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The Christmas spirit is catching here at Char, and we have already had a few people asking about buying Christmas presents!  With that in mind, we have created a handy helper for anyone intimidated by how many types of tea we have to make sure your recipient is grinning ear-to-ear with their first brew on Christmas morning!   Quick links to the teas in our Christmas tea gift chooser You can find any of the teas in our gift chooser by using our site search, or by following the links below: Sweet, Loose Leaf and Caffeine-Free Rooibos Scent of Christmas...

Matcha is the delicious, grassy, umami result of nearly a thousand years of intimate tea understanding. This finely ground tea powder is put directly into your cup or bowl, and then whisked in a small amount of hot (but not boiling) water until it becomes frothy. This is the traditional way to drink matcha, however in the west we have discovered the delight of adding milk to this drink to create a matcha latte. This drink is perfect served cold with ice on a summer’s day, or warm in the heights of winter.   The process of creating matcha   Before matcha...

When you think “Chinese Teas”, what initially springs to mind?   According to one legend, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree in 2737BC and boiling water to purify it when some leaves fell into the water. Upon drinking this new concoction, he declared it delicious. And we couldn’t agree more.   Since then, tea has developed in many ways including gaining specific cultural brewing and drinking practises, and different methods of production resulting in very different beverages. Chinese teas may be seen by western eyes to be synonymous with green teas and, while there are a plethora of beautiful Chinese...

Jiangbei 江北   Teas: Liu an Gua Pian  This tea region (whose name translates directly to North of the River Yangtze) is the most northerly of China’s tea growing regions, and its lower temperatures result in a slower rate of growth for the tea plant camellia sinensis. This slow growth has the effect of producing a smaller-leafed tea with a sweeter flavour than teas from other tea regions of China. Char’s Liu An Gua Pian is a wonderful showcase of these iconic aspects, with its full-flavoured floweriness that leaves a sweet aftertaste. Additionally, this tea contains a higher concentration of antioxidants than its...