World of Tea Series: A Flight of Rare Teas at Phoenix Tea

The good people behind the Northwest Tea Festival also coordinate the World of Tea Series, tea workshops and demonstrations held at venues in the Pacific Northwest throughout the year.  If you'd like to take part in future events, be sure to check the World of Tea Series page regularly for updates.

On June 15th, Phoenix Tea hosted A Flight of Rare Teas, a tea tasting event featuring rare, single-origin teas from 6 unique growing regions.  

Phoenix Tea is located in Burien on SW 152nd Street, west off Ambaum Boulevard.  They offer a wide selection of fine and hand-crafted teas, tea ware, and accessories.  Phoenix Tea also offers workshops and tasting events throughout the year.

Lu Yu was there go greet me as I entered the shop.  Tea menus are available and the selection of teas can also be prepared in a cup to go.   

The first tea we tasted was the 2013 Mei Gui Dan Cong from Fenghuang Shan (Phoenix Mountain) in Guangdong, China.  The leaves from a wild tea tree were hand-picked and hand-processed by a 5th generation tea master in Wudong.  Its heady rose fragrance really set the tone for this special evening. 

I was fascinated by the olive pit charcoal in this Chaozhou tea oven.

The second tea of the evening was a 2012 Compressed Junshan Yellow from Junshan in Hunan, China.  I have a special place in my heart for yellow tea, so this was a real treat.  The style is relatively new and this brick was hand-made by the 3rd generation of one of the most famous yellow tea masters in China.

The third tea of the evening was a 2013 Hand-Crafted Purple from the southern slopes of Mount Kenya.  This new tea was first produced just a few months ago by Royal Tea of Kenya. The steeped leaves had notes of chocolate and the infusion had an aroma of warm berry liqueur. 

The fourth tea was a 2012 Jiri Mountain Hwangcha from Korea.  This tea was hand-picked and processed from wild and semi-wild tea bushes and is one of the rarest teas in Korea.  

Two yellow teas in the same evening?  I'm in heaven!  

The fifth tea was a 1985 Kang Zhuan from Ya An in Sichuan, China.  This dark tea has the wonderfully smooth flavor, aroma, and mouth-feel you would expect in a well-aged tea.  I wish I'd had more time to linger over this one.

The final tea for the evening was a 2013 Roasted Oolong Stem from Nantou County, Taiwan.  This medium roasted oolong was hand-picked in Tungting in 2011.  A flavorful tea with nutty and citrus notes, this was a fine finish to a wonderful evening.  

I had a great evening learning about and tasting these skillfully prepared, rare teas and I look forward to future events with Phoenix Tea and Northwest Tea Festival!