Gu Dao Cha Xiang 2007For lovers of tobacco herbal Shengs. These nifty bing cha of 100 grams each are rich in flavour. Produced by the esteemed Dian Hong Group, most known for the black tea of the same name, it has been named in honour of the old Tea Horse Road (Ch m gdo, ), the trade route between China and Tibet that fermented the tea carried upon it for centuries. Aged as they are in dry storage, the dense cakes seem to have travelled such a journey, with a whiff of

There's something almost comical about the gargantuan leaves and stems in this compressed tea cake that makes it all to easy to underestimate its quality

powdery sensation that emerges when a tea has gone past its most youthful stages

While the tea made from this garden has already proven its worth on its own merit

*Hutian kiln is located is located in the Hutian Village

See Slices of Sheng and Slices of Shu for pu'er with the same style of pressing

This Shou Mei-grade white tea from Yunnan has been slightly aged

I recommend a thin-walled porcelain Gaiwan such as the Chaozhou Gaiwan

reminiscent of spring vegetables gently roasted in butter

you can fill them with whichever tea you wish

while remaining sturdy enough for everyday use

a prized fungus which develops on many heichas

Traditional Hon Gyokuro is grown using a “natural training” method where tea bushes are left unpruned to grow naturally