Something old, something new

Bold, new flavors in aged black teas

C hina is a land of many enchanting regional black teas. In a country of primarily green-tea drinkers, two black teas, Liubao (below), from the Guangxi province, and Pu'er, (bottom right) from the Yunnan province are gaining national prominence -- particularly in modern cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Both are aged teas that continue to refine their taste over the years, like a fine wine.


Maosheng Liubao 5623
Gold Medal, China International Tea Industry Expo, Guangzhou 2006. $24.99 + $3 shipping



Loose leaf Pu'er. Decorative small gold boxes. Currently back-ordered. This 12-year-old Pu'er has been slowly aged to yield the smoothest of flavors.

12-year-old Loose Leaf Pu'er in 50 gram paper tins, $10.50 + $2 shipping

100 grams in paper tin, $18.50 + $2.50 shipping