The Tea List
Every tea here comes from a mountain we can name.
Mid-Autumn Specials
Two extraordinary teas we couldn’t pass up this year: a gold-medal Rock Tea and a sun-dried black tea from old trees. Rare finds from this year’s harvest, brought to Chicago in very limited quantities.
A hand-made black tea from 40-to-70-year-old trees on Gaoligong Mountain, dried in the sun instead of the oven — smooth, sweet, and made to keep.
O R I G I N — Gaoligong Mountain, Baoshan, Yunnan · 4,400–4,900 ft
T Y P E — Black tea · Yunnan large-leaf · sun-dried
H A R V E S T — Spring 2026
C A F F E I N E — Medium–high
Yangzong Farm sits halfway up Gaoligong Mountain, next to a national forest reserve, looking over the dry, sunny valley of the Nu River. Its old garden was planted forty to seventy years ago and has been left to grow wild among the forest trees. The tea is made entirely by hand and dried in the sun rather than in an oven, which is what keeps it soft and lets it age.
A R O M A — Rich and full: flower honey and mountain air, sunk into the cup rather than sitting on top
T A S T E — Warm, soft and clearly sweet — no bitterness, no astringency, and still sweet after ten steeps.
WHAT YOU GET — One brew is 0.2 oz (6 g) of tea in a 4 oz (115 ml) gaiwan, about 1 part tea to 19 parts water. Re-steep the same leaves ten times or more: 40 oz of tea from one brew.
2 brews · 0.4 oz (12 g) · 80 oz of tea
4 brews · 0.85 oz (24 g) · 160 oz of tea
6 brews · 1.3 oz (36 g) · 240 oz of tea
Flower Honey · Soft Floral · Sweet Finish
A gorge-grown Zhengyan rock oolong from a new grower in the Wuyi Mountains — charcoal roasted by hand, gold medal winner in 2025.
O R I G I N — Wuyi Mountains, Fujian · Zhengyan core zone
T Y P E — Oolong · Wuyi rock tea · Rougui cultivar
H A R V E S T — Spring 2025
C A F F E I N E — Medium high
Wuyi tea is graded by where it grows. Zhengyan, the core cliffs inside the scenic reserve, is the top tier, and inside Zhengyan the most prized plots are the gorges — narrow cuts between rock walls where the tea sees little direct sun, the air stays damp, and weathered rock washes into the soil. This lot grows in one of those gorges; it is our first season with Chenqinyuan (宸沁苑), the family company that makes it.
The first cups lead with the roast — toffee and toasted bread — then the cinnamon comes through, and by the third or fourth steep the fruit shows: ripe peach, a little dried apricot. The body is full and slightly thick, with a gentle dryness on the roof of the mouth that turns sweet a few seconds later. The finish is where the gorge shows: a cool, mineral aftertaste that stays long after the cup is empty.
A R O M A — Cinnamon bark and toasted bread, with peach underneath
T A S T E — Full and smooth, cinnamon and ripe peach over toffee, a mineral finish that lasts for minutes
WHAT YOU GET — One brew is 0.2 oz (6 g) of tea in a 4 oz (115 ml) gaiwan, about 1 part tea to 19 parts water. Re-steep the same leaves eight to ten times: about 40 oz of tea from one brew.
2 brews · 0.4 oz (12 g) · about 80 oz of tea
4 brews · 0.85 oz (24 g) · about 160 oz of tea
6 brews · 1.3 oz (36 g) · about 240 oz of tea
Deep Roast, Toffee, Cinnamon
S O U R C I N G
Picked by hand. Tasted at the source. Carried home.
Our founder chooses every tea on these mountains himself — from friends who make it.
The House List
Small batches. When they're gone, they're gone — until we go back.
A honey-orchid oolong from the slopes of Fenghuang Mountain.
O R I G I N — Fenghuang Mountain, Chaozhou
T Y P E — Oolong tea
C A F F E I N E — Medium
S I Z E — 40 g (1.4 oz)
Dancong means "single bush": on Fenghuang Mountain each tree is picked and finished on its own, so the tea keeps one tree's character rather than a blend's. Ours comes from thirty-year-old trees at 800 meters — high enough for the clean, bright aromatics the mountain is known for, and forgiving enough to brew that it belongs in a daily cup as much as a gongfu session.
A R O M A — Honeyed orchid with a natural fruit sweetness
T A S T E — Smooth and floral, a light honey body, a crisp, clean finish
Honeyed, Floral, Fruity
A Wuyi rock oolong with cinnamon warmth and mineral depth.
O R I G I N — Wuyi Mountains, Fujian
T Y P E — Oolong tea · Wuyi rock tea
C A F F E I N E — Medium High
S I Z E — 40 g (1.4 oz)
Rougui takes its name from its scent — cinnamon bark — and grows in the rocky gorges of Wuyi, where the roots work through weathered stone. Slow charcoal roasting draws out the spice and the mineral "rock rhyme" that Wuyi teas are prized for: a warmth that stays in the throat long after the cup is empty.
A R O M A — Cinnamon bark and charcoal roast, warm and toasty
T A S T E — Roasted and smooth, a touch of Wuyi rock minerality, florals opening in the finish
Spiced, Toasty, Mineral
A coastal green tea grown in the sea mist of the Yellow Sea.
O R I G I N — Laoshan, Qingdao
T Y P E — Green tea
H A R V E S T — Spring 2026
C A F F E I N E — Medium
S I Z E — 40 g (1.4 oz)
Laoshan's tea gardens sit between 100 and 400 meters, close enough to the coast that sea mist settles on the leaves. The maritime soil gives the tea its natural umami, a gentle sea-breeze note you will not find inland.
A R O M A — Fresh and vegetal with a hint of the sea
T A S T E — Refreshing and smooth, natural umami, a mineral finish
Fresh, Umami, Sea Breeze
Aged white tea pressed into single-session mini cakes.
O R I G I N — Fuding, Fujian
T Y P E — White tea, pressed mini cakes
A G E D — Aged 7 years
C A F F E I N E — Low
S I Z E — 7 mini cakes per bag
Minimally processed, then rested for seven years in a dry, ventilated store. Age turns the delicate florals toward honey and dried fruit, with none of the sharpness of young tea. From gardens around 600 meters and trees fifteen to thirty years old.
A R O M A — Honey and dried fruit over soft florals
T A S T E — Gentle and mellow with a sweet, rounded finish
Fruity, Mellow, Jujube
Ripe pu'er aged inside a small sun-dried mandarin.
O R I G I N — Xinhui mandarins, Yunnan pu'er
T Y P E — Ripe pu'er, citrus aged
A G E D — 8 Years
C A F F E I N E — Medium
S I Z E — 7 fruits per bag
Small green mandarins from Xinhui are hollowed, filled with ripe pu'er, and dried in the sun. As they rest, the citrus oil settles into the leaf. Brew the whole fruit. One mandarin is one full session.
A R O M A — Fresh citrus peel over earthy pu'er
T A S T E — Smooth and refreshing, citrus brightness over dark depth
Citrus Peel, Earthy Refreshing
Taiwan's naturally creamy oolong. No flavoring, just the cultivar.
O R I G I N — Alishan, Taiwan
T Y P E — Oolong, Jin Xuan cultivar (TTES No. 12)
H A R V E S T — Spring 2026
C A F F E I N E — Medium
S I Z E — 40 g (1.4 oz)
Jin Xuan was developed by Taiwan's Tea Research and Extension Station. Its gentle, milky character comes from the leaf itself, with nothing added. The tight pearls open slowly over several steeps.
A R O M A — Sweet cream over fresh florals
T A S T E — Smooth and mellow with a natural peach sweetness
Fresh, Creamy, Peachy
Fuding white tea blended with dried loquat blossoms.
O R I G I N — Fuding, Fujian
T Y P E — White tea with loquat blossoms
A G E D — 7 Years
C A F F E I N E — Low
S I Z E — 7 mini cakes per bag
Fuding Da Bai leaves are barely processed, just withered and dried, which leaves room for the blossoms to speak. The flowers add a soft, honeyed sweetness to the tea's quiet character.
A R O M A — Soft honeyed florals with a hint of fruit
T A S T E — Mellow and smooth, a delicate floral sweetness, a calm finish
Woody, Herbal, Powerful
Laoshan black tea scented with golden osmanthus blossoms.
O R I G I N — Laoshan, Qingdao
T Y P E — Black tea, osmanthus scented
H A R V E S T — Spring 2026
C A F F E I N E — Medium
S I Z E — 40 g (1.4 oz)
The blossoms are folded into the tea during processing, so the scent lives in the leaf rather than on it. Malty Laoshan black underneath, osmanthus honey on top.
A R O M A — Sweet osmanthus and honey
T A S T E — Smooth and naturally sweet with a lingering floral finish
Floral, Honeyed, Chocolate
Heavily oxidized oolong from Luye, halfway to black tea.
O R I G I N — Luye, Taitung, Taiwan
T Y P E — Heavily oxidized oolong (70–80%)
C A F F E I N E — Medium
S I Z E — 40 g (1.4 oz)
Red oolong is a modern Taiwanese craft made here from the Qingxin cultivar. Oxidized far past most oolongs, it lands between oolong and black tea, with the depth of one and the texture of the other.
A R O M A — Ripe fruit over warm roasted notes
T A S T E — Rich and mellow, sweet fruit and toasted warmth, a long finish with a pleasant edge of bitterness
Fruity, nutty, Sweet
The only oolong traditionally pressed into square cakes.
O R I G I N — Zhangping, Fujian
T Y P E — Oolong, hand-pressed square cakes
C A F F E I N E — Medium
S I Z E — 7 cakes per bag
Each cake is pressed by hand from the leaves of twenty-year-old trees at 500 meters, then unfurls slowly in the pot. The flavor moves as you brew: floral and rich at first, then surprisingly milky and silky by the fourth steep.
A R O M A — Orchid and sweet florals turning creamy
T A S T E — Intensely floral in the early steeps, a milky sweetness later on
Floral, Sweet, Orchestrated
Single-session cakes of smooth, fully fermented pu'er.
O R I G I N — Yunnan
T Y P E — Ripe pu'er, pressed mini cakes
A G E D — 8 Years
C A F F E I N E — Medium
S I Z E — 10 cakes per bag
Pressed from the leaves of fifty-year-old trees at around 1200 meters, fully fermented, then aged until the edges soften. Deep and smooth with no bitterness. One cake is a full session, at home or on the road.
A R O M A — Dark earth, sweet dates, a hint of dark chocolate
T A S T E — Smooth, mellow sweetness with rich earthy depth
Floral, Mellow, Smooth
New to these teas? Taste them first.