Theme

„Head Tea (aka Golden Melon) is shaped like a ball, weighing between 2 Liangs and 10 Jins ( 1 Jin = 500 grams). They were mainly for domestic trade or serving as tributes to emperors. Stacks of Golden Melons progressing in size from gigantic to small are considered to be a status symbol.“

„Timing is everything when gathering the flowers. They must be fully open and for this reason they are harvested at midnight, or early in the morning. Then the open flowers are placed with the tea so that the scent of the flower can be absorbed into the tea over the next four hours. After this the flowers are removed. This process is repeated from two to seven times over a month. Then the tea is ready for sale. The grade of the tea is determined by how many scentings the tea has gotten over a month. High grade jasmine tea has had up to seven scentings over the month. Low grade has had two to three scentings.“

„Pu-erh tea that has been preserved for few years is close to green tea in its properties and colour. Its taste is sweet tinged with a little bitterness. Its fragrance is pure and mild and lingers even after the tea is finished. While brewing raw tea, lower the water temperature. Serve immediately after pouring to avoid scorching the leaves and tainting the tea liquid with that smell.“