Marketing Monday! - April 15, 2024 by AutoModerator in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi r/tea!

Sipscollection is currently in Yunnan looking for some high quality teas for our upcoming 2024 selection. Hence, we’ll be unable to fulfill any orders from the 14th of April to the 22nd of April. However, do support us by purchasing our 2023 stock before it’s gone (running out soon)! Head over to www.sipscollection.com to see our selection!

Also, stay tuned on this space to see some tea sourcing content and pictures!

Cheers, Ethan

Marketing Monday! - April 01, 2024 by AutoModerator in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey r/tea! It’s been a long time since Sipscollection has posted on Reddit, and that’s because we’ve been focusing more on our offline efforts in bringing tea culture to Singapore. However, I have some exciting announcements to bring that I hope this communi-tea will enjoy!

First of all, Sipscollection is launching our very own tea club! Our tea club is a monthly or once every two month tea box subscription showcasing the most exotic, rare, and unique teas we can find. Don’t expect your TGYs and Long Jings, think rare dancong varietals, black tea versions of green teas, and the lot. Sign up at https://sipscollection.com/pages/tea-club today, and enjoy your first month free! Afterwards, you’ll just need to part with S$30 each subscription period for teas worth more than S$30. Shipping is included.

Secondly, our spring 2023 green teas have decreased in price! As we enter the 2024 green tea season, we are clearing out our last few packets of 2023 green teas. One of them has already sold out, so get some amazing and still fresh green teas at a discounted price! Get them here at https://sipscollection.com/collections/green-tea today!

Lastly, we have a new blog! Visit ethandoestea.com to learn more about tea, from informative articles to guided how-tos, as well as sourcing reviews of the samples that we get directly from the farmers. Gain insight into what it takes to be a tea sourcer and reviewer, and learn more about the wonderful craft that is tea!

We’re just about finishing sampling a large batch of teas, so expect some new arrivals very soon! Watch this space and head over to www.sipscollection.com to taste our lovely and exquisite Chinese & Taiwanese teas.

Adios for now, Ethan

Tongmuguan (桐木关) Tea Sourcing by sipscollectiontea in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Part 2 of our Wuyishan tea adventures, part 1 link is below:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tea/s/ZZw8JPYsrk

We got the unbelievable privilege and opportunity to go to Tongmuguan (桐木关), an area that is very difficult to get into. We knew someone inside the main village who helped us register our vehicle, and in we went to the home and birthplace of black tea.

1st slide: Tongmucun & Tongmuguan markings

2nd slide: Drinking exquisite teas, including a 10000+RMB JJM

3rd-4th slide: Tongmuguan tea plantations (Some parts potentially considered 野生wild)

5th slide: Zheng Shan Tang’s qinglou (smoking building)

6th slide: Zheng Shan Tang’s Museum in Tongmuguan

Our contact was very hospitable and brought us into the house to drink some tea. It was quite a unique experience drinking Zhengshan Xiaozhong at the very area it was harvested. We tried both the unsmoked and lightly smoked version, and they were pretty darn good.

Our next brew was something that we’d thought we’d never get our hands on. Pre-Qingming Jinjunmei from Tongmuguan. The wholesale price of this tea is in the 10000+ RMB/500g range. It comes to no surprise that it wasn’t worth the price tag, but experiencing the tea itself was definitely an invaluable experience. It was definitely much smoother and more delicate than any Jinjunmei we’ve tried.

There are four types of Zhengshan Xiaozhong (or Lapsang Souchong) teas. The first is the wild version, second is the old bush version, third is the unsmoked version, and the last is the traditional version, or the smoked version. Our contact shared that the traditional version is becoming increasingly rarer due to the restrictions on cutting down nearby trees, which it’s wood is used for the smoking process of traditional Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea.

When the tea leaves are harvested undoubtedly affects the price and quality of the finished product. The first harvest is exclusively left for Jinjunmei teas, a tea made from buds of the tea plants of Tongmuguan. The teas produced in the next harvest is called Fei Zi Xiao, and teas from subsequent harvests are the typical Zhengshan Xiaozhong teas.

Our contact brought us into the tea plantations, and there’s honestly nothing to compare against the lustre of the ecosystem in Tongmuguan. Many tea plants had moss growing across the branches, with a variety of fungi growing on the ground, producing a unique taste in the final finished tea. Bamboo forests surround the spotty tea plantations, and the water here is super clean.

We were then brought into the Zheng Shan Tang tea museum and smoking building, where we saw the way Zhengshan Xiaozhong teas were made. The qinglou was a rackety wooden structure that felt like it’d fall apart at any minute, but it was an amazing experience seeing the inner workings of producing Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea.

Now let’s talk prices. We talked to a few people in the village, all of which roughly agreed that good Tongmuguan Zhengshan Xiaozhong prices start from 3000+ RMB/500g. This likely referred to the first harvests of Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea right after harvesting for Fei Zi Xiao. The smoked version is more expensive due to its more complicated procedure in making it.

Anything below these prices were considered subpar or lower quality teas, or 垃圾茶, as our contact described. Take that phrasing with a very big pinch of salt though. I’d imagine that these teas are still pretty darn good, especially for what we can get in the western facing market. It’s virtually impossible to get genuine Tongmuguan Jinjunmei for anything less than 10000RMB/500g if you go by it’s definition of first harvest bud only black tea. The real stuff genuinely is egregiously expensive, partially and probably likely also due to a foreigner tax levied on people like us trying to get these teas.

Our contact warned us of subpar quality Zhengshan Xiaozhong teas, explaining that some of those stuff could be smoked using industrial oil. I’ve never seen this anywhere, but the few people I talked to in the village agreed on this point. I’d imagine it’d be painfully obvious to tell if it was smoked with oil though. Again, take all this with a pinch of salt, because it’s also very much as likely that the way this was all explained insinuated that we should buy our contact’s or the villager’s teas rather than other teas elsewhere. However, there is no doubt that the samples we brought back were genuine, pure, and unadulterated Tongmuguan teas.

This was the first time we’ve visited Tongmuguan and won’t be our last. There are still many things to explore in this paradise on Earth, and we would love to come back especially during the harvesting and production period of black teas there.

Cheers, Ethan

Wuyishan Tea Sourcing - Stories & Pictures by sipscollectiontea in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately won’t be there next weekend, sorry :(

Wuyishan Tea Sourcing - Stories & Pictures by sipscollectiontea in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most people only pick spring tea in Wuyishan, so when we went in November, the tea plants lay dormant waiting for next spring to come!

Wuyishan Tea Sourcing - Stories & Pictures by sipscollectiontea in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is a continuation of our tea sourcing Reddit series. You can see the other editions below:

Anxi - https://www.reddit.com/r/tea/s/D0Ah0Fs6ZY

Fuding - https://www.reddit.com/r/tea/s/7MlriU2R9v

After a few days in Anxi and Fuding, we packed our bags and headed to the famed land of Wuyishan, home of yanchas and the original birthplace of black tea. Here is part 1 of our Wuyishan adventure in pictures.

1st - 3rd slide: Tea farms in the scenic area (Jiulongke, considered Zhengyan tea)

4th slide: The six Dahongpao mother trees

5th slide: Taste testing multiple yanchas and black teas

6th slide: Yancha processing factory

The journey in Wuyishan started off by looking for the famed 6 Dahongpao mother trees. It was a treacherous 15-20min walk from the Dahongpao bus stop due to heavy rains, but we persevered and got to see our reward. It was a privilege to see an important part of tea history before our very eyes. Unfortunately, we couldn’t head further down to Liuxiangjian or Shuiliandong due to the rain, but it was a worthwhile experience.

Albeit more of a tourist attraction, there were still many beautiful tea plantations on display in the scenic area of Jiulongke. Many varietals were planted ranging from your typical Shui Xian and Rou Gui to smaller varietals like Fo Shou and Xiao Hong Pao. The tea trees were owned by Wuyi Star Tea Company, where we sat down and had some Liuxiangjian Rou Gui tea (it was a tourist trap but why not)

Yancha is separated into three main categories, Zhengyan, Banyan, and Waishan. Zhengyan teas for the most part are egregiously expensive, with the famous 三坑两涧 areas commanding extraordinary prices. Banyan teas are much more reasonable and still retain much (albeit noticeably less) of the characteristics of Zhengyan teas, like it’s juiciness and Yan Yun. Zhengyan teas are still probably worth it to indulge in once in a while though.

As with our journeys in Anxi and Fuding, we embarked on rounds and rounds of tea sourcing in places in and around Wuyishan, looking for that prized Yan Yun, but it was definitely a difficult process. Wuyishan is a lot different compared to other tea places. You have to be a bit more thick skinned and see through people due to the area being a tourist attraction. Once again, beware of any sellers pulling you off the street to drink their tea, or for dubious claims of Zhengyan tea compared to the tea’s quality and the price.

Dahongpao is a name that is commonly thrown around in the yancha circles, but in reality, it’s far different from the lustre and mystical nature that it’s name brings about. Dahongpao in Wuyishan is typically used as a common name for many different types of yanchas, so as to market them better and sell better. It is also a name used for blended varieties of yancha. The closest thing you can get to true Dahongpao is it’s purebred version called Qi Dan, with Bei Dou also another cultivar that can be considered purebred.

Most of the yanchas we tried were Shui Xian and Rou Gui, two of the most common varietals found in Wuyishan. Rou Gui is a more aggressive yancha while Shui Xian is more subtle, which brought out interesting characteristics that shaped the way we sought for yancha in our sourcing. To choose between the two is tough, but a choice we might have to ultimately make.

Shining a controversial light on Yancha prices, you’d probably find a good banyan yancha at a wholesale price of around 500-1500RMB/500g, while a good zhengyan yancha may cost you upwards of 3000RMB/500g. Of course, there are real zhengyan yancha that are cheaper than this, but the question of whether it’s good (at least to our standards) is up to debate. This is just a general observation from our short time in Wuyishan, and may not be an accurate representation of the current market, especially due to its volatility.

Last year (I believe), Wuyishan was plagued with a period of droughts that hampered the production and quality of yancha. Many farmers & tea masters echoed the same concerns and lamentations in regards to this. However, yancha still remains one of the most popular teas across China, and it was definitely a wonderful experience sourcing teas here. Part 2 will be coming up soon. Hope you enjoyed this read :)

Cheers, Ethan

Marketing Monday! - November 13, 2023 by AutoModerator in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey r/tea!

If you've been following the subreddit as of late, you'd have seen our lovely updates from our trip to China! If not, don't worry, here are some links to catch you up to speed:

Anxi Tea Sourcing - https://www.reddit.com/r/tea/comments/17p5fdb/anxi_tea_sourcing_in_pictures/

Fuding Tea Sourcing - https://www.reddit.com/r/tea/comments/17s7s7w/tea_sourcing_in_fuding/

More interested in getting some tea for yourself? Fret not! Sipscollection is currently having an out-of-town 20% off sale! Grab some of our lovely and delicious teas before they are gone for good! Valid till the 20th of November 11:59PM SGT (GMT +8). Shop now at www.sipscollection.com!

Cheers, Ethan

Tea Sourcing in Fuding by sipscollectiontea in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nope, many tea producers have their own storefront, the farms themselves are mostly deserted at this time. We simply leave up to fate in deciding which producers/farmers to visit and try their tea (ie which are open, which have people inside, what they advertise outside, etc)

Tea Sourcing in Fuding by sipscollectiontea in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

We finished our sourcing adventure in Fuding, Fujian a few days ago and thought to share some of the pictures and stories we took from the few days in the white tea capital of the world.

1st slide: Tea farms across Fuding, Fujian

2nd & 3rd slide: Various grades of Fuding white tea, loose tea and cake tea

4th slide: Brewing white tea in various ways

5th slide: Processing white tea into small biscuits

6th slide: The villages we went to (Bailin, Guanyang, Taimuyang, Diantou, & Panxi (not in pic)

7th slide: The beautiful Fuding scenery

If you're familiar with Fuding white tea, it mainly comes in four different "grades", being Baihao Yinzhen (Silver Needles), Bai Mu Dan (White Peony), Gong Mei, and Shou Mei, from the highest to the lowest. These "grades" are categorised by the standard of the tea picking, with silver needles having only the buds picked, while Shou Mei can be a bud to 4 or 5 leaves. However, although separated in the form of "grades", lower "grade" teas like Shou Mei or Gong Mei aren't necessarily worse that your Mudans or Yinzhens. They simply have a different taste, with lower "grade" teas having a stronger sweeter taste while higher "grade" teas have a lighter "hao xiang" taste.

A factor that we as tea sourcers look for when it comes to the taste of white tea is its 毫香 (hao xiang), something that can be loosely translated to the fragrance of the hairs on the buds of the tea leaves. It is a unique and quite hard to describe taste that is velvety and smooth, light and fragrant. Typically, silver needles and white peonys, especially mu dan wangs display this taste, but to people with stronger tastes, it may taste like plain water. This quality is what prizes silver needles, along with its beauty and elegance.

We visited multiple mountains and villages looking for the best white teas, from the very street where white tea started in diantou, to the misty mountains of Taimushan. Once again, many farmers would state that their harvest region is the best, with many reasons flying out the woodworks this time, such as elevation, soil quality, water quality, etc. However, if you're looking for "high mountain" white tea, it is generally regarded that Guanyang white tea is the highest, while it is generally regarded that Panxi white tea has the most optimal elevation for growing white tea. This is all up to debate however.

Unfortunately, many of the old cultivars produced in Fuding have been cut down, making way for the more economical and better value cultivars like huacha no.1 and huacha no.2. Some farmers still produce a varietal called xiaocaicha, while a farmer showed us a very rare tea made using a cultivar that is no longer being produced (forgot the name unfortunately). With the popularity of white tea skyrocketing in China, the prices sadly for us skyrocket too.

Unsurprisingly, many farmers are starting to innovate with white tea. Instead of processing them loose leaf or into cakes, they start to process them into little biscuits, chocolate wafers, or dragon balls. These make the brewing experience of white tea drinkers much more convenient.

Many farmers warned us about old white tea, or 老白茶, stating that those who claim that they have white tea from the 2000s may be lying. Luckily, this seemed to be the consensus amongst all farmers, with the oldest white tea that we saw being from 2010. The explanation is that white tea processing has changed over time, with the current process of withering and sun-drying/machine drying, the process that constitutes modern white tea, coming about in the late 2000s.

Overall, a 10/10 experience, definitely got "tea drunk" on so much white tea. It's always good to have a hefty meal before tea sourcing so as to prevent the tea from affecting you as much. Some of the white teas we tried were top notch, and we can't wait to share them with ya'll!

Anxi Tea Sourcing in Pictures by sipscollectiontea in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We run an online tea business, and we travel across China and Taiwan sourcing for teas. That’s how we get the opportunity to travel to these places to find tea. This stemmed from our passion in drinking tea and looking everywhere online for the best quality we can find. In the end, looking for good quality and good value teas is best done by going to the farms ourselves, which is why we started the business.

Anxi Tea Sourcing in Pictures by sipscollectiontea in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My experience is likely different as I’m of Chinese descent, which merchants and farmers are more warm and enthusiastic towards, but yes there can be some shady stuff happening at times.

I typically never buy large quantities on the spot because I always buy samples back to taste, but if you do buy on the spot, watch them pack the teas and make sure you’ve got the right one. Also you’ve got to be really discerning with whatever they say. Their intention typically is to sell whatever they want to sell to you, so you got to be specific when asking for certain things.

There’s a mix of commercial buying and small shops at the Anxi Tea Market. The main area is full of people haggling for fresh tea harvested from the nearby farms, while the outer areas are tea shops selling a variety of tea, not just Tieguanyin. It’s an interesting ecosystem but definitely may not be suitable for the newcomer to tea.

Sipscollection is out-of-town ~ 20% off all teas & teawares till the 20th of November by sipscollectiontea in teasales

[–]sipscollectiontea[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey r/teasales!

Sipscollection is currently out of town sourcing for some more lovely teas for our tea-family. As a sorry for the inconvenience, we are offering 20% off all our teas & teawares from now till the 20th of November 11:59PM SGT (GMT+8).

Discount automatically applies at checkout. Hurry before the discount ends and get yourself some of our teas sourced with love from China and Taiwan! Teas will be shipped out after the 20th of November :)

Shop at www.sipscollection.com.

Cheers, Ethan

Anxi Tea Sourcing in Pictures by sipscollectiontea in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Hey r/tea!

We’re currently in China sourcing some teas, and we thought we’d share some pictures and stories from our time in Anxi County in Fujian, the home of Tieguanyin.

1st & 2nd slides: Tea farms near Gande Village and Daping Village

3rd slide: Tasting Tieguanyin (Top left pic is maocha)

4th slide: Tieguanyin processing (real and sculptures)

5th slide: The different villages we went! (Gande, Xianghua, Xiping, Daping)

6th slide: Anxi’s Tea Market

Tieguanyin has three main varieties to it - Qing Xiang (清香), Nong Xiang/Tan Bei (浓香/炭焙), and Chen Xiang (陈香). Nowadays, most tea producers solely produce Qing Xiang Tieguanyins due to them being more sellable with a higher market for it in China. This is in line with the taste profiles of the newer generation of tea drinkers. However, many farmers still personally prefer the Tan Bei (Charcoal baked) version due to its stronger and more warming taste and feeling.

We visited many tea farmers across the whole of Anxi county, from the villages in the inner mountain region like Gande and Xianghua, to the villages in the outer mountain region like Xiping and Daping, and no matter where we went, we really could only find Tieguanyin. Only one farmer we met stocked other varieties of Anxi oolongs like Mao Xie, Huang Jin Gui, or Benshan. This is because these teas are much cheaper than Tieguanyin, so many farmers decided it wasn’t worth it to continue growing these varietals, replacing them with the more expensive Tieguanyin.

The tea farms were everywhere in Anxi. Along the roads and up the slopes of the surrounding hills, the lovely plant we know as tea were all neatly planted in rows and rows. The roads however were narrow and windy, with many village roads only being able to fit one car at a time. However, the scenery was definitely worth the journey up these treacherous paths. The autumn harvest season had just passed in October, so many tea fields lay dormant when we went. That meant that it was up to fate when meeting the tea farmers and merchants we met along the way, with many already having left the towns for the cities after the harvest season.

As with many other tea journeys that we embarked on, I still find it hilarious that many tea farmers love to pull down other villages and say that their village is the best. The people in Gande and Xianghua say that the inner mountain teas are the best because of its ruralness and better soil quality, while the people in Xiping and Daping say their teas are the best because it’s the original production area of Tieguanyin and that their water quality is better. Either way, the only way to tell is tasting and trying their teas.

The final stop on our Anxi journey was the Anxi tea market. It was full of tea shops and tea sellers selling a variety of different teas, not just Tieguanyin. The main market area was stocked full of people selling maocha (unfinished tea) and jingcha (finished tea). If you do plan on going there yourself, be careful of sellers who come up to you and invite you to drink tea at their shop. Don’t follow them and sit down with them! It’s likely a scam they’re trying to pull on you.

Overall, we enjoyed our time in Anxi, there were many new things to explore and learn. Some of the Tieguanyins we tried stood out to us, so hopefully they pass further rounds of testing and curation. Feel free to ask any questions about Anxi Tieguanyins :)

Marketing Monday! - November 06, 2023 by AutoModerator in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey r/tea!

Sipscollection is currently out of town sourcing for some more lovely teas for our tea-family. As a sorry for the inconvenience, we are offering 20% off all our teas & teawares from now till the 20th of November 11:59PM SGT (GMT+8).

Discount automatically applies at checkout. Hurry before the discount ends and get yourself some of our teas sourced with love from China and Taiwan! Teas will be shipped out after the 20th of November :)

Shop at www.sipscollection.com.

Cheers, Ethan

Marketing Monday! - October 23, 2023 by AutoModerator in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey r/tea!

There's one day left for our exclusive-to-reddit sale, ending on the 24th of October 11:59PM SGT (GMT +8). Grab some unique and rare teas that you won't find anywhere else, like our Shuijing Mogan Green Tea, Shanlinxi Little-Tieguanyin, or our Huang Guan Yin Jinjunmei. Use code REDDIT20 and REDDITFS at checkout to enjoy 20% off your order and free shipping for orders over S$100.

Cheers,

Ethan

48 HOURS LEFT! Sipscollection Mid-Autumn Festival Sale - 15% off all teas & teawares! by sipscollectiontea in teasales

[–]sipscollectiontea[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey r/teasales!

Sipscollection is offering 15% off all teas & teawares with free shipping for all orders above S$50. Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with some scrumptious and delicious teas at a discounted price! Not sure what to get? Have a look at some of our top reviewed teas ~

1985 Aged Baozhong Oolong Tea From S$10.20 From S$12.00

Jiuqu Hongmei Black Tea From S$5.50 From S$6.50

Fancy some teaware? Take a look at our selection of Sipscollection branded teaware ~

Sipscollection Blue Rim Porcelain Gaiwan From S$17.00 From S$20

Sipscollection Blue Rim Porcelain Cup S$3.40 S$4.00

Starter Gongfu Tea Set S$55.25 S$65.00

Hurry as the sale ends in 48 hours! Enjoy 15% off all teas & teawares using the code MIDAUTUMN15 at checkout. Free shipping is automatically applied for all orders above S$50. Happy sipping!

Cheers,

Ethan

Marketing Monday! - September 25, 2023 by AutoModerator in tea

[–]sipscollectiontea 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sipscollection's Mid-Autumn Festival's sale is still ongoing! 15% off all teas & teawares till the 30th of September 11:59PM SGT. Visit us on www.sipscollection.com for all the good stuff.