In late 2013, I thought I tried the rarest, weirdest, most unheard-of tea unicorn out there—a heicha (dark tea) from Taiwan.

After three years of palatial growth, though, I’m now convinced that it was a Yun […]

I’ve gone on record as saying that Mizuba Tea’s matcha line is one of my favorites.

Both for their quality . . . and convenience. Convenient, how? Well, “they” are located in my neck of the woods. That’s […]

Back in 2009, I didn’t like oolongs. In general, anyway. There were some specific ones I liked, but most of them were off limits. I even explained this to Tony Tellin, lead blender extraordinaire at Smith T […]

Seven Days of Seven Cups, Day 7 – “Da Hong Pao: My Old Nemesis”
Da Hong Pao (“Big Red Robe”) . . . my old nemesis . . . we meet again.

Now, I’ve gone on record several times over the years as saying that […]

Seven Days of Seven Cups, Day 6 – “Lao Cong Shui Xian Oolong . . . or Wulong”

A thought occurred to me while I was doing this Wuyi oolong-fueled, seven-blog stretch. I haven’t once referred to “oolong […]

Seven Days of Seven Cups, Day 5 – “Searching for the Cinnamon in Rou Gui”
Rou Gui holds the distinction of being the first—and a long time ago, only— Wuyi oolong I liked when I first got started. Of course, i […]

Seven Days of Seven Cups, Day 4 – “Tie Luo Han: The Iron Monk Oolong”
This interesting oolong derives its name—Tie Luo Han, which means “Iron Monk”—from old legends linked to a particular cave. I couldn’t even […]

Seven Days of Seven Cups, Day 3 – “Ba Xian: Oolong of the Eight Immortals”
Ba Xian literally means “Eight Immortals” in Chinese. The name refers to the tea plant cultivar used to create this particula […]

Seven Days of Seven Cups, Day 2 – “Bai Ji Guan or White Rooster Crest”
Bai Ji Guan—translated as “White Rooster Crest”— earns its name from the color and shape of its leaves.

They’re rather yellow and cres […]

Seven Days of Seven Cups, Day 1 – “Seasoning a Boob-Shaped Yixing Teapot”
In December of last year, I shattered my boob-shaped yixing teapot.

Yes, it was boob-shaped once. Not . . . accurately boob-shaped, […]