This green tea comes from the West Lake region of the city of Hangzhou. These flat leaves are harvested in early spring when the leaves are full of aroma and have a silvery shine. These leaves produce a soothing and refreshing jade-colored liquid full of freshness. Semi-sweet in taste and orchid-like in smell, Dragon Well (Lung Ching) is one of the most famous green tea in China.
The spring version of the popular Sunset Garden. After several tries to bring out the essence of Georgian green tea, this tea is the best result so far. It has a grassy, vegetal taste with hints of flowers. The most balanced green tea in our selection.
This is China's most famous Green tea. While trends are moving towards 'fresher' tasting Long Jing, the teaheads out there know that the trademark 'roasted bean' flavour is a necessary component of any quality Long Jing. This Long Jing is made from the Xiao Ye Fuding cultivar which sits at this lovely balance point between the bright and uplifting aromatics of fresher Greens with that deep roasted bean flavour of the traditional Qun Ti Zhong Long Jing. The sweetness in the finish is something special!
Authentic Long Jing tea (otherwise known as Dragonwell) must be grown in Zhejiang province. If it is grown anywhere else then it is considered a fake (much like champagne). Every year we taste many samples of Long Jing to find our batch for the year. For the past couple of years, we have selected a tea from outside the West Lake area because we feel that it has a much higher quality compared with the West Lake tea.
Qing Ming is a traditional day for paying respects to ancestors and clearing their graves. It is a public holiday in China (and Taiwan) and falls on the first day of the fifth solar term which equates to fifteen days after the Spring Equinox which is usually the first week of April. Any tea picked before this date is very early Spring picked and is called Pre Qing Ming.
This is a Pre Qing Ming tea picked on the 8th March giving a lightness and delicacy combined with a powerful fragrance and taste. Any Pre Qing Ming tea from Xi Hu (West Lake) is exorbitantly expensive and whilst it is often excellent tea, we felt that this batch won out in terms of flavour and we are not paying the extra price tag for the name of Xi Hu.
Please note that you may find white yellow fur on the tea and little balls of fur in the tea. This is NOT mold but is tea fur showing that the tea is a very early spring tea - it demonstrates the quality of this Long Jing.
The Cultured Cup - A distinctive organic green tea reflecting the tea cultures of two countries. The story of this tea started eight years ago when a Japanese tea cultivar was planted in China. This tea is the first harvest from the garden and combines Chinese and Japanese tea processing techniques. The result? A complex, multi-cultural cup with notes of edamame, watercress, and chestnut. The Chinese associated the orchid with Spring Festivals, which emphasized renewal and procreation. Dew symbolizes immortality. Popular too in ancient Japan, the orchid was considered a symbol of wealth by royalty, who kept the flowers in their temples, and had them painted in their commissioned scrolls.
Young first flush leaves are picked and quickly steamed, dried rolled and then blended to produce our Sencha, It is the green tea most commonly drunk in Japanese households. Left to grow in the sunshine increasing the Vitamin C and catechin content in the leaf. This high-grade green tea is slightly vegetal and a little earthy. Mild and rich with a golden-green colour. Great as a cold brew too!
Welcoming Spring (迎春, Yíng Chūn, "Welcoming Spring") - Mabian-based tea farmer and tea master Heng Yi developed this style of green tea using the wild plants of Mabian, Sichuan. The process developed out of a very informal vernacular Western style he originally learned from his mother, which he made into a tea called Mǎbiān Máojiān. He’s refined his process over the last 20 years, culminating in a sweeter, more fragrant green tea than his original technique. He’s also begun using an earlier pluck with more buds as his green tea base. Heng Yi is so pleased with the results that he’s completely discontinued Mǎbiān Máojiān because he’s convinced the new process is superior. He calls it Yíng Chūn, which means “Welcoming Spring”, because it is picked at the very beginning of spring greening.
We love for tea, we love tea, and we long for our next cup. If you love tea too, you’ve found a kindred spirit. We only source and supply the freshest, finest teas available. Teas where the taste of the earth in which the trees grew infuses every sip. Teas where the hard work of artisan farmers comes through in heady aromas. Teas that we’re absolutely certain you’ll love. That’s what Valley of Tea is all about.
Floating Snow Jasmine (碧潭飄雪, Bì Tán Piāo Xuě, "Green Pool Floating Snow") – This western style jasmine tea hails from Sichuan’s sacred E’Mei Mountain, and is produced by combining delicate Sù Máo Fēng green tea leaves with jasmine flowers. It is a local favorite in Sichuan’s capital city of Chengdu, and the appearance of the pale jasmine petals drifting elegantly in the glass give it the name Piāo Xuě meaning “Floating Snow.” It produces a rich, emerald infusion with the robust grassiness of Sù Máo Fēng accented with the intoxicating perfume of the night-blooming jasmine.
Su Mao Feng (素毛峰, Sù Máo Fēng, “Plain Hairy Peak”) is ubiquitous in Sichuan’s capital city of Chengdu. It is enjoyed in homes, offices, and in Chengdu’s dozens of riverside open-air tea houses, where it is second on the tea menu after Zhú Yè Qīng. Visiting friends or relatives are usually served the more expensive Zhú Yè Qīng, but locals prefer to drink Sù Máo Fēng for its full, robust flavor and bright green liquor. It is made of the leaves and buds of the E’mei tea plants, and the downy appearance of the white buds against the green leaves gives it its name. Its flavor is rich, sweet, and grassy with a soft floral fragrance and luminous emerald infusion.
The Steeping Room (Austin, TX.) We are Austin's premier contemporary tea lounge & specialty tea store. Our counter & retail areas are open for in person shopping and ordering. You may also order online or by phone. Our patio is open without service. The dining room is currently closed.