It's All About Tea — high mountain tea

Tea is probably the most popular beverage in Iran. The tea tradition in Iran has a rich history. Today, tea is a definite winner against coffee in terms of both popularity and consumption. Numbers state that Iran is in the World's top 4 tea consuming countries, with a 1.5kg annual per capita consumption. As for coffee, it stays outside of the World's Top 30. However, it wasn't always this way.

Being at the crossroad between established tea-drinking nations such as Russia, India, and China, Iran took its time before forging its own tea culture and tea-drinking identity. Let's explore the journey of tea in Iran! (Read More)

Today, we invite He Jin - a local producer of Tibetan black tea, and our proud supplier - for a chat. She will teach us on the various types of this chinese fermented tea, and will share tips and tricks on storage and brewing methods in order to get the most out of this artisan tea.

He Jin lives in Ya'an city, where she's been engaged in Tibetan tea production for quite a few years now. She creates fine-quality Yaxi Tibetan tea in loose-leaf form and the region's signature Tibetan Jasmine tea. (Read more)

Tibetan black tea is made from more mature tea leaves. The picking standard for it includes a bud and up to five leaves. Modern days processing includes typical steps for producing Hei Cha – fixing, rolling, wet piling (Wo Dui – 渥堆), drying, steaming, pressing, and finally, aging. While the processing changed with time, some believe it is namely Tibetan tea that precedes all other types of Hei Cha and served as a model for all subsequent Hei Cha production and processing in other areas of China. 

Tibetan tea processing includes 5 stages and a total of 32 processing steps. The aging period alone requires a minimum of 6 months. Some claim its production process is the most intricate and time-consuming among all tea types. (Read more)

Today we're talking (again) about Pu-erh – a tea like no other.

Few (if any) among the six main tea types enjoy the popularity and special place that Pu-erh has in the hearts of tea lovers throughout the world! We'll explore the main production areas for Pu-erh tea and see how they affect the taste, aroma, and flavor of one of the most beloved tea types! (Read more)

Today we'll talk about a firm favorite among China's 6 tea types - Oolong tea. This remarkable tea is also known under a couple of other nicknames. Some of them include "the perfume of teas" and "the champagne of teas" - all for a good reason! Indeed, Oolong - or Wu Long - is among the most aromatic teas out there. Let's discover the secret behind its charming aroma!

Oolong is a semi-oxidized tea. It stands between non-oxidized green tea and fully oxidized red tea (Hong Cha). It is the last among China's six tea types, created as late as the Qing dynasty. Its name translates as "black dragon" (Wu Long, 乌龙) and is tied to a number of legends on its origins. Oolong originates in China's Fujian province. From there, it quickly spread out to the neighborhoods of Guangdong and Taiwan, shaping the unique Gong Fu Cha tea culture. (Read more)