Tea Blog

Hello tea lovers,

Dr. Oolong here…saying hello from Asia!

After spending a day in Hong Kong, our China adventure continued today with a mind-boggling stop at the tea market here in Guangzhou. “All the tea in the China” doesn’t even begin to describe it. From exquisitely designed and extremely high-end teaware shops with gorgeous hand-crafted pots averaging in the $500-1000 US range, to modest stalls with open burlap sacks of low-grade tea a few feet away, it was a diverse market to say the least. Besides plenty of tea, another thing we shared in common was the torrential downpour of the day.

We found a couple favorite merchants and teas that occupied the majority of our time. As I was relearning how to “get my shop on,” I was cautious at first to make even a modest purchase. Remember, I am here not for business buying (although I am acquiring some teaware for the tea room); I am just picking up some interesting things for my own use.

So we settled into a nice relaxed tasting of a yi wu pu-erh which was quite smooth and got us into the groove. This was followed by an extensive session at a shop with zillions of little cups, among other things. We all found some well-made artisan and inexpensive cups to our liking, and I also scored a cute and unique yi xing pot for a reasonable price. Pics to come soon!

We also sipped snow chrysanthemum tea for a couple hours, which was a delight. Even though I have a gifted tiny stash of it at home in Austin, I hadn’t tried it until yesterday while in China. Crazy! It is a fantastic herbal tea! Great mouthfeel, surprisingly complex, and has a long sweet floral finish. I bought a little to bring back, as I also want to try blending with it; it is gorgeous and vibrant in addition to tasting great.

Truly, we barely scratched the surface of the tea market. You could literally spend a week there. Hundreds and hundreds of vendors. Thousands upon thousands of pu-erh cakes. Gorgeous and immense hand-carved tea tables. Relaxing and helpful sales people. And, there weren’t that many shoppers there so it was a mellow time. We capped our day with an outstanding Hakka lunch at a nearby restaurant. I love the rain, but arrived soaked. Note to self: buy an umbrella; they are cheap here!

I must point out that it helps greatly to have knowledgeable friends who also happen to speak Chinese. I would be lost without them.

So today we journey to a nearby city of which I have forgotten the name. Tomorrow we fly to Yunnan!

-Dr. Oolong

Howdy folks.  Dr. Oolong here.

Having recently arrived back from a most pleasant journey to Taiwan, I can safely say I am a changed man. The person I was when I set out to explore the world of Taiwanese teas, on the ground, at source, is no longer with us. The man that emerged is even more in awe and wonder of the beauty and mystery of Taiwanese teas and the Taiwanese people.

The first thing that really struck me was the incredible amount of work that goes into making a batch of oolong tea. Wow! Having participated first hand in several steps in the making of the tea itself, I can say my respect for the tea workers is quite high! It is a hard job!

I was lucky enough to share numerous tea cupping/tastings during my three weeks in Taiwan. I sampled various cultivars and methods of production, from low oxidized to highly oxidized, and unbaked, to strongly baked. Aside from my personal preferences, several things stood out to me. The first of which is the concept of ‘patience’.

The more patient a tea measures the number of steeps one can get out of it. This is one of many ways to assess quality and value in an oolong tea. Regardless if you steep Western-style (small amount of leaf to water) or Eastern-style (large amount of leaf to water), or somewhere in between, the number of flavorful and aromatic steeps of a given oolong is a fantastic indicator of its inherent quality.

One of the simple treasures I was fortunate enough to acquire on this trip was a small amount of a Tung Ting made in the traditional fashion: organically, hand picked, and strong roasted. It is called Old Man Tung Tung. It is named after the gentleman who has been making this tea since he was a teenager; he is now in his 70’s! The tea is a fantastic example of a tea with tons of patience. We steeped about ten grams in a ten ounce yi xing pot last weekend and had to stop after 15 steeps!

Experiencing the flavors unfold with each steep is a remarkable experience and one that should not be missed. We hope you share in the journey with us too! Stay tuned for more articles on amber oolongs and have a great day!

Hello, tea lovers!

Dr. Oolong here, writing to you while steeping a cup of one of our new teas: Stenthal Darjeeling.

As you know, Zhi hasn’t carried Darjeeling for a few years. While a very popular tea, we just never came across an organic one that had lived up to the hype. Happily, this one does, and it is priced right too! This true Darjeeling has the pleasant, smooth complexity that we were looking for, while also boasting muscatel undertones. There’s a faint hint of astringency, but just enough to pull the cup’s complexity together. We trust you’ll love it as much as we do Quantities limited: enjoy while you can!

Speaking of exquisite, rare teas, winter oolongs are in! This year’s harvest will prove to be one of the most delightful, and we invite you to enjoy the small artisan batches of Zhi’s direct sourced Frozen Summit Tung Ting, Jade Oolong, Golden Lily and Four Season varieties. Be sure to extract your multiple steepings as these very patient leaves are really expressing themselves over multiple infusions.

Next month, I will be traveling to Yunnan, China to visit the ancient tea trees and drink pu’erh. I’ll be sure to tweet and sent pictures via Instagram so follow us today @zhitea. We will be carrying even more amazing pu’erh options soon, in addition to our outstanding ripe, loose leaf version that you know and love.

Well, my tea is ready! Gotta go. Until next time,

Dr. Oolong

The new year always brings opportunity for healthier habits and high hopes. Year after year, we continue to see diet, health and financial resolutions top the list of self-improvement projects.

What are you looking forward to improving in 2013?

“Each spring, we witness (and experience!) a strong desire to cut back on sugar, fat, dairy and gluten, as we clear the slate after an indulgent holiday season,” says Dr. Oolong, co-founder of Zhi Tea and resident cookie-lover.

“Zhi strives for balance, while never sacrificing beauty or pleasure. Fittingly, our teas are pure, healthy and indulgent. Tea helps us answer the question, “How can one have decadent food experiences without sacrificing health?” It’s easy! It’s right there in your cup.”

For everyone who is working off a wellspring of will power, Zhi would like to offer custom tea choices to support your efforts. (We can use the extra help too!)

For a sugar-free treat: try our Sweet Desert Delight. Crave cream, but want to be dairy-free? Try our Masala Chai with a drop of almond milk. Need a gluten-free drink? All of our teas are gluten-free, organic and fair trade. Want to cleanse and detox? Purify with Silver Needle. Caffeine-free morning? Let the awakening power of our Turkish Spice Mint keep you upbeat, without the jitters! Caffeine-free evening? Our Restful Blend (pictured above) is a soothing nightcap and guaranteed lullaby.

So, how do you resolve to incorporate tea into your life more?

Tea for the Tillerman

Just arrived 6000 ft Ali shan. Some seriously windy roads, a great driver, and tired from a good long day. We visited another tea research station in yuchi for a tea cupping of some newly released cultivars. Delicious highly oxidized, not quite black teas that Thomas has dubbed Brandy oolong.

Then we visited dong-feng farm near Sun Moon Lake for some muscle building tea rolling. We were each given a basket of freshly withered leaves to roll. Rolling breaks the cells of the plant, releasing the juices and prepared the leaves for drying. It took about 45 minutes to get them to the proper condition. The aroma coming off the leaves from this process was amazing: very camphor and cinnamon like.

After our workout, we climbed up the mountain in our little van, as we told hair-raising stories of other mountain bus trips we had survived. This is a really fun group! Tomorrow is an 18 hour jade oolong manufacturing day. I absolutely love it here. Plus, I got some great video of an organic tea garden that butted up against a sheer half mile drop off the mountain. Can’t wait to share it with you when I get back to Austin!

-Dr. Oolong

After two lovely and surprisingly relaxing days in old Taipai, I am up at the crack of dawn for a day trip to Wenshan. I am amazed by how small this country is; the mountain is only an hour away! It has seemed so far, but now that I’ve arrived, I feel like I’m already in the tea fields.

I’m here to take part in the Taiwan Oolongs Study Tour (TOST). It is an intensive week-long tea sojourn, which includes visits to Taiwan’s tea gardens, factories, museums, tea-houses, and farms. We’ll visit with farmers, scientists, and tea enthusiasts along the way. Every possible minute is packed with educational tea information, and I can’t wait!Last night at the TOST welcoming event, I got to meet the heavy hitters in the Taiwan tea business.

There was over 200 years of combined experience in the room. And these guys are funny! I felt like I was hanging out with the Rolling Stones of tea. These guys are living proof that drinking tea keeps you young. One tea master, whom I will call “Mick,” is 74 and has more energy than most 30 year olds I know.On the agenda this week is a visit to TRES (the Taiwan research and extension station), the won Wong tea factory, and yilan San tai tea farm for hands-on tea processing. I get to pluck my first tea leaves!  And, of course, I’m looking forward to new friends, lots of tea, and tons of amazing food. This week is going to rock. Now for a pot of tea at 5 a.m. to “Start Me Up”. Couldn’t resist