly crafted. The dry twisted leaves present an alluring aroma of pine smoke without taking over. Steeped, the leaves exude a gorgeous amber liquor and offer aromatic hints of toffee and tobacco. The soft veil of smoke clears with each steep, yielding to deeper notes of sherry and raw cacao within the leaves. Juicy and robust while sipping, the tea finishes slightly dry with just a hint of embers remaining.
Harvest: 2022
Origin: Fujian, China
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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.
$ 18.00
This cake is a part of our Elemental Tea Series, a four-tea set of Puerhs that is meant to examine differences in Puerhs while also connecting us to the natural world through tea.
This tea was harvested in 2016 and pressed for us in 2020. It has relaxed into its pressed state and offers a full body drinking experience. The flavor is both deep and bright, as it is warms the throat while activating the roof of your mouth with an iron-rich tingle. The flavor gets richer with each steep and lingers long after each sip. Aromas of damp bark and rising dough give way to a smooth, deeply satisfying flavor. Each sip can be felt internally as it builds warmth.
Tea plants develops flavor through their connection to the air, water and the soil. Minerals are present in every soil structure and help to nurture tea plants and humans alike. When drinking this tea, notice the increasing depth in flavor that comes with each steep. As the water reaches deeper in to the leaf it brings us closer to the heart of the tea through the veins carrying precious minerals. This tea has in innate ability to center us while nourishing us with the plentiful minerals it has absorbed.
*Wrapper art by Ali*
$ 8.00
Simple glass pitcher. Comes in two sizes and is ideal for when your pot is larger than your cups. It's also called a "fair cup" because everyone gets the same steep time when it's poured into a common vessel and then into cups.
Can be used with or without the strainer. Strainer comes with a stainless steel holder.
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These Baby Cakes are the perfect option for tea drinkers on the go! Easy to pack and portion, and cute as heck too. Each tong is wrapped and tied in bamboo and contains seven individually wrapped 7g cakes. Great for gifting, steeping and even flipping for making important life decisions.
This spring 2020 shou cha fits perfectly into our Puerh collection. Plucked from 200-400 year old trees, its perfectly balanced flavors of slightly dry raw cacao, damp bark and light minerality sit deep in the throat and belly. It has the ability to steep rich and deep while still maintaining a clear liquor. The small leaf grade is accented with bright red young leaves and is pressed into 100 gram cakes that are able to be broken up without the need for a pick. This tea creates a warmth and calmness that makes it idea in the evening or any time you need to get grounded. We recommend this tea for everyone from Puerh novices looking for an smooth cup, to aficionados needing something flavorful but calming.
We also offer this tea in 100g cakes.
Harvest: 2020
Origin: Yunnan, China
$ 12.00
The go-to gaiwan for steeping almost any tea. This 150ml gaiwan is crafted from Jingdezhen porcelain and is perfect for solo sessions or tea dates. The sides are not too thin, so it doesn't get too hot to handle, plus the wide rim keeps the edges cool so you won't burn your fingers. The lid fits snug and doesn't slip when pouring, making it an all-around perfect pouring experience.
Each cup holds 75ml of tea, so two cups perfectly fit the gaiwan's volume. You can always get extra cups if you like to host tea parties.
Gaiwans can be either purchased on their own, or as a set with the cups included.
$ 16.00
Grown in Wuyishan, this iconic high mountain oolong is a perfect addition to any tea lovers collection. Yancha, or rock oolong, is unique in flavor for several reasons. The tea buses grow between tall mountainous rocks that block out most of the sunlight, causing the leaves to grow very slowly. This, in combination with the mineral rich soil allow the leaves to soak up more flavor through their roots and develop a depth in flavor that is sought after. This farmer has been crafting Wuyi Yancha for over 60 years, and his skill is easily recognizable.
Rougui translates to cassia (cinnamon), and references the intense aromas of warm wood the tea exudes. The leaves are highly oxidized and roasted, giving them a nutty and toasty aroma offset by a fruit leather sweetness. The tea picks up on different notes with each steep as the water reaches deeper into the leaves. The flavor is full and balanced with a lingering warmth that is comforting and soothing.
Harvest: Spring, 2022
Origin: Fujian, China
$ 10.00
These Baby Cakes are the perfect option for tea drinkers on the go! Easy to pack and portion, and cute as heck too. Each tong is wrapped and tied in bamboo and contains seven individually wrapped 7g cakes. Great for gifting, steeping and even flipping for making important life decisions.
This raw Puerh was plucked from trees growing wild in Pu'er. The tea is refreshing and approachable, even for those who are new to Sheng Puerh or are usually turned off by it. Its aromatics exude notes if honey and magnolia blossoms and the tea steeps to a soft yellow liquor. Balanced and clean, this tea is invigorating and smooth at the same time. It is sweet and doesn't have the astringent finish often associated with Sheng Puerh. Its effect on the body is energizing and cooling, perfect as a creativity booster or to combat the heat in the summer.
Sheng Puerh does not go through the piling fermentation process that Shou Puerh goes through, so it does not have the earthy notes typically associated with Puerh.
Harvest: 2021
Origin: Pu'er, Yunnan
$ 30.00
We are so pleased to share this new tea with you. Harvested in the winter on Phoenix Mountain, this black tea is made from Mi Lan Xiang Oolong cultivars. Winter harvested teas grow slower in the limited sunlight, soaking up more minerals from the soil as they grow and often developing sweeter notes. The resulting flavor is unique and intense. The warm leaf offers notes of baked plum pie and a hint of citrus peel. Even with short steeps the tea is full bodied and has a nourishing intensity that settles deep in your throat. When allowed to steep longer, the leaves emanate distinctive chocolate flavors that wash over your senses like velvet.
Process: Organic
Harvest: Winter, 2023
Origin: Guangdong, China
$ 12.00
Grown and processed at 6000' elevation in Simao, Yunnan, this tea has a depth and uniqueness that does not disappoint. This is a large leaf native Yunnan varietal that goes through a longer wither to bring out a sweeter aroma. Each tip is covered with fine, golden downy hairs. The leaf exudes aromas of candied pecan pie and burnt caramel. When steeped, the leaf loosens and reveals a hidden baby bud tucked inside. The flavor is clean and slightly smoky with notes of berries, cedar and cacao that softens to a finish that balances between wood and citrus.
Origin: Yunnan, China
Harvest: 2022
$ 28.00
We are so pleased to offer our first private label matcha! After spending years traveling Japan and searching for a high quality, organic, ceremonial grade matcha, up to our standards, we finally sourced our first one from an organic, woman-run tea farm.
Introducing Uji Jade: an incredibly smooth and satisfying ceremonial grade matcha from Wazuka. This is harvested from the Samidori cultivar, a lesser-known cultivar developed in Uji for matcha production. The flavor is rich yet smooth, with a perfect balance between bright/peppy and sweet/umami. The color is vivid and pure and the energy it provides is clean and uplifting without making your brain too busy.
I've been personally drinking this every morning and it leaves me feeling invigorated, satisfied and motivated, without any jitters. It's been the perfect morning companion for me and I'm so happy to share it with you.
We recommend this matcha for usucha (thin tea). You can experiment with the thickness you desire as well. While you can use this for lattes, the flavor is so smooth it can get overshadowed when adding other ingredients. Try it straight up and go from there!
Process: pesticide-free
Region: Uji, Japan
Harvest: 2023
$ 15.00
$ 22.00
This hearty, tippy tea was harvested before the rains to ensure a full-flavored cup. Golden Monkey gets its name from the shape of the leaves, and how they mimic monkey claws. The aroma is rich and chocolatey, and steeps to a gorgeous deep red liquor. Each sip has a progression of flavors that begin with cocoa powder, then take on notes of oak barrel aging with a light citrus finish. Compared to some of our other Chinese red teas, this one has a heavy body and I like to think of it as the main course, if Jinjunmei was dessert.
Process: organic
Harvest: 2022
Origin: Yunnan, China
$ 26.00
Our top grade sencha from Kirishima. This tea is from the Asatsuyu cultivar of tea and has earned the nickname of "Natural Gyokuro" for good reasons. Although it is not shade-grown, it has a vivid green liquor and deep umami characteristic that is typically associated with gyokuros. The farm it is grown on is completely self-contained, bio-dynamic and the oldest tea farm in the region. The aroma of the dry leaves is compelling and rich and only grows as it is steamed. The resulting tea is out of this world and a gift to any sencha-lover.
Process: Organic
Harvest: Spring 2023
Origin: Kirishima, Japan
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These Baby Cakes are the perfect option for tea drinkers on the go! Easy to pack and portion, and cute as heck too. Each tong is wrapped and tied in bamboo and contains seven individually wrapped 7g cakes. Great for gifting, steeping and even flipping for making important life decisions.
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.
We also offer this tea loose leaf.
Process: Organic
Harvest: 2021
Origin: Pu'er, Yunnan
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We have been searching for the perfect yellow tea to add to our lineup for years and are so happy to have finally found one delicious enough to share with you. These leaf and bud tips go through a sweltering process, which makes yellow teas unique from other categories of tea. The result is a semi-fermented tea that steeps to a golden yellow with a floral aroma, juicy notes of mangosteen and a buttery soft finish. The leaves will steep several times so you can keep enjoying each round of this unique tea.
Process: Organic
Harvest: Spring, 2022
Origin: Simao, Yunnan
$ 28.00
I take this everywhere! Easy to use and so handy, this is my go-to when I'm on the go. The double-walled borosilicate glass sides keep in heat so the outside stays cool, and the metal lid screws on snugly to keep it from spilling.
You can make tea three ways with this set:
Holds roughly 12 oz.
Be sure to heat the glass first before pouring freshly boiling water in to prevent the glass from cracking. Hand wash only.
$ 10.00
This tea is a sweet and simple treat just in time for sharing with your loved ones. Large leaf, old growth leaves from Ai Lao Mountain are accented with whole wild roses to create a gorgeous and delicious tea. The resulting infusion balances hearty flavors of warm cedarwood with a floral touch and lush, malty finish. It can be prepared in a gaiwan with short, repeated steeps to bring out a progression of deepened flavors, or steeped longer for a rich, decadent cup that can stand up to the addition of milk and sugar.
Origin: Yunnan, China
Harvest: 2022
$ 40.00
This small leaf shou puerh is made from a blend of ancient tree leaf material across four districts in Lincang County. Fermented in 2007 and carefully aged in Kunming ever since, this tea straddles the balance between soft and bold. The aroma has notes of earth and raw chocolate and steeps a liquor that is rich burgundy with no murkiness. The initial steep is a soft introduction to the tea, with each steep reaching deeper notes. The mouthfeel is smooth washes down your throat, leaving lingering flavors of clean earth and smooth river rocks. The age of the leaves allows the tea to be steeped upwards of 10 times before losing flavor and has an uplifting effect on the psyche.
If you remember when we had this tea years ago, you will be so happy to see it back. We were able to get in touch with contacts in Lincang who have access to the same leaves we had previously, and it has only gotten better with age.
Origin: Yunnan, China
Harvest: 2007
$ 18.00
These tiny Yunwu tea tips curl into perfect little spirals, resembling floating clouds. The aroma is soft, sweet and fresh like morning dew. Steeped, the leaf buds unfurl to reveal mild vegetal notes accented with a buttery smoothness and slightly dry finish. Plucked in the early spring, these Pre-Ming harvested leaves are forgiving and easy to steep. They can handle short, rich gongfu steeps or longer, western-style infusions without becoming astringent.
Process: organic
Harvest: 2023
Origin: Jiangxi, China
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For those of us who are avid tea drinkers, we know tea is more than just a taste. It is an experience that permeates all of our senses, and the aroma is key.
Green Dragon Tea Essence is a pure hydrosol captured from our Green Dragon Oolong tea leaves. The aroma is fresh, sweet and refreshing. It blooms and sweetens, blanketing you in a floral tea stasis. It isn't heavy or overbearing, it just offers a subtle yet intense infusion of absolutely alluring aromatherapy.
For years I have longed to capture that intense smell that clings to the empty vessels and seems to grow sweeter and sweeter as it site. It's one of my favorite parts of drinking tea, and I have always wanted to live in a world that smells like an empty teacup, still warm from the brew.
Well, we've started capturing that sweet, alluring aroma from several of our highest grade teas and condensed the steam into liquid form. With these hydrosol spritzers you can literally surround yourself in tea essence.
The process is 100% natural and the only ingredient is pure tea hydrosol, no additives. You can spray it on your skin to refresh and hydrate during your cleansing routine, spray it around the house, in the car, or just on yourself whenever you need a pick-me-up.
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For those who like their tea drinking to have a minimal impact on their hoarding tendencies, this is the strainer that checks all the boxes. No need for a pot, no need for different clays, no need for a various sized vessels. This stainless steel mesh is fine enough to hold even small cut leaves and has a lid wide enough to fit nearly any cup or mug. The strainer sits deep and allows maximum space for the tea to move around freely, increasing the quality of your steep. Plus, it will fit into many teapots if you're looking for an easy way to keep the leaves under control. It's easily washable so you can re-use it for any of your teas without imparting flavors from the previous cup.
If you're looking for an all-around simple way to make tea at a beginner-level, or if you just want to downsize, this is a great tool to have.
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Strain your tea in style. Sure, you could use a run-of-the-mill mesh strainer (which we have also) or you could use a handmade tin strainer that will filter out any leaves with love. Literally, the holes make a heart shape <3
This will last forever and will fit any receptacle with its stem.
$ 17.00
Da Hong Pao is one of the better known Wuyi rock oolongs and we are so happy to have found this unique version. Large, medium oxidized leaves are perfectly roasted without losing any flavor in the process. Each steep brings more color to the leaves, revealing the darker oxidized edges and deep green centers. The aroma is toasty and fruity, like a fresh baked pie, and the flavors center around ripe fruit with warm wood and burnt sugar. Many Da Hong Paos have a deeply roasted finish, but this one is so balanced no one flavor overtakes the rest.
Harvest: Spring, 2022
Origin: Fujian, China
$ 19.00
2021 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, sweet hay and melon seed. These cakes can be broken up and enjoyed now, or stock op on a bamboo-wrapped tong and age it!
Plus a bonus: Our dear friend, Amber von Nagel illustrated the wrapper for us!
Harvest: 2021
Origin: Simao, China
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Here's a great 2-in-1 strainer. It's simple and elegant to use with any gongfu setup for straining from pot or gaiwan to pitcher. The mesh is also the perfect fineness for casual matcha sifting. Some meshes are too tight or loose for matcha, but this one is great. You can set it across your chawan and sift right into your preheated and dried bowl.
$ 11.00
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For those of us who are avid tea drinkers, we know tea is more than just a taste. It is an experience that permeates all of our senses, and the aroma is key.
Black Honey is one of our most popular teas, and the Tea Essence captures its best elements. The aroma is warm and toasty and gets sweeter as it sits. It offers notes of maple sugar, honey and fresh baked pastries. It isn't heavy or overbearing, it just offers a subtle yet intense infusion of absolutely alluring aromatherapy.
For years I have longed to capture that intense smell that clings to the empty vessels and seems to grow sweeter and sweeter as it site. It's one of my favorite parts of drinking tea, and I have always wanted to live in a world that smells like an empty teacup, still warm from the brew.
Well, we've started capturing that sweet, alluring aroma from several of our highest grade teas and condensing the steam into liquid form. With these hydrosol spritzers you can literally surround yourself in tea essence.
The process is 100% natural and the only ingredient is pure tea hydrosol, no additives. You can spray it on your skin to refresh and hydrate during your cleansing routine, spray it around the house, in the car, or just on yourself whenever you need a pick-me-up.
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Simple and classic, this teapot is perfect for showcasing your loose leaf teas. Made of high borosilicate glass, these pots can withstand temperatures between -4°F to 300°F. The lid is made from bamboo and fits snugly on top.
With a capacity for holding one quart, this is ideal for making cold brew or iced tea or when you have several guests to serve.
There is a spring strainer that fits in the spout that will strain out most larger leaves. If you plan to make a smaller leaf tea, you will need to pour through a finer strainer.
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$ 22.00
Here is an intriguing offer for the adventurous oolong lover. This oolong is made in Kagoshima, Japan from the second flush benifuki cultivar. Known for its astringency and bold flavor, benifuki softens a bit in the summer, and makes an interesting starting point for producing an oolong. Best flash-steeped in a gaiwan, this oolong has similar characteristics as a baozhong, but with more umph. Sweet and floral at the start, with a lingering dryness that keeps you wanting more.
We first introduced this tea the second year Yasuhisa Ueno produced it. It was a hit, and we sold out almost immediately. In the years since, the flavor has not matched so we did not carry it. However, upon visiting Japan this spring, we were delighted to find that he had been ageing the same lot we originally purchased 7 years ago. The ageing has done amazing things for the tea, making its flavor fuller, rounder and even smoother than before. We are so happy to have a limited quantity available to share.
Origin: Kagoshima, Japan
Harvest: 2016
$ 28.00
This high-grade, pre-rain, 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. Its 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!
Process: Organic
Harvest: 2023
Region: Zhejiang, China
$ 24.00
This is a new tea for us, which we are so happy to share with you. Harvested from Bitter Bamboo Mountain in Yunnan, these ancient leaves are sun-dried and pressed for Blue Willow into 100g cakes. The aroma of the warm leaf has notes of dry wood and fruit leather. The leaves steep velvety smooth and fills the whole mouth with flavors mimicking chocolate, kumquat, and cedarwood. The roughly 300-year-old trees have deep roots, channeling minerals to the tips of the leaves which linger from the roof of the mouth to deep in the throat.
These leaves are lightly rolled after withering, increasing the amount of time to oxidize, which makes the tea sweeter. The process of sun-drying instead of baking allows more enzymes to live, altering the flavor of the tea and making it ideal for aging. Over time, the enzymes will continue to create more sugars, making the tea sweeter and sweeter the longer it ages. These leaves were harvested in 2022 and are already full of flavor, so we can't wait to see how the flavors progress.
Process: organic
Harvest: 2022
Origin: Yunnan, China
*Label art hand-drawn by Ali, Boss Lady*