A sampling of top-tier, pre-colonial, old world red teas to revisit the roots of the most widespread and well-known genre of tea, "black tea." From historic varietals found in legendary terroirs, to lesser-known types on the brink of revival, to completely obscure gems, this 12 tea set is designed to illustrate the impressive range of expression found within this style of tea. 5 grams of each tea in each packet; a total of 60 grams.

Just a reminder, 红茶 Hong Cha is what they call it at the source, which translates directly to "red tea," yet the English mistranslated it to Black Tea during its proliferation to the West. Not-the-most-marketing-savvy and ever so heretical, we're deciding to do what simply feels right and call it what it is.

S P E C I A L O F F E R : not only are these boxes available, but just for the next few days all teas within the box are available as loose leaf teas in 50 gram options. Grab 150+ grams of loose leaf tea from the drop-down and select 2 free samples of any tea within this box (specify which samples in the order notes on the cart/checkout page).

The irony of releasing a tea box telling the history of political drama during this current twilight zone moment of tariff business is not lost. Tea continues to get caught in the crosshairs of trade politics to this day...

12 top tier reds from seven different terroirs. This map guide is included as an insert under the front cover of the box.

Li Mountain tea growing area, near Guanghui village, Qimen county, Anhui. Two high grade variations on "Keemun Black Tea," a well-known export commodity tea, find their way into the box: Qimen Wild Thicket + Qimen Gold Bud (the latter was a model varietal during the invention of Tongmu Jin Jun Mei, some 20 years ago.

The scene from the Li family house of their valley in Gu Wang Keng village in remote Tongmu Pass, the legendary birthplace of red tea. Just 12 households live in the folds of these mountains, one of the most remote outposts in Tongmu. We're honored to carry 4 of the Li family's teas, a fourteen generation strong tea producing family. Four more photos from their home in Tongmu below:

#gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The venerable Yang Feng, the designated cultural inheritor of Zhenghe White Tea, also crafts red tea in the form of Zhenghe Gong Fu and a bud-heavy imitation Jin Jun Mei style. Zhenghe Gong Fu Red Tea is a historic hong cha style that Master Yang's forthcoming new book claims as a link between Tongmu production styles and Qimen's, actually predating Qimen Red Teas. Every tea this man makes is exquisite and his red teas are no exception.

after rolling/bruising phase, Da E prepares her crowd-favored ancient tree red tea for oxidative piling before eventual sun-drying in Nannuo Mountain, Yunnan

Wen Jian Fu's Da Wu Ye plants he makes Phoenix red tea from, photo taken right before harvest in February.

Mr. Lin's Zhangping red is pressed into biscuit form like his oolongs, and is briefly charcoal baked for three rounds.

cresting above 2000 meters, Li Shan growing area in Taiwan produces an exceptionally clean, fruity, and floral red in the hands of the Chen family.

With the release of the teas in this box, every contact revisited or new one forged during the spring 2024 trip has finally been represented through a tea release since. It feels like the trip's mission is finally complete. Tasting, importing, documenting, designing the boxes, photographing and writing: it feels like a lifetime's worth of work, and just the quality of the tea alone makes me incredibly proud. You're invited to celebrate and partake in these exceptional red teas.

Ships from the US and is import tariff-free, like the good old days (as of now?)

Brewing Guide

Tea

Rivers and Lakes · Old World Red

Flavor Profile

Tasting Notes

Vendor Notes

Community Top Notes

About This Tea