Grading
7 articles
Spring, Summer, Autumn (春茶、夏茶、秋茶): Reading Harvest Season on a Label
The Word Before the Tea Name Spend a few minutes on any Chinese tea vendor’s site and you start noticing a word stuck …
Reading the Leaf Bottom (叶底): What Spent Leaves Tell You
The Step Everyone Skips You finish the last infusion, and the leaves go in the compost. That’s a shame, because the wet …
How to Read a Chinese Tea Listing (网上买茶指南)
The Problem With Buying Tea You Cannot Smell In a shop you pick up the tin, smell the leaf, and know something within …
Harvest
If you’ve ever looked at a tin of high-end Chinese green tea and wondered why some leaves cost more than a fine bottle …
Baihao Yinzhen (Silver Needle - 白毫银针)
The History: The “Beauty” of White Tea Baihao Yinzhen, or “Silver Needle,” is the most prized and expensive variety of …
Jin Jun Mei (Golden Steed Eyebrow - 金骏眉)
The History: The Modern Legend of Wuyi Jin Jun Mei is one of the most famous and expensive red teas in the world, yet …
West Lake Longjing (西湖龙井)
The Myth and History: Why “Dragon Well”? Longjing’s history stretches back over 1,200 years to the Tang Dynasty, but it …