A tea room, not a warehouse
We buy in small lots directly from growers and cooperatives in Fujian, Yunnan, Anhui and Guangdong — the same teas that are drunk in China, not the export blend. Every lot is tasted before it is listed, dated by harvest, and brewed in a gaiwan before we write a single note about it.
Direct from the grower
No middleman, no export blend. We buy the lot, we know the mountain, and we can tell you the cultivar and the pick date.
Dated by harvest
Every listing carries its harvest season and processing method, because a 2024 spring Dan Cong and a 2022 one are different teas with the same name.
Small, fresh lots
Green and floral teas are re-ordered every season and sold out rather than warehoused. Freshness is the whole game for unoxidised tea.
Brewed before listed
Each tea is brewed gongfu and Western-style and scored on both before it earns a place on this site. If it is not good in a gaiwan, we do not sell it.
Three questions before a lot is listed
Where exactly was it grown? Not “Fujian” — the mountain. Altitude, soil and aspect change a tea more than any processing decision, and a grower who cannot tell you the mountain is usually a grower who bought the leaf from someone else.
When was it picked, and how was it fixed? For green and floral teas this is the whole game. A 2024 spring Longjing and a 2023 one are different products with the same name, and a hand-firing in a wok cannot be imitated by a machine.
Does it hold up across eight infusions? Cheap tea shows its faults on the second pour. Good tea gets more interesting. We brew every candidate gongfu-style, side by side with the lots we already sell, and we only list what wins.
Shipping & payment
Dispatched within 48 hours
Every order is packed by hand and dispatched from our warehouse in China, with tracking from the moment it leaves us. We do not quote a delivery date — the carrier and customs decide that, not us. Complimentary over CAD 79.00$.
Secure card payment
Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, JCB, Diners and UnionPay, authenticated with 3-D Secure 2. Card data goes straight to the payment provider — we keep only the brand and the last four digits.
If you do not like it
Unopened tins are returnable for 30 days, and if a tea simply is not to your taste we will replace or refund it without asking for the tin back. Tell us what you did like and we will suggest better.