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Dong Ding is one of Taiwan's oldest oolong traditions, rooted in the foothills around Luku in the island's central mountain range. Tea makers there have been producing it since the mid-1800s, drawing on techniques brought over from southern Fujian Province, China, where ball-rolling oolongs first took hold. The name "Dong Ding" refers to the mountain where the style originated, and the Luku foothills remain its heartland. This version is lightly oxidized, which places it at the greener, fresher end of the Dong Ding range, distinct from the more heavily roasted styles also produced in the region. We visited our source, Mr. Shen, in 2024 and were confident enough in what we tasted to bring it back into the lineup. The leaves re-steep well, opening gradually with each round.

Tucked into a quiet corner of Zhejiang Province, the village of Jin Shan sits above the heat of the valley, reached by a winding road through dark pines and pale bamboo, ending at the ochre walls of Jin Shan Monastery. Monks here have been making tea for centuries, and the craft shows in every detail.

The leaves are twisted by hand into thin, tip-laden coils, then finished over hot woks and charcoal, a step that provides the pale khaki liquor its defining character. That finish weaves a gentle smokiness and something close to roasted sorrel into what might otherwise be a straightforward light green, and a thread of lemon brightness keeps the cup clean and alive.

Canton has long been the gateway through which Europeans first encountered Chinese tea, but the teas grown in the province itself were rarely part of that story. This gentle black tea, named after the Western name for the capital of Guangdong Province, changes that. Plucked from the southern edge of China's tea belt, it's built around a striking proportion of golden tips, which give the light-brown liquor its signature character: deep honeyed sweetness layered with hints of roasted fruit. The body is light, making it an easy companion at any hour of the day. For drinkers who find most black teas too bold or brisk, Canton Honey Black offers something rarer: a full-leaf black tea with the subdued complexity of a white. Those who love our Yunnan Golden Tips will recognize the honey-forward appeal here, though this cup is softer and more restrained.

Yunnan Province is widely regarded as the birthplace of tea, and its exceptional biodiversity means teamakers there have access to cultivars found nowhere else in the world. Golden Yinzhen is built almost entirely from buds. Because buds are the youngest, most energetically concentrated part of the plant, they carry a high natural glucose content, which accounts for the tea's fruit-forward character and low astringency. The oxidation is light, just enough to coax out warmth and depth, and turns the tea leaves a lovely gold.

Lung Ching is to Chinese green teas what Champagne is to sparkling wine: the name others measure themselves against. The original Dragon Well gardens sit on the hillsides outside Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, and this tea comes from Meijiawu, one of the four historically recognized villages in that region, on the far side of the hill from the famous well that gave the style its name.

For years, we have sourced tea from Mr. Zhao at Meijiawu. His factory sits at the top of the hill, with tea plants terraced around it on all sides. This harvest was made just before Qing Ming, the peak of the spring season and the most prized picking window in the Lung Ching calendar, when high amino acid levels give the tea its depth and natural character. When provenance matters, knowing exactly where your Lung Ching was grown and who made it is worth something.

A sheng, or raw, Pu-Erh from Manwei Village in Menghai, part of the Xishuangbanna prefecture of Yunnan Province, the region where the first tea plants were found. Unlike shou Pu-Erh, which is aged by an accelerated process, sheng Pu-Erh ferments naturally over time, given the right conditions, so its character continues to develop year after year. This cake comes from Lao Ban Zhang, an area long prized among Pu-Erh drinkers for the depth and clarity of its teas. What sets it apart is its size: at 96 grams, it's a fraction of the standard 357-gram bing. That makes it a rare find and a way to get to know what sheng Pu-Erh has to offer without committing to a full cake.

We've often seen these needles, and this season we decided that you should try them. Jasmine Silver Needles combines the best of northern Fujian Province (China). There are the large silver tea buds, also known as needles, which are the pride of Fuding, and those needles are scented like another famous tea from the area, Jasmine, with jasmine flowers. Lovely!

About twenty years ago, this special cultivar was found in the northern Zhejiang Province, and it has been a big hit ever since. People, including Teamen, wax enthusiastically about the great combination of flavors, sweetness, and body. Mike visited Anji many times. He enjoys this lovely green tea and brought some back for your enjoyment.

Keemun comes from the rolling hills of southeastern Anhui Province, where the region's misty climate and red clay soils have shaped one of China's most celebrated black teas since the nineteenth century.

The Snail takes its name from the hand-rolled technique that coils each early-season leaf into a tight spiral, a process that concentrates the tea's character and sets it apart from the more common flat or twisted Keemun styles.

Early-season picking means the leaves carry more of Anhui's spring conditions, producing a cup that is softer and less brisk than later harvests. Keemun has long been a foundation of English breakfast blends, but this version is worth drinking on its own, where its lighter body and quieter intensity come through. A medium-bodied cup, lower in briskness, it suits mornings when you want something with genuine depth but without the assertiveness of a malty Assam or Yunnan.

Wenshan Baozhong is made by the Cheng family, who have been crafting Pouchong-style oolongs in Taiwan for over a hundred years. Their home is PingLing, a genuine tea town north of Taipei, complete with tea restaurants, a tea museum, statues honoring the pluckers, and streetlights shaped like teapots. The village sits within a nature preserve full of gardenia flowers, which feels fitting given the character of the tea grown here. Baozhong is only lightly oxidized, placing it at the greener, more floral end of the oolong spectrum. Each year we return looking for the same thing from the Chengs: a lightly twisted leaf that captures the gardenia spirit of its home. This year's lot delivers.

Rou Gui is a Wuyi rock oolong, grown in the mineral-rich soils of the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian, China. It comes from the same rugged range that produces the famous Da Hong Pao, where tea bushes root among the cliffs and boulders that give this style its "rock" character. Rou Gui itself is a named cultivar, prized for the roasted fruit notes that develop through Wuyi's traditional charcoal firing. Medium in body and moderately brisk, it sits comfortably in the toastier, more roasted end of the oolong family. We're glad to offer it again, and to give the leaves a second and third steeping, which is one of the pleasures of a good Wuyi oolong.

Kawane sits in the heart of Shizuoka Prefecture, partway up toward the Japanese Alps, where low-hanging clouds settle over the hillsides for much of the growing season. That mist matters more than it might seem: the diffused light slows the leaf's development, allowing theanine to accumulate and giving the tea its characteristic umami depth. This is the same storied valley where our Scent of Mountains sencha originates, and Mist of Kawane shares that terroir while offering its own quieter expression. Where Scent of Mountains is direct and confidently green, this one is softer and more restrained. The light steaming, just thirty seconds, keeps the larger leaves intact and preserves the more volatile aromatics that a deeper steam would drive off. The result is a pale, gentle cup with a lightness of body that rewards slow sipping. Brewing at lower temperatures (140-160ºF) keeps everything sweet and open.

Mike, Brigitte, and Elvira visited the Otsuka family in the spring of 2026. They day we arrived was the very first day for this tea and this tea season! The Otsuka family has been growing tea in the coastal hills of Kakegawa for nearly 150 years, and their devotion to the craft is visible from the fields themselves: one nearby hill has been trimmed into the shape of the Japanese character for "tea." This Ichiban is their pride, made from the tea fields that surround their factory.

"Ichiban" means "first," and this tea earns the name( Ichibancha) , harvested in the earliest days of the season, typically late April, when the young leaves are at their most concentrated. The tea plant has had all winter to accumulate theanines that give good body and sweetness. And the cathechins (like EGCG) have not yet overpowered the theanines. It is made at an old, traditional factory and then finished at their plant. The result is a sencha with real presence: bright and vegetal upfront, with a clean citrus lift that keeps it lively through the finish. Compared with the polished and almost pastoral quality of Matsuda's Sencha, this Ichiban has the punch and intensity of Tokyo's rush hour.

A centuries-old favorite of Japanese aristocrats, Gyokuro is one of Japan's finest tea offerings and the most famous of Uji's teas. This highly esteemed emerald tea is shade-grown for approximately three weeks, producing after harvest an infusion of the beautiful pale green color from which it earns its name. Steep with water heated gently for an initial infusion, and enjoy the exquisite, sweet flavors and aromas of Uji's finest tea.

Jeju Sejak comes from the volcanic island of Jeju, located off the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula. The island is known for its dramatic landscape, with a prominent volcano and national park at its center, surrounded by lush green tea fields that sweep up the hillsides. Korean tea has a long and storied tradition, and this sejak-grade tea sits in the middle of the quality spectrum, harvested just after the prized first flush. Like Japanese Sencha, the leaves are steamed to preserve their vivid green color, but while Sencha is pressed into flat, needle-like leaves, Jeju Sejak has a beautiful, slight curl. The result is a light, approachable cup with soft vegetal flavors and a clean finish. For those who enjoy our Japanese green teas and are curious to explore something new, this tea is a wonderful place to start.

This is a shou, or "ripe," Pu-Erh from Yunnan Province, the region in China where the first tea plants were found. Shou Pu-Erh is set apart from sheng, or raw, Pu-Erh by its fermentation: the leaves are piled and kept warm and moist, a method the Chinese call "wo dui," which accelerates an aging process that would otherwise take years. The result is the mellow, earthy character that gives Pu-Erh its reputation. What makes this one distinctive is its form. Rather than the flat cakes or bings most of our Pu-Erhs arrive in, this tea is pressed into small nests called "tuo cha," each one a single serving that opens up over several infusions. The starchy, rice-like notes soften with each steep, giving way to something deeper and more full-bodied.