Rare & Specialty Teas

Ceremonial grade matcha is the highest quality powdered green tea — stone-ground from tencha leaves shade-grown in Uji, Japan. Unlike culinary matcha, ceremonial grade is whisked directly with hot water and consumed whole, delivering the full nutritional profile of the leaf: L-theanine for calm focus, EGCG antioxidants, and natural chlorophyll. Vivid emerald green, intensely vegetal, and surprisingly smooth with no bitterness when properly prepared.

• Origin: Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
• Grade: Ceremonial, rich & smooth character
• Brew temp: 165–175°F / 74–80°C
• Preparation: Whisk 1 tsp with 2–3 oz water
• Size: 40g

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Longjing — "Dragon Well" — is China's most celebrated green tea, grown in the misty hills surrounding West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Hand-fired in woks by skilled artisans, this pre-Qingming (pre-April 4th) harvest Longjing yields flat, jade-green leaves with a clean, chestnut-sweet flavor, refreshing vegetal notes, and a soft, lingering finish. Emperors of the Qing Dynasty designated specific Longjing bushes as imperial tribute teas.

• Origin: West Lake (Xi Hu), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
• Harvest: Pre-Qingming (before April 4th)
• Brew temp: 175°F / 80°C
• Steep time: 1.5–2 minutes
• Size: 1.8oz / 50g

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Pu-erh is the world's only truly aged tea — a post-fermented tea from Yunnan Province that improves with age like fine wine. This pressed cake (bing cha) is crafted from large-leaf Yunnan tea. Rich, earthy, and deeply complex, aged pu-erh delivers notes of forest floor, dark plum, leather, and a smooth, velvety finish. A living tea that evolves every year it's stored.

• Origin: Yunnan, China
• Type: Ripe (Shou) Pu-erh, pressed cake
• Brew temp: 212°F / 100°C
• Steep time: 20–30 sec (gongfu), rinse first

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Silver Needle (Baihao Yinzhen) is the emperor of white teas — crafted exclusively from the earliest spring buds of the Da Bai tea cultivar in Fuding, Fujian Province. Each bud is hand-picked over just a few days in early spring, then sun-withered and air-dried to lock in its delicate, honey-sweet character. The liquor is pale gold with a clean, silky mouthfeel and subtle melon notes. Minimally processed, high in antioxidants, naturally low in caffeine.

• Origin: Fuding, Fujian, China
• Harvest: Early spring buds only
• Brew temp: 175°F / 80°C
• Steep time: 2–3 minutes
• Size: 30g / 1.06oz

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Tieguanyin — "Iron Goddess of Mercy" — is one of China's Ten Famous Teas, originating from Anxi County in Fujian Province. This lightly oxidized oolong unfolds in layers: floral orchid and gardenia on the nose, creamy butter on the palate, and a sweet, lingering aftertaste known as hui gan. Its tightly rolled jade-green leaves reopen dramatically during brewing, releasing their full aromatic complexity.

• Origin: Anxi County, Fujian, China
• Oxidation: 15–25% (light oolong)
• Brew temp: 195°F / 90°C
• Steep time: 45 sec–1 min (gongfu), 3 min (Western)
• Size: 4oz / 113g

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Gyokuro is Japan's most prized green tea, shade-grown for three weeks before harvest to amplify chlorophyll and L-theanine. The result is a tea unlike any other — intensely savory, ocean-sweet, and deeply umami-rich with a brilliant jade-green liquor. Ippodo's Kanro is grown, processed, blended, and packaged entirely in Kyoto by the same family business since 1717 — the classic introduction to true Japanese gyokuro.

• Origin: Kyoto, Japan
• Shade-grown before harvest to maximize umami
• Brew temp: 140–150°F / 60–65°C (low & slow), or cold brew
• Steep time: 90–120 seconds, re-brewable up to 3 times
• Size: 1.76oz / 50g — approximately 5 servings

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Da Hong Pao — "Big Red Robe" — is the crown jewel of Chinese teas, grown on the mineral-rich cliffs of the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian Province. This heavily roasted rock oolong (yancha) delivers a deep, complex flavor with notes of roasted stone fruit, dark cocoa, and a lingering smoky sweetness. The high-mineral cliff soil imparts a distinctive yan yun (rock rhyme) finish that defines true Wuyi tea. One of the world's most sought-after teas.

• Origin: Wuyi Mountains, Fujian, China
• Oxidation: 60–70% (heavy roast oolong)
• Brew temp: 200°F / 93°C
• Steep time: 30–60 sec (gongfu), 3–4 min (Western)
• Size: 1.76oz / 50g

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Taiwan's mountain secret. The tea that changed everything.

High Mountain Oolong from Taiwan's Ali Shan and Li Shan growing regions sits at the pinnacle of the tea world. Grown at elevations above 5,000 feet in cool mountain mist, the leaves develop slowly — concentrating flavors that lower-altitude teas can never achieve. The result is a tea of extraordinary complexity: creamy, floral, almost buttery, with a sweetness that builds through multiple infusions.

This is the tea that converted generations of green tea drinkers. Once you taste a true high mountain oolong, there's no going back.

Tasting Notes: Orchid Flower · Cream · Honey · Sweet Lingering Finish
Type: High Mountain Oolong · Origin: Ali Shan, Taiwan · Infusions: 5–8 re-steeps possible

How to brew: 195°F water, 3g per 6oz, 45 seconds first steep, increasing 10 seconds per infusion.

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The highest grade of Japanese tea. Ground to perfection in Uji, Kyoto.

Ceremonial grade matcha is in a category of its own. Where culinary matcha is for baking and blending, ceremonial grade is meant to be drunk pure — whisked with hot water, nothing else, no milk, no sugar. It's the grade used in traditional Japanese tea ceremony, and the difference in quality is immediately obvious in the cup.

Naoki Matcha sources from Uji, Kyoto — Japan's most celebrated tea-growing region — harvesting only the first flush of young shade-grown leaves for maximum sweetness, umami depth, and vivid color. No bitterness. Just pure, grassy, oceanic depth.

Tasting Notes: Sweet Umami · Oceanic · Grassy · Creamy Finish
Grade: Ceremonial · Origin: Uji, Kyoto, Japan · Harvest: First Flush

How to prepare: Sift 1–2g into a warmed bowl. Add 70ml water at 175°F. Whisk in a zigzag motion until frothy. Drink immediately.

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The champagne of teas. Picked once a year.

First Flush Darjeeling is the most celebrated tea harvest in the world. Plucked in March and April from the misty foothills of the Himalayas, the very first leaves of the season carry a delicacy that is impossible to replicate. Light, floral, and impossibly nuanced — this is what tea lovers mean when they say a cup can transport you.

VAHDAM sources directly from premium Indian plantations, vacuum-sealing within 24–72 hours of harvest to lock in that garden-fresh aroma. Shipped direct from India to your door.

Tasting Notes: Muscatel Grape · Fresh Florals · Green Grass · Honey
Type: Black Tea · Harvest: First Flush · Origin: Darjeeling, India · Cups: ~50 cups per pack

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