China is steeped (pun intended) in history and fable when it comes to chá, or tea, as its country of origin. For the vast majority of the world’s tea drinkers, they’re not only referred to to Chinese tea when they speak of the drink, but of green and oolong varieties – not black, which became vastly more popular in the west simply because it could survive the long journeys of trade missions. The sheer diversity in these lightly oxidized teas is staggering, however, and each one truly unique.

Our Chinese collection contains prime examples of Imperial teas, the teas fabled to have been reserved only for consumption by Emperors across China’s history – sometimes referred to as the Emperor’s Ten Teas or China’s Famous Teas. Longjing (Dragonwell) and Liu An Gua Pian (Melon Seed) are greens of great contrast, comparing nutty sweetness versus a very floral, clean cuppa. Ti Kuan Yin (Iron Goddess) and our Mount Wuyi Qilan are drastically different oolongs, with the former revered aromatic drink that endures much resteeping versus a dark, toasty oolong featuring mineral elements and an underlying sweetness. This bundle includes four small-sized canisters of:

• Dragonwell Imperial
• Liu An Gua Pian
• Ti Kuan Yin
• Mount Wuyi Qilan