It's All About Tea — chinese tea

Pu-erh is a unique type of tea. For many, it’s either you like it or you don’t, and there is no in-between. It is a robust tea that has often undergone years of fermentation and has a flavor that is unusual for many.

For some, pu-erh is just not for them, no matter how many top-shelf cakes they have tried. If trying pu-erh for the first time, we always recommend trying a quality sample. Otherwise, you may end up with a ruined pu-erh that will make you never want to experiment with the stuff again.

So how do we determine what constitutes a good pu-erh? (Read more)

Both Hei Cha and Pu-erh are fermented teas, so many wonder what the difference is between the two kinds of tea.

The origin of Hei Cha dates back many centuries. Its production methods are a somewhat iconic part of Chinese tradition, passed on for many years. Hei Cha production has a rich heritage and diverse craftsmanship, spanning multiple Chinese provinces. Hei Cha is a post-fermented tea category that includes teas like Shou Pu-erh, Liu Bao, and Lu An. (Read more)

Raw (Sheng) and Ripe (Shou) Pu-erh age very differently. Sheng has a long arc of transformation – losing bitterness and gaining complexity over decades. Shou changes most in its first 3–10 years, shedding wet-piling notes and gaining smoothness. And older doesn't always mean better. (Read more)

“Black Tea” as it's called in the West, or "Hong Cha" ("Red Tea") as it is called in Asia is well-known as an afternoon tea for it’s mellow and sweet flavor. According to legend, the Wuyi Mountains in northern Fujian, China, is where black tea was first developed. One legend tells of passing soldiers using covered piles of tea leaves as mattresses, thus bruising the leaves and creating oxidation, which gives black tea its dark color. (Read more)

At Path of Cha, we always recommend cold brew as the best way for extracting all the flavors and components out of a loose leaf tea. However, during the summer’s heat if you're in the mood to have a certain tea iced and just don’t want to wait a few hours for a cold brew, there is an alternative method for making iced tea. Find out how to make a quick iced tea without sacrificing as much flavor as you would with a classic iced tea, while saving more time! (Read more)