Tea guides

Short, practical guides that sit alongside the catalogue. Each links to the teas and flavour words it talks about.

• How to read a tea label
  Learn how to interpret tea labels accurately. Understand origin, harvest flush, cultivar, processing style, and storage advice for better loose leaf tea.
• Leaf grades explained: OP, FTGFOP and what they do not mean
  Understand leaf grading acronyms like OP and FTGFOP. Learn what orthodox grades actually indicate about leaf size and what they omit regarding flavour.
• Water for tea: temperature, hardness and what actually matters
  Master the essentials of tea brewing water. Discover the practical effects of water hardness, mineral balance, and temperature on your loose leaf tea.
• Why your tea turns bitter and how to fix it
  Find out why your tea turns unpleasantly bitter and how to correct it. Simple adjustments to water temperature, steeping time, and leaf ratio fix the cup.
• Gongfu versus western brewing
  Learn the practical differences between gongfu and western tea brewing methods, including leaf ratios, infusion times, and vessel choices.
• Cold brewing tea
  Discover how to cold brew loose leaf tea for a smooth, refreshing drink with lower bitterness, using simple equipment and cold water steeping.
• How to store tea
  A practical guide to storing loose leaf tea correctly, protecting it from light, air, heat, moisture, and odours to preserve freshness.
• Ageing pu-erh: what changes and what to buy
  A clear guide to ageing pu-erh tea, explaining how raw and ripe cakes transform over time, ideal storage conditions, and which cakes to buy.
• Caffeine in tea and how to plan a day around it
  Learn how caffeine varies across tea types and discover practical ways to schedule your tea drinking throughout the day for steady energy.
• Matcha versus sencha
  Compare matcha and sencha to understand their processing, flavour differences, caffeine delivery, and the best brewing methods for each style.
• The oolong spectrum, from green and floral to dark and roasted
  Explore the diverse oolong spectrum from light, floral high-mountain varieties to dark, heavily roasted teas with rich mineral profiles.
• Wuyi rock tea (yancha) for beginners
  A beginner guide to Wuyi rock tea, explaining yancha terroir, famous cultivars like Rougui and Da Hong Pao, and basic brewing techniques.
• Darjeeling flushes: first, second and autumn
  Learn how Darjeeling harvests differ in flavour, colour, and character across first, second, and autumn flushes, plus how to brew each.
• Tisanes versus tea: what counts as tea
  Understand the difference between true tea from Camellia sinensis and herbal tisanes, including plant origins, caffeine levels, and brewing.
• Milk in tea: which teas take it and why
  Discover which teas pair well with milk, why certain varieties curdle or taste flat, and how tannins interact with dairy proteins in your cup.
• Moving from teabags to loose leaf
  Switch from teabags to loose-leaf tea with this straightforward guide covering basic hardware, leaf grades, water heat, and simple brewing steps.