Dian Hong (滇红), also known as Yunnan Red, may just be my favorite tea.

Grown in Yunnan province, this tea is fermented with lychee, rose and longan (a sweet fruit native to Southeast Asia). What results is a tea that is remarkably beautiful both in sight and color. The unique fermentation process results in its famous “golden tips,” which immediately set this black tea apart from its darker brothers and sisters.

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With the holiday season fast approaching, you may be looking for thoughtful gifts for the tea drinker in your life. Luckily, most of the big tea companies are well ahead of you, and have put together a wide range of tea boxes and gift sets which work well as gifts. Here are a few reasonably priced, high quality tea gift sets that you should look into.

Walk around many Chinese cities in the morning and you’re sure to see a crockpot or kettle full of brown liquid and discolored, slightly cracked eggs. Completely unfamiliar to the western palette, the tea egg is a surprisingly delicious savory treat prized by millions, mostly in northern China. They are also quite popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan, although the recipes vary somewhat between regions.

Check out this article for information about tea eggs and their history, and skip to the end for a special Chinese Tea Info recipe!

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For such a basic beverage, the methods for brewing tea can be remarkably complex and intimidating for the uninitiated. If your brew isn’t tasting as good as you expect it to, you may be making one or two simple and easily remedied mistakes. This article will run down the most common mistakes that people make when brewing tea, and hopefully help you brew the perfect cup!

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Just took delivery of this teapot today, and figured that I would throw a review of it up.

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Spend some time in China and you’ll see an interesting product almost everywhere: glass tea thermoses. These cups are made of double walled glass or pyrex, and include a built in, removable strainer which allows you to drink tea while the leaves are still being steeped. They also feature a watertight cap, so you can brew up a cup at home and chuck it in a backpack or bag to bring to class or work.

These thermoses are catching on in the west as more people switch from coffee to tea, and can be useful when you need a beverage on the go or if you want to brew a cup of tea at the office without bringing a strainer or teapot to work.

I’ve tried several of these, and have noticed a wide variation in quality and usefulness. Here are reviews of some of my favorites that I’ve bought from Amazon. Hopefully this guide can save you a few bucks and lead you to the right thermos for your needs.

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A black tea blend flavored with oil derived from the rind of the Bergamot orange, Earl Grey is a sweeter, more citrusy variation on the traditionally bitter British black tea. This makes it a prime candidate for replacement by a number of Chinese teas, which are traditionally noted for their sweetness and delicacy. Check out this article for recommendations for replacing your daily cup of Earl Grey with a Chinese Tea.

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Quite possibly the most prevalent tea distributor in America, Lipton’s yellow label teabags are synonymous with a low-quality, somewhat weak brew. Utilizing up to 20 different teas in their blend, sourced from all around the world, Lipton tea is a mish-mash of flavors which average out to something quite forgettable, lacking any truly definable characteristics. Check out this article for some recommendations for Chinese teas you may like if this is your go to beverage.

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This is the first in a series of posts which should hopefully take some of the guesswork out of trying new teas. Basically, we’re just going to run down some of the most popular blends, brands and types of tea that are seen in America, and give a recommendation for a good Chinese tea which shares their characteristics. For example, if the blend you like is dark, hearty and often taken with milk and/or sugar, we’ll recommend one which is like that. Simply enough, right?

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