Tea News

What are the health benefits of Ashwagandha Root? Ashwagandha is an evergreen shrub that can be found in the nightshade family and is revered in ayurvedic medicine.  The roots and orange-red fruits have been used for over 3,000 years medicinally.  Ashwagandha can be found in South Asia, Middle East, and North Africa.  The plant can […]

What is Yellow Tea? Yellow Tea or Huo Shan Huang Ya is one of the rarest of the six classes of tea, and is only produced in China, in the high mountains of Hunan, Zhejiang and Sichuan provinces.  The Yellow tea style began to be produced in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).  Most of the […]

What are the health benefits of skullcap? Skullcap (Mad Dog), is a slender plant with many branches resembling two to four feet in height, and is native to several Asian countries, as well as Russia.  In the summer, small blue/pink flowers present themselves as a shape that resembles a helmet or cap, giving way to […]

White Chrysanthemum Iced Tea. Why? Mostly present in East Asia, chrysanthemum tea is quite popular in Chinese culture, especially when prepared iced during the hot summer months.  In Chinese culture, the flower stands for respect and honesty, as well as integrity and nobility.  The chrysanthemum flower is also known as Autumn flowers, because they remain […]

What is Shincha?  Shincha or “new tea”, is one of the most prized green teas in Japan.  It’s also one of the most expensive.  The high cost is due to the effort involved in picking the leaves during a specified period of time.  During the winter months, the tea plant stores up nutrients like amino […]

What is Hairy Crab (Mao Xie)? Hairy Crab or Mao Xie, is a green ball oolong that is lightly oxidized, and grown in Anxi county of Guangdong Province.  The cup is lightly floral, citrus and green fruit notes that remind of magnolia, yuzu, and sweet melon.  The profile is a little similar to green tea, […]

The Health Benefits of Chicory Root: Chicory Root (Cicorium intybus) is a larger relative of the dandelion (both plants are in the sunflower family).  The plant has small blue flowers, and can be found in woody areas.  Growing up to 5’ in height with strong taproots, this weed thrives in light. Chicory is used as […]

Pleurisy or butterfly weed is a fleshy rooted, perennial plant, growing 1 to 1 ½ feet and bearing corymbs of deep yellow and orange flowers.  Pleurisy, being in the milkweed family, are a favorite flower of butterflies, especially the Monarch.  The plant is a variety of milkweed and is native to North and South America, […]

China White Monkey or Bai Mao Hou is a green tea that grows along the slopes of the Taimu mountains on the Qinshan plantation located in the Fujian province of China.  Like most green teas grown in Fujian, the best lots are harvested in early April during the pre-Qing Ming, the first harvest of the […]