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It was an exciting year for us at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas! We were honored to take home two World Tea Awards. Two of our teas also received the People's Tea Choice award for best tea in their category.
- Best Specialty Tea Brand
- Best Tea Educator (owner Bill Waddington)
- Best Hot Black Tea | Wild Mountain Yunnan
- Best Hot Oolong Tea | Rou Gui
View all the winners HERE.
The World Tea Expo is the largest industry trade show in North America. It is a chance to discover new teas, new products, attend workshops, and meet with vendors and customers face to face over a cup of tea.
Our Operations Manager Michael met the folks who make our Iccha Kariban green tea from Japan.
David, Bill, and Michael on the show floor! Michael will be traveling to Yunnan, China in July to visit the maker of Wild Mountain Yunnan black tea, Ms. Zhao Yu Jie.
Rou Gui Oolong - Shop Now*2019 People's Tea Choice Award for Best Oolong Tea, World Tea Expo*2019 Silver Medal Winner in the Global Tea Championship
*2019 People's Tea Choice Award for Best Hot Black Tea, World Tea Expo*2019 Bronze Medal Winner in the Global Tea Championship -
In 2013, TeaSource was part of a U.S. trade mission to Puer, Yunnan, China. During this trip, Bill met Ms. Zhao Yu Jie and she has been one of our direct sources for black tea and puer ever since. She and her husband Mr. Pan make up the Hanming Xuan Tea Company in Kunming, China.
TeaSource Operations Manager Michael will be visiting Ms. Zhao in Yunnan this July. Stay tuned for more exciting teas and travelogues!
Bill having tea with Ms. Zhao for the first time
puer tea" rel="noopener noreferrer">SHOP MS. ZHAO'S TEAS
Ms. Zhao’s teas are entirely handmade from wild tea trees grown at a 6000' elevation. Each tree is between 80 to 100 years old, which requires them to climb high into the branches to pluck the young leaves at the tips of the branches. During plucking season Ms. Zhao will call on her extended family to help pluck leaves.
Ms. Zhao (yellow jacket) and her extended family
Ms. Zhao has been producing puers and black teas for over ten years, having learned the tea business from her father who worked for old Chinese state-owned tea companies. This is a full-time family business through and through. Ms. Zhao’s teas are truly exquisite with depth and variety in color, aroma, and texture. Teas like this are not commodities; they are works of art.
Ms. Zhao's Wild Mountain Yunnan
Buy it HERE
An old wild tree in Chang Ning County of Menghai City, Yunnan
Ms. Zhao high up in a tea tree plucking the youngest tea leaves and buds to make one of her fabulous teas.
Ms. Zhao with a basket full freshly plucked wild tea leaves.
Ms. Zhao and her husband Mr. Pan
Mr. Pan hand-rolling the leaves, the second step toward making a wonderful finished tea.
Ms. Zhao sun-withers the leaves which imparts a nuance to the finished tea, unattainable by factory withering.
Raw material
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Pan firing tea leaves for making Puer at about 200°C. This step takes 30-45 minutes per batch.
Ripe Puer that was just made.
When the leaf turns brownish-red and the bud becomes a gold/yellow color, that means the taste is soft and the bitterness decreased. That's the visual cue to stop post fermentation and move to drying.
Ms. Zhao's 2014 Sheng Puer Pearl - Limited quantity
Buy it HERE
Ms. Zhao's Golden Needle black tea
Buy it HERE
View from Ms. Zhao's tea fields
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Have you been wanting to dip your toe in the water and try green tea? 2019 has produced some fantastic green teas which are typically harvested in March and April. Come on in - the water's fine!
Clouds & Mist Supreme: A Yunwu (clouds mist) green tea from Sichuan Province, China. Harvested the last week of March 2019.
Dragonwell Superior: The undisputed King of Chinese green tea. Nutty, fresh, and complex.
Gu Zhang Mao Jian: A regional specialty of Hunan Province, China, this tea has a history of more than 2,000 years.
Pi Lo Chun: A tea of the highest caliber. Made by Mr. Wu Yong Ming in Jiangsu Province, China, he has specialized in Pi Lo Chun and other luxury green teas for over 40 years.
Wuling Mountain Yunwu: This green tea is dialed in to the quintessential vegetal sweetness of Chinese green tea in the aroma, cup, and aftertaste. A great value.
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Dan Cong teas are made in Guangdong Province, China. It’s a term for a group of cultivars that are believed to be descendants of Shui Xian (at least according to one story).
400 year old tea plant on Phoenix Mountain, Guangdong Province, China
Dan Cong itself translates “single bush” as traditionally each bush would be treated separately in determining what is the best time for plucking and how to process those leaves (though such honors are now only bestowed on a few rare, highly valued plants).
Dan Cong can come in a wide variety styles. We source Dan Cong Feng Huang from Mr. Lin Zhi Min.
Mr. Lin Zhi Min’s tea fields, Feng Huang, Guangdong, China
TeaSource Owner Michael & Mr. Lin
Tea tables are cool. Mr. Lin’s tea table caught Michael's eye.
Old tea Dan Cong tea plants in the high elevation of Phoenix Mountain, Guangdong Province, China
The other two varieties of Dan Cong teas currently in stock are Phoenix Mountain Oolong and Fragrant Honey Oolong. We direct source these two teas from Brian at Propitious Clouds Trading Company located in Chaozhou, Guangdong, China.
TeaSource Founder Bill Waddington & Brian
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Shop the Matcha Collection
Matcha is a powdered green tea from Japan. The tea leaves are similar to those grown to make Gyokuro, a high grade tea that is shaded for the last three weeks before plucking. Traditionally, matcha is used during the Japanese Tea Ceremony, along with any array of traditional utensils. While this is not the most popular way to consume matcha in Japan, many tea lovers in the U.S. use this method to enjoy matcha casually at home. Matcha flavored treats like ice cream and chocolate are very common in Japan.
Matcha in 5 Easy Steps
Step 1: Set your table.
We recommend using a ceremonial grade matcha. Shop matcha accessories to learn more about these traditional tea tools.
Step 2: Measure the matcha.
Using a chashaku (bamboo tea scoop), measure 1 1/2 to 2 scoops of matcha (1 1/2 tsp) into a strainer. Sift into the chawan (matcha bowl).
Step 3: Add water.
Once the matcha is sifted into the bowl, add 1/4 cup of simmering water (175 degrees).
Step 4: Whisk the matcha.
Using a chasen (bamboo tea whisk), briskly whisk the liquid back and forth in rapid "M" and "W" shapes until bubbles form on the surface.
Step 5: Enjoy!
When the matcha is fully dissolved, remove the whisk from the bowl and enjoy!
Shop the Matcha Collection
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Ti Kwan Yin Mother Bush in Anxi, Fujian, China
In the United States we tend to group teas into the categories like black tea, green tea, oolong etc. In China the emphasis is on the specific tea name (often the same as its cultivar) like Rou Gui or Dragonwell, and our definitions of black tea and oolong don’t always translate well.
BUY TI KWAN YIN
Statue of Wang Si Nang
For example, in the United States, Ti Kwan Yin would come with the explanation that it is an oolong tea. In China, it is simply (and famously) Ti Kwan Yin. Case in point, I visited a large monument in honor of this plant and Wang Si Nang, the man credited with identifying and propagating Ti Kwan Yin nearly 300 years ago. It is not a monument to oolong tea.
BUY TI KWAN YIN
Wang Si Nang’s study
Wang Si Nang was not just a tea farmer, but also a scholar. His study where he prepared for imperial examination is now a museum room containing his portrait and other artifacts. I asked my host, Daniel, about a collection of books under glass, assuming this was Wang Si Nang’s tea journals/notes/diaries. He replied “no” and mentioned that they were books on society and social customs, which was not the answer I was anticipating. He later explained that as a scholar Wang Si Nang was expected to learn the Confucian classics and that tea is a spiritual part of this education, not just an agricultural pursuit.
Case containing classic books on Confucian studies
Ti Kwan Yin is considered one of China’s “10 most famous teas” and the main driver of the Anxi tea economy. According to Daniel, the local farmers were almost too successful, as the terraces of tea fields carving out the sides of the mountains are evidence of the growing demand for their efforts. But this has come with a cost as too many trees have been removed leaving too little shade and inviting too many pests, both of which negatively affect the quality (particularly the aroma) of the finished product. The government has intervened with efforts to stabilize and improve quality. Use of pesticides is strictly regulated and large scale rolling machines are forbidden.
Anxi tea fields
BUY TI KWAN YIN
Change happens. We were surrounded by construction that had already long begun to upgrade what used to be a modest shrine with newer, fancier (bigger) facilities. Daniel likes it the way it was and it’s those kinds of sentiments that help me trust him. He also tells me there is an argument that it was Wei Yin, not Wang Si Nang that deserves the credit for Ti Kwan Yin. I like his willingness to share a contrarian point of view while standing on the grounds of a monument. It helps tell the story that tea is not just a beverage.
Outside of Wang Si Nang study
-Michael Lannier, TeaSource
