It's All About Tea — dan cong oolong

Chaozhou in Guangdong province is an enticing area of China holding mountains of tea traditions, literally. The city of Chaozhou is near Phoenix Mountain, the birthplace of aromatic Dan Cong Oolongs. There, the tea bushes grow semi-wild on high elevations amid fragrant fruit gardens.

Gong fu cha, the Chinese tea ceremony, originated in Chaozhou during the Song Dynasty. Even today, the province’s tea traditions are highly treasured and preserved. In other parts of China, you may find plenty of people practicing various tea brewing methods, like grandpa-style tea or western brewing. However, in Chaozhou, tea drinkers prefer to stick to their roots. If you happen to be in a local’s presence for long enough, they are likely to treat you to gongfu style tea. (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)

In our previous article, The Aromatic Dancong Oolongs, we’ve focused on what is Dan Cong (Fenghuang) Oolong, and the various single varietals that exist within this tea category.  

This time we will take a look at the intricate history of this indeed well-known aromatic tea, as well as the processing methods. 

Even if you haven’t yet had a chance to try this wonderfully fragrant tea, learn all about it together with us! (Read more)

Yixing teaware has gained immense popularity. By many it is considered the only possible option for gong fu style tea, beating porcelain, glass, and even other clay types. However, the steep price has tea drinkers questioning if it's really superior to other types of unglazed clay teapots. (Read more)

What is your favorite tea type? For many the answer is — oolong!
What makes oolong so favored? Perhaps its multidimensionality, the variety present within this single tea category. A lightly roasted oolong has a resemblance most similar to green teas, while a dark roasted oolong will resemble black tea. Nevertheless, it is neither. It is in between and can not be imitated. (Read more)