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For most people in the west, tea drinking started with black tea. But what we view black tea, is completely different from how the Chinese view it and they don’t even share the same name. What we know as black tea the Chinese have always called red tea (Hong Cha). Red tea is the tea leaf after all the enzymes have been metabolized. The process of making red tea relies on rolling the leaf after it has been withered and then letting in rest in small piles, allowing the enzymes to break down and convert. The tea is then baked...

Today I came back from the Anxi city of Jian Dou. Jian Dou is a small village in the inner mountains of Anxi that produces Tie Guan Yin.  I spent three days here and while there was no fresh tea being made, cause its winter, I got to know a few farmers and learn about the local life here. Jian Dou, Anxi. A village that produces Tie Guan Yin. Jian Dou is a lesser known area of Anxi, located close to Gande. When I was talking with my friend who is from Jian Dou, she would often connect this villages...

For those that don't know, I am a huge fan of Tie Guan Yin and am on the hunt for a truly great Tie Guan Yin. For a brief moment last summer I thought I had found it. Anxi Tie Guan Yin in the making (Long Juan) Of course, I am on the hunt for a truly great tea in every category but the hunt for Tie Guan Yin is a little unique because I have a flavor profile in mind that I can't seem to find no matter how many times I go to Anxi. A flavor, so different...

I  don’t like to assume the worst when it comes to tea sellers. From the day I first told someone I was buying tea from farmers I was warned of being ripped off because I was white. These sort of comments I choose to ignore because I believe most of the tea farmers are honest people. I believe most will give me what they say they are and for the same price as everyone else. Most of the time I have been right….most of the time. There have been three times where I things have been fishy or down right...