It's All About Tea — aged tea

A piece of crucial knowledge for those entering the world of cha — age is everything. We've seen it too many times, picking up a few hundred extra grams of your favorite tea during your travel to China or Japan. Just to find it tasting subpar a year later straight from your cupboard. It's not always the best idea to stock up! Or perhaps the other way around? Completely forgetting about that pu-erh cake your friend gifted you, to find that after years of laying around in the tea drawer, it tastes better than ever! The thing is, age is crucial. Furthermore, when we understand the tea's life cycle, we can use it to our advantage. So how long does tea last? Let's find out! (Read more)

There are two schools: one that says no to boiled water, and one that says that boiled water is totally fine. So some carefully watch (or listen) to our tea kettles, waiting for the perfect time to cut the flame off. It's true, every tea type has the ideal temperature that allows the tea leaves to open up to us in all their beauty. The perfect aroma, perfect taste – balanced brew. It is crucial to learn this.

However, during the Tang Dynasty (618 ~ 907), tea was brewed very differently from what we are used to today. People boiled tea! (Read more)

Most commonly, chen pi (citrus peel) is associated with pu-erh or aged white teas. It is no wonder why particularly post-fermented, and aged teas go best with the dried citrus peel. Aside from tea, its use is widespread in Chinese medicine. Many people choose to drink chen pi tea precisely because of the benefits it brings, according to Chinese medicine. (Read more)

In China, fermentation is a vital part of the food culture. Sauces and condiments, tofu, pickles, wine, and even nuts. You will find at least one fermented ingredient on every dinner table in China. It is no wonder that fermentation made its way into China's extensive and well-developed tea culture. (Read more)

Tea brews can have so many beautiful color schemes: oak brown, amber orange, jade green, honey yellow… and the list goes on. 

As we’ve already learned, the color of the tea doesn’t always correspond with the tea category. In the west, we are mostly used to ordering a black tea and receiving a dark brown, almost black tea brew. When it comes to Chinese black teas (red teas), the color of the brew can vary from a darkish umber brown to a light golden liquid. 

So what are some of the things that influence the resulting color of the tea brew? (Read more)