Jason Chen is one of our tea suppliers and tea guru. He just returned from China where he spent 7 days in the fields and 7 days working with the suppliers of our tea serveware. His depth of knowledge has been indespensible in helping us source the best teas I have ever tried
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On his return from China he brought several Ti-Kwan-Yins for us to try. The above photo is of two of the three teas. The one on the left is $200 a pound and the one on the right is $400 a pound.
If you notice the one on the left is lighter than the other. The reason is that the finishing step for the two create the two distinct styles of Ti-Kwan-Yin in China. The one on the left is fired on a charcoal fire for around two hours leaving bright floral notes of orchid or rose and an aguave like sweetness. The one on the right is put on the charcoal fire for up to six hours to deepen it’s flavor and bring out honey notes and stone fruit flavors.
I was very impressed with the quality of these teas, but it also helped reinforce in my mind how great our teas are. The house Ti-Kwan-Yin stood up very nicely with the others, even though they were of exceptional quality.
After our tasting, Jason showed us the pictures that he took on his trip. He is as talented at photography as he is with sourcing great tea. The pictures of the workers picking and processing and of the markets where the tea was sold, took us on a journey to places that are hard to describe with just words. Pickers smiled as they had their very first photograph taken, excited but shy of the process.
Please come in and take that journey for yourself when you can. Thanks Jason for all your help!
Click this link for more information on Ti-Kwan-Yin. http://www.streetlevelcoffee.com/2009/09/17/iron-goddess-of-mercy/
