$ 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.
$ 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
$ 10.00
The Darjeeling district in West Bengal has been producing famed teas since the nineteenth century. This autumn harvested tea comes from an estate that provides us with an organic and fairly-traded Darjeeling tea. A bit stronger than earlier plucked teas, this tea has a slightly more robust body while retaining its soft floral accents. The steeped leaves provide a wonderful delicacy and flexibility to be appreciated from breakfast to dessert. During the day, Blue Willow Darjeeling provides a wonderful, light lift with a muscatel sweetness and clean finish. The full, fresh flavor and delicate floral hints create a truly pleasurable sipping experience on its own, with a sturdiness that can handle the addition of sugar and milk.
Process: Organic
Estate: Sungma
Harvest: 2021
$ 18.00
Don't worry, it's not what you think. This tea is famous is the oolong world, but can sound a little off-putting if you don't know the history. The leaves are large and soft and go through a multi-step oxidation process to enhance the honey-like aroma. Steamed, the leaves have an irresistibly full, creamy, toasty, floral-sweet aroma. The first steep is buttery smooth and rich with notes of sweet cream and fruit. Each steep opens new notes in the leaf and the tea gets progressively more floral and green as the toasty fire notes recede. This tea will go for many steeps and is best enjoyed with an aroma cup to fully enjoy all the of aromatics it can offer.
Dan Cong oolongs are plucked form Phoenix Mountain in Guangdong, China. The term "Dan Cong" translates to Single Bush, which historically meant that the tea was all plucked from the same tea tree. More commonly it is used to describe teas from Phoenix Mountain which have been plucked from the same cultivar and are allowed to grow into large trees. They are famous for adopting various aromas and this tea is no different.
According to legend, the farmers who made this tea plucked the leaves from tea trees growing in soil that was a yellowish-brown color. The tea was so exceptional, they called it Ya Shi Xiang (Duck Shit Aroma), hoping to prevent people from stealing their tea or taking cuttings from their trees. Think of it like the old Greenland/Iceland switcharoo. It didn't take long before word got out about how good the tea was, though, so here we are!
Process: Organic
Harvest: Spring, 2022
Origin: Guangdong, China
$ 9.00
British diplomat and statesman Charles, Second Earl of Grey, is said to have received the original recipe for this scented tea in China in the Nineteenth Century. Despite its worldwide popularity, no one can say for certain what was in the original formula, or who the source was of this spectacular combination of black tea with oil of bergamot orange. We do know that the best ingredients produce the best blends. Blue Willow uses only fresh oil of bergamot, derived from the Mediterranean bergamot plant, a variety of citrus. We blend premium Chinese and Indian black teas, applying just the right amount of bergamot oil. Our method creates a perfect balance of the robust citrus aroma of the Mediterranean orange and the warm, oaky, fruity flavors of the tea leaves themselves. Blue Willow’s Earl Grey blend is accented with the addition of blue cornflowers and orange peels, which liven up the appearance of the tea and add an extra floral hint to the flavor. Taken black, with a twist of lemon, or with milk and sugar, Earl Grey has won the favor of many tea drinkers and provides an excellent cup at breakfast, teatime or with dessert.
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This offering has been a labor of love. I have spent the last year searching for different styles of Puerh to display the variety in flavor and experience, while also helping us forge deeper connections to nature through tea. The result is the Elemental Tea Series.
I've selected two Sheng Puerhs and two Shou Puerhs and had them pressed into 100g cakes. Each one brings something special to the table and is aligned with a different natural element.
Roots is a 1995 Shou Puerh from Menghai Factory
Minerals is a 2016 Shou Puerh from Simao
Light is a spring 2020 Sheng Puerh with buds from the Ai Lao Mountains
Wind is a 2020 autumn Sheng Puerh from Mangjing Village
You can read all about this journey and learn more about things to consider while preparing these teas here.
Each set is wrapped together with information and steeping recommendations included for all the teas. The first 10 sets sold will include a tea pick. All of the artwork was illustrated by Ali in an attempt to further put her heart on the line. We hope you will enjoy this tea journey.
$ 10.00
Every tea merchant tends to create their own proprietary blend to reflect a certain flavor profile and represent a good “house” tea at a good value. While some companies try to hide inferior teas in a muddled blend, Blue Willow took an extra step to formulate our English Breakfast blend. We use our finest quality Estate teas from Darjeeling, Ceylon, and China’s Anhui and Yunnan provinces. Every component adds a unique note to this tea, creating a brisk, aromatic and very full-bodied blend, excellent with or without cream and superb iced.
$ 15.00
This classic, wok-fired green tea has a delicate, decidedly sweet flavor and steeps to a lovely, yellow-green color with fresh scent. The taste is both green and slightly nutty with a slight astringency in the finish. The overall cup is refreshing and soothing and is reputed to help keep the mind stimulated yet clear.
Process: organic
Origin: Zhejiang, China
Harvest: 2022
$ 58.00
**We have a very limited quantity of this tea available. Once it is gone, we won't be able to get more until next year**
Large, rolled autumn harvested leaves from Xi Lai Mountain in Taiwan. The Hao family are third generation tea farmers, caring for tea gardens around 6000' elevation. The aroma of the warm leaves is unique and visceral, soaking deep into the senses. Steeped, the leaves unfurl into large, full tips, with an almost rubber-like thickness. The flavor fills the entirety of your mouth, leaving a buttery smoothness towards the back of the throat. Notes of soft, warm bread centers lathered in butter dominate the palate, with a slight undertone of asparagus lingering at the finish. The warming sensation and flavors remain at the roof of your mouth long after each sip, inviting steep after steep. These leaves will keep steeping time after time and we have often found savory notes well into the 12th infusion. Beyond the enjoyable drinking experience, this tea has a soothing effect on both the mind and body, which can be felt long afterwards.
If you've never had GABA tea before, this is a great place to start. We've spent years searching for one that we loved and finally found it. Instead of going through the oxidation process most oolongs have, these leaves are exposed to nitrogen instead. This causes the tea to develop gamma-aminobutyric acid. These amino acids work to inhibit neurotransmissions within the primary nervous system, increasing relaxation. The after-effects are calming and long-lasting.
Harvest: Fall, 2022
Origin: Ren'ai, Taiwan
$ 11.00
One of the most popular teas in Japan, Genmaicha blends green tea and toasted brown rice, some of which is popped. This blend is visually exciting and produces a sweet, vegetal flavor with a brothy mouth-fee, complimented by the toasty addition of rice. This green tea already naturally lower in caffeine content than black teas, has even less due to the presence of the brown rice. Enjoy this tea at any time of day clear and pure without any additions.
$ 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
$ 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
$ 35.00
If you're a fan of Japanese green teas and haven't tried Tamaryokucha yet, you're missing out. This tea has some of the most robust flavors out there. Grown in Ureshino, it is produced in a way that is a cross between Gyokuro and Sencha. The tea plants are shade grown similar to Tencha (for making Matcha) or Gyokuro. This step increases the chlorophyll and decrease the bitterness. Then the leaves are plucked, but much younger than even a Sencha. The result is an incredible tea with vivid green liquor and an flavor that excites the senses. The aroma is like seaweed and fresh cut grass and the flavor saturates your whole mouth with umami.
To get the most out of this tea steep it lower than usual (around 140°-150°) for 1 minute. When resteeping, pour after 10 seconds. This tea is great for over 4 steeps and the leaves can be eaten afterwards with the addition of a little salt, dashi or soy sauce.
Origin: Ureshino, Japan
Harvest: 2022
$ 15.00
This is a truly lovely oolong, high-grown in Taiwan, and very lightly oxidized. The bright green leaves unfurl, showing the slightest outline of amber around the edges and radiate an incredibly sweet jasmine-like aroma. The leaves are not scented or flavored, but are masterfully crafted to bring out the natrual floral element within the leaves themselves. The flavor is fresh and uplifting with no astringency and a lingering embrace of sweet nectar.
Harvest: 2021
Origin: Nantou, Taiwan
$ 27.00
This tea is one of the highest quality teas being grown in Japan. Grown in shaded small gardens in Uji, by Koyamaen, a tea grower that has been in the Koyama family for over 300 years, this tea is truly special. The tea is grown the same way as tencha and matcha; The shading of the plants before harvest causes the leaves stretch and grow very thin and delicate and produces higher levels of chlorophyll. This process also increases the catechin antioxidants and decreases the tannins, making this tea less bitter and extremely high in health benefits.
The deep green needle-like leaves infuse into a bright green liquor with a hearty flavor. Fresh and full of life, this tea has medium body and a lingering sweetness. Don’t pass this extraordinary tea up, limited supplies are available only at certain times of the year!
Harvest: 2022
Origin: Uji, Japan
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For anyone who wants to taste multiple teas without too much commitment, these tea flights are a perfect option. Each gift box contains four of our favorite non-caffeinated herbal offerings, plus information and steeping suggestions. There is enough of each tea to make several servings and explore the differences between styles and regions.
Each flight contains Soba Cha, World Peace, Simmer Down and Cozy Belly
Plus, you can sleep easy, the packaging is all compostable, including the bioplastic bags!
$ 15.00
Grown in the foggy hills of Kirishima, this tea is made by two brothers who are producing some exceptional quality teas. The moisture of the air and fertile soil from the nearby volcano create a perfect environment for growing complex teas. This Hojicha is plucked from a single farm that is completely self-contained and bio-dynamic. The tea itself has an incredible union of flavors that rise above the toasty base. The roasted leaves are not burnt, but instead embody wonderful nutty quality that softens to a light nectar-like sweetness which lingers long after you sip. The bouquet of soothing aromas and flavors will leave you relaxed and the relatively low caffeine content makes this an excellent dessert tea.
Process: Organic
Harvest: 2022
Region: Kagoshima, Japan
$ 10.00
A tea that “a mouse could walk on”. Our sturdy Irish Breakfast blend takes the chill off cold winter days and warms the “cockles of the soul”. We developed this wonderfully rich, strong brew with lingering toastiness and a slightly creamy element that comes from the addition of a silver tip grade Ceylon to the base of Indian and Chinese teas. Wake up your mornings with our Irish Breakfast, or lift yourself out of a tedious afternoon with this lively tea. Exceptional with cream or on its own, this tea is versatile and delicious.
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For anyone who wants to taste multiple teas without too much commitment, these tea flights are a perfect option. Each gift box contains four of our favorite Japanese Green teas, plus information on the region, harvest season, steeping suggestions and extra tidbits. There is enough of each tea to make several servings and explore the differences between styles and regions.
Each flight contains Asatsuyu, Hojicha, Kamairicha and Awa Bancha.
Plus, you can sleep easy, the packaging is all compostable, including the bioplastic bags!
$ 19.00
This is probably one of the most easy-to-drink and good-for-any-occasion offerings. Soba Cha is exactly what the name translates to - Buckwheat Tea. The buckwheat is roasted to perfection and packed with health benefits, without any caffeine. When steeped, soba is an inviting, aromatic drink that has a fresh baked, nutty, toasty flavor. It is mild and refreshing and can be steeped long without becoming unfavorable. And of course, it's gluten-free!
Buckwheat is full of antioxidants which help with digestion, promote heart health and boost the immune system, among other things. Please note that some people may have allergies to buckwheat.
Try this one iced in the summer or when you need a little extra comfort. It's a tea that makes you feel like you're getting a good hug.
Harvest: 2021
Region: Kagoshima, Japan
$ 10.00
This tea provides the perfect marriage of the best qualities of jasmine blossom and green tea. Harvesters pluck the green tea in spring and store it in chests until early fall when night-blooming jasmine is picked and layered with the tea. Overnight the essential oils of the blossoms permeate the tea, after which they are removed. The process of layering is repeated up to five times to achieve a truly harmonious pairing of flavors.
Process: Organic
Origin: Fujian, China
Harvest: 2021
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Top-quality green tea combines with jasmine to yield a tea with lush fragrance and silky mouth feel. These rare pearls are made of tender, young green tea leaves which are plucked and rolled into perfect pearls with beautiful downy strips. They are then stored until the jasmine is plucked in the summer. The fresh jasmine blooms are then layered with the pearls overnight and removed after imparting their fragrance; the process of layering can be repeated up to seven times.
This tea makes a wonderfully generous gift on special occasions, not only because of its delicate fragrance and taste, but also because of the magic unfurling of the pearls as the tea steeps. Each pearl is rolled with two young leaf and bud tips. Inhaling the jasmine-sweet aroma and taking the first sip of the infusion draws you into the warmth of a calm oasis: time stops and nothing matters but the seductive flavors of each sip. This tea can be re-steeped several times.
Harvest: 2022
Region: Fujian, China
$ 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: 2022
Origin: Fujian, China
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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.
Process: organic
Harvest: 2022
Origin: Fujian, China
$ 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 2022
Origin: Ureshino, Japan
$ 9.00
For many tea aficionados Keemun tea offers the peak black-tea experience. Rich, toasty and bold, Keemun was once the preferred breakfast tea of England. The small, carefully harvested ebony leaves produce a rich, oaky taste with undertones of sherry. The toasty aroma dances out of the cup and entices you to take sip after sip. Historically Keemun is enjoyed with the addition of milk and sugar, but stands well on its own for an added kick.