New To Tea

All true tea comes only from the Camellia sinensis or Assamica plant.  Tea is categorized (white, green, oolong, black, puerh) by the level of oxidation that the leaf goes through after picking.  Oxidation occurs upon picking and is halted by the use of heat in the initial processing.  Oxidation is the same thing that happens to an apple when you cut it and it begins to visibly turn brown.  Tea leaves start to emit heat and will slowly wither, curl, and turn brown as time passes.  There is an enzymatic fermentation that occurs within the leaf that transforms catechin from a green leaf into tannin.

On our site you may find a number of teas you may not have heard of before. If you are new to these teas we created a simple navigation to help you get started. Most people tend to start from an idea of how much caffeine they wish to have in their tea (a strong cup of tea usually only has half the caffeine of coffee). Once you determine whether to caffeinate or not there is a great variance even within a single type of tea in terms of flavor profile. We choose our teas to be unique in flavor and tend not to overlap each other.  For that reason we have included taste descriptions with each tea as well their origin, brewing directions, etc. If you like a certain tea you will find our recommendations for more tea we believe you will have enjoy based on the taste of the current tea you are viewing.

We also carry ceramics that are specific to certain teas. If you believe you will want to brew matcha please take a look at our bowls and whisks. Are you interested in Sencha? A kyusu teapot and small cup might be more appropriate. Have your own teapots but would like a pitcher for cooling or serving? We carry traditional pitchers that have been used for these purposes for centuries.

Finally please see our classes and tastings if you’d like to learn first-hand about tea. We offer a variety of tastings every month where you can learn in-depth about a set of teas from a country, or ones from a certain vertical, or just a sample of teas we find appropriate for the season. These tastings are fun and informal. Additionally we have educational classes that teach you how to properly create teas like matcha, which involve a more elaborate brewing process. Links to the information about our classes and tastings can be found in the navigation bar above.

If you have any questions about the tea we carry or need a recommendation we are always happy to help!