The tea leaves you select can both promote well being advantages or a dearer lai see packet. What are you ready for? Go put the kettle on.
Hong Kong is aware of how one can admire an excellent cup of tea — there are generations-long tea homes throughout the town simply to show it. And in lots of houses, a whole tea station fitted with all types of particular fine details — clay teapots and wonderful bone China cups — that every one add in direction of a unbelievable sip. On the centre of all of it, essentially the most essential a part of the time-honoured follow: tea leaves.
Completely different blends serve totally different functions — in Chinese language tradition, no less than. Some are savoured purely for uncommon and wealthy, palatable profiles; different for well being functions: Pu’er is alleged to assist remove hard-to-digest fat so are a alternative brew for greasy dim sum lunches, whereas Oolong is alleged to cut back danger of coronary heart illness. However just like the brews itself, tea traditions in Chinese language tradition are simply as essential, too; markers of milestones and massive celebrations like weddings and Chinese language New Yr.
When it comes tea traditions throughout Chinese language New Yr, the central follow is the standard: the youngest of the household serves the oldest. Throughout the vacation, that is usually carried out on the morning first day of the of lunar calendar. The tea ought to be introduced whereas standing with a slight bow and cup and saucer cosy between two fingers. Don’t neglect to carry alongside a wide selection of unfastened leaves, too. Get that proper and hopefully you’ll obtain good blessings for the remainder of the yr.
The place to get the most effective unfastened leaf teas in Hong Kong
Tea WG
Singapore-based model Tea WG is reputed for its luxurious leaves that change throughout 800 unique tea blends and single property harvests, which additionally means tea leaves that are sourced from the identical tea plantation. With a wealth of alternative for each event — from a particular Breakfast King Tea to be paired with the New Yr particular King’s Cake to a different made particularly for final Christmas season, Evening of Noel — you possibly can make sure that the model has one for the Yr of the Tiger. Tiger Hill Tea, with symbols of energy, bravery and sweetness, is a black tea brew blended with Darjeeling first flush teas sourced from the Himalayan mountains, with notes of cocoa, candy vanilla bean and fruit. A sip for a powerful begin to the brand new lunar yr, because the model intends.
Tea WG, varied areas together with, Store 1022-3, Podium Degree 1, IFC Mall, 1 Harbour View Road, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2796 2828
Boon Tea
Boon Tea’s in depth menu of unfastened leaf teas are conventional types which are identified and liked throughout generations alike. Steeped in class, from the packaging to collection of delicate tea wares, the tea leaves are the same high-quality mix sourced in small in small batches instantly from native farms and produces who’re skilled into choosing, selecting, and nurturing new varietals. That means the brews listed below are wealthy in flavour and clean in texture. Boon Tea at the moment provides 5 forms of teas: White, Inexperienced, Oolong, Black and Darkish.
Observe Boon Tea here.
Wilden Natural
These will not be your conventional Chinese language unfastened tea leaves, however WIlden Natural’s vary is a range that encourages the identical objective: to appease and treatment. The tea blends, made with licensed natural medicinal vegetation, are curated for “purposeful” tea expertise that information you thru the day. Starting from brews which are particularly designed for Morning and Evening, these additionally blends that work between the day: Increase, a ginger-based mix for antioxidant and immunostimulating; Digestive, a peppermint-based mix for revitalising digestive methods; tumeric-based Hangover; verbana-based Focus, floral-based Loosen up and a herbal-blend to Detox. Get pleasure from Wilden Natural’s fairly packaged tea both heat or chilly to brighten up conventional tea practices, and hopefully tea habits too.
Store Wilden Herbals here.
Peerie Tea
Peerie Tea is not only concerning the leaves. The farm-to-cup brews additionally shine a highlight on the model’s collective of small native farms situated in Yunnan, Assam and Taiwan. Every of the leaves are hand-picked and historically handled earlier than hand-blended by the model’s staff of specialists for traditional blends — your chamomile and oolong — to new, inventive brew like Work From Dwelling, a caffeine-free mix of pink raspberry leaves, lemon balm and goji berries; or Minty Pineapple, with lemon and hibiscus for properties that assist digestion. Both means, the teas listed below are utterly free from chemical preservatives, synthetic flavourings, gluten, dairy and refined sugar for a very wholesome and refreshing cuppa.
Store Peerie Tea here
Fortnum & Mason
Fortnum & Mason, self-proclaimed as fine-food specialists, want no introduction. The reowned London-based model has been a very long time favorite for its scrummy vary of cookies and in depth alternatives of tea — a traditional pairing in lots of the luxurious hampers right here. Whereas it won’t be an genuine Chinese language choice, the blends right here keep true to the follow of tea appreciation with high-quality leaves which are sourced from throughout the globe and a collected of superbly crafted tea wares.
For this Chinese language New Yr, Fortnum & Mason enlists feng shui designer Thierry Chow and her father, Grasp Chow Hon Ming, for curated choice that auspiciously signify Love, Friendship, Well being and Profession.
Fortnum & Mason, Store 022, G/F, K11 Atelier, 18 Salisbury Highway, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong, +852 3916 8181
BASAO
Whereas Basao’s blends are knowledgeable by custom, the skilled brews you’ll uncover on the minimalistic tea home additionally lean in direction of exploring subsequent and the brand new, which features a ingenious vary of tea-infused espresso and chilly brew recipes that strides past dunking a strainer in chilly water — the Fig White Luna is a White Luna leaf mix infused with honey and contemporary figs. For the leaves, Basao inventory a quintessential vary of Taiwanese Ali Mountain Oolong, Chinese language Fujian Jasmine and Nepalese hand-rolled Dhankuta amongst different on a regular basis staples.
Basao, varied areas together with, 17 Moon Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, +852 2952 3313
LockCha Tea Home
Right here’s a style of true custom: LockCha Tea Home brew a few of the metropolis’s most interesting Chinese language tea, some are even soured from uncommon, remotes areas which are visited then hand-picked by the model’s personal staff of Tea Masters. If it’s impressing the elders you’re after, LockCha’s teas will meet the duty; the leaves listed below are made in response to 4 standards: scrumptious, wholesome, genuine and good worth for cash. Whereas the blends are unique brews made with leaves baked within the personal workshop to permit personally measured blends of tea leaves and flowers for brand new flavour profiles. The Slimate Tea, specifically, is a mixture of Zhengshan Brown Pu’er, Narcissus White, Golden Osmanthus Oolong and Roses in LockCha’s personal secret ratio.
Apart from providing a superbly brewed cup, LockCha additionally dedicates its model to supporting tea farmers which they’ve labored with for over 30 years to preserve and develop, fair-trade genuine teas.
LockCha Tea House, Store 01-G07, Block 1, Tai Kwun, 10, Hollywood Highway, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2276 5777
