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Fall Season's Tea Club
This season, we’re sending 2 raw puerh and 1 special oolong. We’re very lucky to find two raw puerh for our tea club. Both are newly harvested puerh from Yiwu, Yunnan.
The 2020 Yiwu Raw Puerh is a very energizing tea. It has some bitterness since it’s a very young raw puerh. But the bitterness is very slightly upfront and then it becomes more soft on the pallet. It brings up notes of mung beans and stone fruit, with a very clean sweet finish at the end. This tea is so interesting as a young raw puerh, and we believe it will develop more characters as it ages over them.
The other puerh is a 2020 Wild Yiwu Raw Puerh. This puerh is from the same year and same region as the previous one, but because it is “wild” tea, they are so different in character. “Wild” here means the tea plant has not been cultivated or domesticated by humans and used extensively, and it retains at the most primitive state. Compared to these two puerh, 2020 Yiwu Raw Puerh is like strolling through a botanical garden and 2020 Wild Yiwu Raw Puerh is like walking to wood in nature. This puerh is very bold as a young raw puerh, and it feels very focused and relaxed at the same time.
The third tea we put in the box is Formosa Oolong Special Reserve. This is a wonderfully aged tea from the early 2000's. Rich and mellow, the tea tastes strongly of sour plums, wildflower honey, and cloves. This aged tea is warming and gentle, and it is perfect to have during the colder months as we are getting into the Fall.
Summer Season's Tea Club
This season we put one puerh, one Taiwanese oolong, and one Dan Cong for our tea club box. We hope you can find some comfort and happiness as you sip through this season’s selection.
This 2008 Wild Yiwu Raw Puerh is very unique. The farmers trekked almost 2 weeks to get deep into the mountain to find these wild grown trees. When you drink this tea, it takes you back to the mountain; you can taste the mountain and woods with a little hint of smokiness in your cup. The smokiness has smoothed out a lot as it aged, so it’s like the smoke from far away. Toward the later infusions, the tea reveals more sweetness with some fruit notes. This tea also feels amazing; this the tea that I would reach for when I am feeling under pressure or stressed. It calms me down like I just meditated with amazing incense.
Royal oolong is from a biodynamic farm in Dong Ding region in Taiwan, we’ve been getting a small batch of this tea every year from a tea roaster. The tea roaster has done amazing roasting to these leaves grown and harvested under optimal conditions. This is one of the teas we absolutely love and yet the quantity is so limited that we only have enough to share through tea subscriptions.
People love Dan Cong for the unique and amazing aroma. Mi Lan Xiang means honey orchid aroma. And just like how it’s named, my mouth is filled with mellow, honey, and orchid as I savor the tea. The tea is very refreshing and pleasant to enjoy, especially for the warmer days.
Spring Season's Tea Club
Spring Season's Tea Club In this Spring Season's Tea Club box, we’re sending you 2 Alishan oolongs, Alishan black tea and 2012 Mang Shui Raw Puerh.
2 Alishan Oolongs are from the same farm and same season. The only difference between them is the picking method: one is hand-picked and the other one is machine cut. The comparison between them is really interesting; honestly it’s hard to tell the difference without knowing that they’re picked differently. We suggested you do a side by side comparison of the two or enjoy one right after the other to notice the differences. Compare the dried leaves and the spend leave. Focus on aroma, taste, texture, and how it lingers between the two teas. We think this would be a really fun experience!
Alishan is a high elevation tea region in Taiwan that well known for the oolong tea. Yet in recent years, some farmers also produce black tea using the oolong cultivar which makes the black tea slightly different from traditional black teas. We are in love with this particular Alishan Black Tea because it’s so elegant. It has very nice honey-like sweetness and very smooth to drink. It is also very soft and well-balanced. This is definitely a black tea you can enjoy even during the warmer weather.
Mang Shui is one of the tea region in Yunnan, China, where is known for ancient tea trees that are at least hundreds of years old. This is also a relatively new new region to us but we’re happy with this tea. This 2012 Mang Shui Raw Puerh has a very nice bold body because it’s produced using leaves from ancient trees. This tea is like white grapes, it’s sweet but with slightly bitter, yet the bitterness isn’t sharp at all due to the slightly aged of this tea. The tea ends with a camphor note, which gives it a very nice finish.
Summer Season's Tea Club
We are sending out this coming season's Tea Club box now. You can join our Tea Club Subscription for one season or for an entire year of curated teas by T Shop.
Royal oolong is from a biodynamic farm in Dong Ding region in Taiwan, we’ve been getting small batch of this tea every year from a tea roaster. The tea roaster has done amazing roasting to these leaves grown and harvested under optimal conditions. This is one of the tea we absolutely love and yet the quantity is so limited that we only have enough to share through our tea club subscription.
Honey oolong is from the same biodynamic farm as the Royal oolong. This year the tea roaster decided to experiment on doing a very mild roasted version of Royal oolong, which turns out the tea has a very charming honey aroma. We love this tea so much not just for the taste of it, but it feels like is a tea that can soothe your soul on any day.
Boseong green tea and Hadong green tea are from two different tea regions in South Korea. Both of them have been very popular among our tea drinkers. We have been bringing them back every spring, so tea drinkers can enjoy them fresh. They’re perfect choice of tea especially for the hotter days.
>>Join our Tea Club Subscription
Korean Tea Duet
Let us introduce two very unique Korean tea: Yak Balhyocha and Hwang Cha. Both teas are from a very respectful farmer who lives his life like a monk.
In South Korea, green tea is very commonly consumed among monks in temples. This farmer realized that since monks have very strict vegetarian diet, and in oriental medicine green tea tends to have more cooking characteristics, so it might not be ideal to be drunk widely along with the monks’ diet. So the farmer spent almost a decade to come up with teas that can help the monks stay calm and alert and at the same time can provide them warmth and comforts as well. Every year he has been practicing and improving and finally he humbly introduced us two of his favorite teas: Yak Balhyocha and Hwang Cha.
We fell in love with these two teas first time when we drank it. We could feel the farmer’s passion and care through the tea. These are very exquisite teas that make you feel calm and comforting immediately, exactly how it feels when we meet the farmer in person. The farmer hand-crafted all his tea without machine or labor help, therefore these teas only come in very small quantity. We would like to introduce these two very special teas to all our tea lovers. Hope you will enjoy them as much as we do!
Introducing Yushan Dong Pian.
Yushan Dong Pian
Dong Pian, or sometimes is called "winter sprout", is a late winter tea that harvests in between the winter and spring harvest. This is usually the young leaves that grow late in the season before the tea plant goes into winter dormancy. Because the plant grows in the cold weather with shorter sunlight, it takes longer to grow and contains higher Theanie. As a result, Dong Pian is usually more luscious and sweet.
This season T Shop brought in both Yushan (winter harvest) and Yushan Dong Pian from the same farm.
Sourcing Trips
How do we source our teas? We go to the source, we talk with tea people and drink. A lot.
How do we source our teas? We go to the source, we talk with tea people and drink. A lot.
But sourcing for tea isn't just about collecting tea. We are always communicating with farmers, roasters, and drinkers to make sure we can bring back what's best for the shop and for you. What finally makes it on our shelf is a long process but the most important thing is having tea together. Learning from others and giving feedback makes for better tea.
Our palates and how we drink is different. We found that our Western customers generally prefer more pronounced flavors. The brewing style is varied as well, from the casual to attentive. When we choose a tea, we're always considering our drinkers. We have to find teas that are good regardless of how you brew them--for the character to shine through and be enjoyable.
We have to consider how our guests purchase tea too. In Asia, its common to buy large quantities of tea. But here, we drink more slowly and usually by ourselves. In Asia, green oolongs might be better because you are always drinking it fresh. But here, our teas have to last longer than a few months. Our four seasons oolong, despite being a green oolong, is processed specially for us to ensure that it still has a remarkable flavor even after a year.
You can't truly communicate without tasting the tea together. Information gleamed from online and drinking alone will take you far. But to gain a deeper understanding of tea, drinking together is important. We invite you to come enjoy tastings with us or come to Tea Making Mondays to enjoy, relax, and appreciate this fine drink.
Yours,
T Shop
Tea and Fruit Pairings
We've been experimenting with tea and fruit pairings as a fun way to enjoy some of our favorite teas.
Dear Tea Lovers,
We hope you're enjoying the weather this summer! We've been experimenting with tea and fruit pairings as a fun way to enjoy some of our favorite teas. We've been sipping tea, eating fruit and sipping tea again to see what combinations work well. A successful pairing is one where both the tea and fruit balance each other and bring out characteristics of the other without being overwhelming. We'll be using #teaandfruit to share our favorite pairings. Here are some that we really enjoy:
Four Seasons Oolong + Pineapples
The sweetness of our Four Seasons balances the acidity of pineapples and leaves a refreshing coconut aftertaste.
Red Water Oolong + Strawberries
The fruitiness of both the tea and the strawberries works to enhance each other's flavors where they taste like sweet candies. But this pairing depends on the types of strawberries. Sour strawberries yield a sour fruit candy flavor and sweet strawberries make for even sweeter fruity candy flavors.
2009 Bulang Raw Puerh + Bananas
Bananas surprisingly rounds out the roughness of Bulang Raw Puerh, which is naturally quite bitter. The tea becomes quite smooth and the textures enhance each other.
1998 Shou Puerh + Green Grapes
Green grapes brings vibrancy and freshness that is a welcome addition to the earthy and medicinal flavors of the Shou Puerh. Green grapes have a naturally bright flavor that makes Shou Puerh taste like grass growing on soil. Both end up sweeter and more fruity when paired.
But not all pairings work well. Here are some we really didn't enjoy.
Four Seasons Oolong + Strawberries
Strawberries turn Four Seasons sour. We don't recommend it.
Four Seasons Oolong + Bananas
The tea seems to bring out astringency and rough aftertastes that are not so enjoyable.
2009 Bulang Raw Puerh + Green Grapes
Green Grapes make the sharp aftertaste of Bulang last too long for our liking.
Try some pairings yourself! Explore what teas and fruits you like to have with each other and let us know! Use #teaandfruit and tag us on Instagram or Facebook. And have fun sipping and eating your way through summer.
T Shop
T Shop Anniversary Dinner!
T Shop celebrated its two year anniversary over this weekend. "Harmony" was the word Theresa often mentioned over the course of the dinner -- as the weekend brought the many customers who helped support T Shop together for a night of amazing food harmonized with tea.
Each of the dishes used tea as an ingredient, and was paired with the tea that was used. This got me to think about a tea session I once had -- a session where we played with teas that were very different, and very similar. As I started thinking about this, I was greeted by a pour of the Four Seasons Spring oolong, signaling the start of the meal.
Cold Brew Four Season Spring oolong
The meal began with a Ceviche that I thought was a great balance of textures and flavors. I thought the dish was complete on its own, until I had the Four Seasons Spring that was served with it. The tea felt like a natural extension of a dish -- echoing the base of the dish, while springing forth the aroma of the tea. This completed my memory -- the teas that were widly different clashed in the tongue, but the teas that were similar balanced each other, and subtly highlighted the difference. Harmony.
Ceviche with oolong crisp
The cackling texture continued with the next dish -- a braised goat stew, featuring a crispy black rice. Textures were at play again, along with rich flavors that highlighted the thickness of this tea. This was better demonstrated in the fish dish that followed, where the oiliness of the fish was caught and taken up by the Wild Lapsang Souchong. Did ingredients, cooked with tea, help the tea catch the lingering flavors better?
Tea infused black rice
I did not have long to wonder as I was soon met with the standout pairing of the night, the Fanesca -- featuring ingredients of tree regions, paired with a raw puerh from this season. "Tastes like trees", was a remark by the guest next to me, and that made the subtle flavors of the tea grow more and more bold. The texture between the dish and the tea transitioned smoothly, while the notes brought out changed as the tea cooled down, an effect that was also noticed by next course, the Guatita en Peanut Sauce, where the dish was first finished by the roastiness of the tea, and by the sweetness as the tea
cooled down.
Fanesca, a dish that brings you from the coast to the mountain. Ingredients from the tree regions harmonizing with a raw puerh from 2016.
There was a small time for a cheer with a cocktail made with tree tomatoes, the Red Water Oolong, and Zhumir, and the meal turned into darker earthy notes with a guinea pig, tea infused mushrooms, and a 2015 raw puerh. The dessert -- was a spectacular pairing of Tie Guan Yin ice cream with a chocolate mousse, garnished with black sesame and figs.
Tie Guan Yin, chocolate, and black sesame
Theresa mentioned that tea being used in the dishes brought the flavors together, helping them harmonize. Although, I wasn't able to taste the ingredients separately beforehand, I didn't doubt her -- after all, if tea brings people together, then why not flavors? It was a night that showcased tea's magical abilities to harmonize, and I was glad to be able to experience it.
Tea brings people together! Thank you chefs for your passion, creativity, and crafts!
Guest writer: Wooju Lee
Photo credit: Max Falkowitz
Kitchen Therapy Dinner and Tea Pairing
This past weekend, T Shop proudly held its first dinner with Kitchen Therapy. In seasonal kaiseki style, Kitchen Therapy paired a six-course vegan dinner with curated teas from T Shop. The dinner showcased fresh vegetable based dishes and how well tea can bring out the nuanced flavors in them.
Take the third course, a chawanmushi custard made with taro root, shiitake and shimeji mushrooms that was enhanced by the deep earthy flavor of our 2002 Shou Puerh. This dish grounded our bodies in a mushroom covered forest floor. The tea reinforced a natural setting that reminds us to pay attention to our bodies and the environment.
The fourth course, a Soymilk Nabemono made with sake lees, daikon, potato, and chrysanthemum greens was paired with our new Bulang Mountain raw puerh. The richness in this hearty dish was cut by the sharpness of Bulang Mountain, making for a balanced and delicious experience. Even the nuanced flavors of tea can have playful, focused effects on a vibrant dish.
Roasted notes from our charcoal roasted Cui Feng oolong danced along a symphony of flavors from a sweet chestnut rice and white miso soup course. Our guests savored the tea with every bite of rice.
The night was a celebration of food and tea. A reminder from Chef Federico that “every bite is an act of kindness towards the body and the earth.” We look forward to our next dinner this Spring season and invite you to join us!
My favorite teaware
I know I should update the blog more often, however, thoughts and writings just don't come together easily... In the meantime, let me share an article that I wrote for Notes on Tea about my favorite teaware, hope you enjoy reading it: http://notesontea.blogspot.com/2015/03/favorite-tea-ware-theresa-of-t-shop.html
T.
2015
My first cup of tea in 2015 was made by one of my dearest friend, Merry. It was Merry’s first experience of making tea, but when she made it with her little magic, I tasted the best steeping of Four Seasons Spring Oolong ever! I have been trying to find a word to describe Merry’s little magic, the closest word I could think of is “passion”! It is the passion that you put in which makes the tea tastes different from others. Passion is not just about passion for tea, but passion for life, so that you’d enjoy and live in every single moment. I always believed the skill of tea making is important, but what’s more important is just simply to enjoy the process of making tea, just feel and be with the leaves. Thank you Merry for giving me the inspiration to start 2015!
Merry making me the first tea of 2015
One thing that I have realized since I opened T Shop is getting to meet some tea bloggers and tea instagramers. It’s really exciting for me to acknowledge the fact that there are a lot more tea lovers than I thought. These new tea friends often give me new visions about tea and the tea community. I would like to share a blog post from Jo, a Gift of Tea. http://scandaloustea.teatra.de/2015/01/06/january-hot-tea-month-day-four/
“As a tree has many branches each leaf is unique, with proper care and nurturing the tree will grow and thrive.”
Jo wrote this at the beginning of the post and I really like it. Opening T shop is by no mean saying that I know tea more than anybody else. The reason for this space to be existed is just to share what we love, getting to meet and share the passion with others. There is no right or wrong about the passion. I just hope with the existence of T shop, more of us would be able to connect and share through the leaf.
Meeting tea friends from Long Island on a snow-rain mixed afternoon. Nothing can stop the passion for tea!
It’s been 3 months already since the opening of T Shop. I am really thankful for all of you who have been part of my journey and am looking forward to have many more 3 months with you!
Tea in the snow
T.
Because of you
It has been a week since the opening of T Shop. One of the bestselling items in the shop is a cup named “Because of you”. When you fill this cup at 90% full, the cup appears square, but at half full it becomes a circle. The idea of this design is:
“Thanks to you, my ruggedness is transformed into smoothness.
Thanks to love, my straightforward and outspoken personality has become more refined and diplomatic.
From rugged to smooth, my life has more emotion because of the power to change you gave me.
Through thick and thin, our affection has grown with each passing day allowing me to experience even greater fulfillment.
Meeting you has changed and enriched my life forever.”
When I was in Taiwan, I was lucky to have a chance to meet and talk with the ceramicist who designed this cup. He told me that many people would think this cup is designed for lovers, but it actually can be used for other relationships such as friends and families. Today I would like to use this idea and say thank you to my business partner, the co-owner of T shop, Yuki.
My tea journey began when Yuki wanted me to accompany her to Fang Gourmet Tea's tea ceremony class. Life has changed since the moment tea was introduced to me. Imagine if I did not become a tea drinker, I might never get to know the people who I met through tea.
Yuki was also the one who brought up the idea opening T Shop. When we started working on T Shop, due to the fact that we all have different values, ideas, and ways of handling things, sometimes we had conflicts or hard time communicating with each other. Gradually we learned from the experiences and became more understanding, compromising, and acceptance.
Thanks Yuki, because of your trust, support, and hard work, I can do what I always wanted to do. It’s because of you!
T.
A Little Thought to Share…
When I first decided to open a tea shop, I actually did not know what kind of tea shop it was going to be, or how I would want to do it. There was only one thought on my mind: I want to open a tea shop and let more people know about tea! Later I found that my trip to Taiwan helped me to have a clearer idea of what I should do.
How my visit to Taiwan affected me is really hard to describe. Yes, I bought tea and teawares to bring back to the shop and I met people and became friends with them. Yet what I came away with went way beyond that. I’ve always known that Taiwanese people are very friendly, yet the hospitality that I received from the people I met really shocked me. They treated me like an old friend they have known for years! All the people I met - the plantation owners, the people working in different tea shops and tea houses, the potters / ceramists, the other tea drinkers or customers I met at the tea places, even the drivers!- all of them were so willing to share! They shared their passions, knowledge, experiences, stories, tea, etc. I truly felt that they were trying to share everything with me! They knew that I planned to open a tea shop in New York and they told me it would not be easy, but they also told me to remember that I am not alone. They really touched me a lot!
I was in Taiwan for only 8 days but the whole experience was so warming that I was a little upset about returning to New York. New York is a relatively “cold” city compared with Taiwan, but a friend I met in Taiwan cheered me up and told me to “remember the warmth and happiness of tea, and share this feeling with others”. So this is what I am going to do: open a little, cozy shop in this cold city, and share the happiness with everybody. For me, being able to enjoy a cup of good tea is the happiest thing in the world and I would love to share this experience with everyone.
T.