Trusted Classics

A selection of teas we return to year after year. Stable in character, clear in profile, and consistent across batches.
These are the teas we rely on when the choice does not need to change.

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Anxi Oolong

Anxi is where southern oolong takes shape. What formed here — in cultivar, in handling, in structure — has carried into many other regions, set at a middle point in oxidation, open enough for aroma to rise, firm enough to carry through roasting. In Longjuan, we work within that line. Tieguanyin remains central, but not alone. Other local cultivars are kept and worked in the same way, each allowed to hold its own shape rather than being pushed toward a single profile.

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Behind The Leaves

The Liu family tends the gardens in Anxi, their work with tea going back to the late Qing. We take the leaf there, follow it through making, and keep track of how it holds over time.

THE LIU FAMILY

PROCESS

REGISTRY

TERROIR

VIEWS

Wuyi Yancha

Wuyi is where yancha takes shape. The tea trees here respond closely to microclimate. Rock, soil, water, light, and temperature set the structure of the leaf before it is picked, and determine how far the processing and roasting can be taken. In Wuyi, we work only two high-mountain plots, following the terrain and its microclimates. Oxidation, shaping, and roasting do not follow a fixed path. Each step is adjusted to the leaves of the year. The structure comes through and carries across cultivars. What appears in the cup is the accumulation of these two sites over time.

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Shop for Wuyi Yancha

Behind The Leaves

In Wuyishan, we work alongside Ms. Zhou’s family through the making of yancha, on higher mountain ground where the conditions differ from zheng yan. The work shifts with each year, adjusted to what the leaf can carry, and worked through charcoal fire, brought into shape over time.

Ms. ZHOU & Mr. LIU

PROCESS

REGISTRY

TERROIR

VIEWS

Fenghuang Dancong

Dancong does not travel far. Most of it is drunk within the region. Away from that range, it is often taken for its fragrance — keeping a certain distance, not easy to read. Behind it are origin, elevation, slope, soil, village, cultivar, tree age, processing, roasting — layer by layer, everything gathers around the tea. In Fenghuang, we work within the core producing areas and villages, taking the maocha from local growers as it comes, then passing it on to hands long familiar with the fire, where the tea takes its final form.

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Shop for Fenghuang Dancong

Behind The Leaves

In Fenghuang, we work with Mr. Huang, whose family is spread across the core villages. Since 2005, he has been selecting our Dancong, setting aside lots we would not come across on our own. The teas come through his hands first. The rest is decided in the fire.

Mr. HUANG

PROCESS

REGISTRY

TERROIR

VIEWS

Tea Times with Jing

  • brewing fenghuang dancong oolong tea

    Why Phoenix Dancong Cannot Simply Be Brewed Fas...

    Phoenix Dancong responds to brewing with remarkable sensitivity. Discover why quick pours alone rarely reveal its full character, and how small adjustments can unlock greater aroma, texture, and balance throughout...

    Why Phoenix Dancong Cannot Simply Be Brewed Fas...

    Phoenix Dancong responds to brewing with remarkable sensitivity. Discover why quick pours alone rarely reveal its full character, and how small adjustments can unlock greater aroma, texture, and balance throughout...

  • Qimen liu an cha basket

    Qimen An Cha

    Why was one of southern China's best-known dark teas named after a place where it was never made? This article traces the history of Qimen An Cha through forgotten trade...

    Qimen An Cha

    Why was one of southern China's best-known dark teas named after a place where it was never made? This article traces the history of Qimen An Cha through forgotten trade...

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Behind the Leaves Fenghuang Shan Long Jing West Lake aged oolong aged tea airflow ancient china anhui anhui tea anxi anxi tea bai mu dan behind-the-leaves black tea brewing guide charcoal-roasting chinese tea culture chinese tea history cooked puerh culture & history da bai hao da hong pao dan cong dark tea duck shit electric-roasting enzymatic oxidation