A special treat for the tea connoisseur, this is a curated selection of rare and special harvest teas, representing some of our finest, seasonal offerings. Our current Connoisseur's Cup collection includes 1 ounce each of the following teas:
Yame Gyokuro - With a mellow sweetness that softens the heart, Gyokuro is the very best of Japan's green teas. Before harvesting, the tea bushes are shaded so that the leaves develop a higher chlorophyll level and less tannin. The result is a very refined tea with dark green leaves, a sweet, mild flavor and a fresh, flowery-green aroma.
Dragon Well Reserve Grade - A top-grade Dragon Well tea that is handcrafted by a tea artisan in Zhejiang Province. A meticulous pan-firing and rolling results in uniformly shaped flat, jade-green leaves with a soft aroma of fresh meadows. The taste is smooth and rounded with a hint of chestnut and a sweet finish.
Li Shan High Mountain Oolong - Li Shan, known as Pear Mountain, is a region in central Taiwan renowned for its elegant and flavorful high mountain oolong teas. Grown at an elevation of 1,800 meters, our spring-harvested Li Shan oolong is incredibly smooth with notes of tropical fruits, sugarcane and citrus. Intense floral aromas of honeysuckle and hyacinth are long lasting. The liquid has a pleasantly viscous texture reminiscent of butter cream.
Silver Needle - This highly prized Silver Needle tea is made only from tender new buds that are covered in silver-white hairs. The leaves are picked only two days a year in the early spring and are processed entirely by hand. When infused, Silver Needle tea produces a clear, straw colored liquor with an extraordinary full-bodied, fresh and sweet taste.
We may substitute a comparable tea in the case that one of the designated teas is not available.
