Green tea
TenRen offers a wide variety of green tea products which are imported from China, a country famous for its high quality green tea. The selection includes many types and grades of green tea and has been expanded to include cookies and candies made from green tea.
Recent studies have discovered that green tea may promote good health. The following are the possible health benefits of green tea: reduces blood pressure, decreases the risk for heart attacks, stroke, and cancer, reduces total cholesterol and LDL ("bad" cholesterol), enhances digestion and immune system, and reduces cavities and gingivitis.
Jasmine
Jasmine Tea is a famous tea made from Green or Pouchong (Chinese Green) tea leaves that are scented with jasmine flowers. The jasmine flowers are harvested during the day and stored in a cool place until night. During the night, the flowers bloom with full fragrance. The flowers are layered over the tea leaves during the scenting process. The quality of Jasmine tea is determined by the quality of green tea used as its base and the effectiveness of the scenting. TenRen offers Jasmine tea, imported from China and Taiwan, in a variety of grades and modalities for your enjoyment.
Oolong
TenRen has been producing some of the world's finest oolong teas for over forty years. The best quality oolong is grown and harvested from the mountains of Taiwan such as the Tianli Oolong, the finest and most rare oolong.
Oolong is a semi-fermented tea which is known for its rich taste and pleasant lasting aftertaste. TenRen's oolongs are further classified as Dark or Green with Dark Oolongs baked longer than Green Oolongs. Green Oolongs (which are not related to Green teas in any way) tend to have a stronger fragrance while Dark Oolongs tend to have a stronger aftertaste. Our Special Baked Oolong is the only Oolong that is an intermediate Dark-Green Oolong.
Ten Ren offers one of the most extensive selections of oolong tea products available: tea bags, candy, loose tea, and special loose teas in canisters and gift packages.
Tianli is TenRen's most unique and highest quality Oolong. Grown in the Li Mountains of Taiwan, this tea is harvested at the highest elevation of 1200 meters in an isolated area. Due to the cold weather and relatively harsh environment, the plants grow at a very slow rate and in small quantities. The tea is either harvested during the winter or summer and sometimes only once during the entire year. After the harvest, the leaves are carefully handled and aerated during the long ride to the nearest tea master. Despite the difficult growing conditions, the leaves are selected as the highest quality of Oolong. Net tea weight is 2.6 oz (75g) and shipping weight is 0.3 lb.
High Grade Special Baked Oolong
TenRen's High Grade Special Baked Oolong is unique in that it is baked to the point which classifies it as in between Green and Dark Oolong. The choice of tea leaves harvested and used are a higher grade than our standard Special Baked Oolong. Net tea weight is 10.6 oz (300g) and shipping weight is 1.08 lbs.
King's Tea
King's Tea, a TenRen exclusive, is made of high quality oolong tea blended with a touch of ginseng to create an incredible aftertaste. The tea has the rich smooth taste of oolong with an aftertaste which is sweeter and longer lasting than the traditional oolong tea. The bitter tartness associated with ginseng can not be tasted in this tea. King's Tea is offered in two varieties, Green and Dark, each in several different grades. The Green and Dark King's Teas are determined by how long the base oolong is baked, with Dark ones baked longer than Green ones. The different grades depend on the quality of the oolong leaves. Try this unique tea and taste why it is popular in southern Asia.
Black tea
Black tea is the most popular tea in the world. It is the tea most widely used in making iced tea and English tea. Ten Ren offers a wide variety of black tea in tea bag and loose tea forms. In addition to pure black tea, new tastes and flavors have been created by blending black tea with chrysanthemums, plums, ginger, hibiscus, or lemon. With all these selections, there is a black tea to suit your taste.
White Tea
White Tea is grown in the high mountains of Fujian province. Like Green tea, White tea is also an unfermented tea. White tea leaves are quickly and completely dried after harvest to prevent fermentation/oxidation and permit a purer, more "natural" state. This freshness is what researchers from Oregon State University report may cause White tea to have a greater concentration of polyphenols than Green tea and therefore may have the strongest anti-cancer potential of all teas. White tea has the sweet aroma of fresh tea leaves and is unique in quality.
Pouchong
Pouchong is also known as Chinese Green tea by some. However, it is a slightly fermented tea (10%-20%), which differs from Green tea, a completely unfermented tea. When brewed, it produces a light yellow hue, a mild aroma, and a delicate flavor. Pouchong tea, originated in the Pinlin region outside of Taipei, Taiwan. In Taiwan, Pouchong is only produced in this region and this region's Pouchong is recognized as the finest in the world. Pouchong has a milder flavor than Oolong tea yet stronger than Green tea. Its taste is appreciated by tea connoisseurs worldwide.
Pu-Erh Tea
Pu-Erh Tea is a famous and popular beverage in Canton province and Southwestern China. It is a post-fermented tea. When brewed Pu-Erh tea has a dark reddish color with a strong, full and earthy taste. Water at boiling point should be used for steeping. Here you find Pu-Erh tea and tea blends in tea bags and loose Pu-Erh tea in a variety of grades.
Ti Kuan Yin
Ti Kuan Yin is related to the Oolong tea family because it is a semi-fermented tea. It is a very close relative of Dark Oolong tea because it is baked longer than Green Oolong, however Ti Kuan Yin differs from all Oolongs because it is allowed to ferment longer. Ti Kuan Yin tea leaves tend to be more spherical than Oolong tea leaves. Due to the dark appearance of the dry leaves and a ancient story, Ti Kuan Yin is named after the Iron Goddess of Mercy. Tea brewed from Ti Kuan Yin typically has a golden brown color, strong baked aroma, rich taste, and a sweet roasted aftertaste. TenRen offers Ti Kuan Yin in a variety of grades and canisters.
Tea history
Pre-Classical Period (Before 618 A.D.)
Legend has it that the first person to drink tea was a man named, Shien Non Shei, who one day took his wife and children mountain climbing. During the climb Shien Non Shei became quite thirsty and while he was feeling thirsty a leaf drifted onto his foot. He picked this leaf up and twisted the leaf with his fingers. The juice of the leaf went on to his fingers and he tasted the juice with his tongue. The taste of the juice was quite bitter, so Shien Non Shei felt that this leaf could have medicinal properties and could help quench thirst, when brewed. Thus, according to legend he was the first individual to drink tea.
The first written reference of tea made and consumed appeared in 350 A.D. Kuo P'o' updated an old Chinese dictionary to include the description of tea as ¡°a beverage made from boiled leaves.¡± Tea during this time was made of leaves boiled in water with ginger, orange or other produce added to it. Although tea was mostly consumed for medicinal purposes to treat digestive and nervous conditions, people living in the interior part of China pressed tea into brick ¡°currency¡± to barter with other tribes.
From 350 to 600 A.D., the demand for tea dramatically increased and outstripped the supply of wild tea trees. Farmers began to grow tea plants in the Szechwan district, but soon tea cultivation had spread throughout China.
Classical Period (618-907 A.D., Tang Dynasty)
During this time, tea drinking evolved into an art form. Tea as part of the Chinese culture was epitomized by the book ¡°Ch'a Ching¡± or ¡°Tea Classic¡± written by Lu Yu in 780 A.D. This three volume book covered everything related to tea from the proper techniques to growing plants to brewing tea. There was even a detailed description of a formal tea ceremony utilizing 27 pieces of equipment. Due to the complexity and the great number of accessories needed for the tea ceremony, only the affluent connoisseurs could afford all the equipment and the servants needed to prepare the tea. The connoisseurs included scholars, officials, and members of the royal court who studied the teachings of Confucius. As a result, the culture of tea contained a poetic aura. Tea during this period was sold in a brick form. The leaves were steamed, crushed, fired, and crushed into a brick. Tea was made by breaking a piece from this brick and boiling it in water.
Lu Yu because of his book, ¡°Tea Classic¡± is considered to be the ¡°Father of Tea¡± in Chinese history. When he was a young boy, he was abandoned and Chi Chan, abbot of the Dragon Cloud Zen Monastery, adopted him. Lu Yu was brought up in the Zen tradition but decided to pursue the more poetic and scholarly ways of the Confucian tradition. After writing his ¡°Tea Classic,¡± he attracted many students and became a friend of the Emperor.
Romantic Period (690-1279 A.D., Sung Dynasty)
During this period, every aspect of tea was further refined. Harvests became carefully regulated affairs. Before the harvest began, sacrifices were made to mountain deities. After a specific day was chosen to harvest the leaves at their peak, the tea pickers picked leaves to the rhythm of a drum or cymbal. The tea pickers were usually young girls who had to keep their fingernails a certain length in order to pick the leaves without touching their skin. The freshly harvested leaves were sorted by grades with the best grades sent to the emperor as tribute. A cake of high grade tea could be worth several pieces of gold while one of the highest grade would be priceless. Tea during this time was made by breaking a piece off a tea brick and grinding it into a powder. This powder was then added to hot water and whipped with a bamboo whisk.
Tea rooms and houses were built in order to enjoy tea at a social and spiritual level. There were even competitions among tea connoisseurs who were judged on the way they conducted their ceremony and on the quality of the tea leaves, water, and brewed tea. The art of making ceramic tea equipment was developed a great deal during this period. Tea bowls became deeper and wider to aid in the whipping. Since the prepared tea had a very light green hue, black and deep blue glazes were used on the bowls to enhance the tea's color. The most famous style of these bowls was a black bowl with lines running down the bowl called rabbits fur. Zen philosophy dominated this period and tea preparation became less complicated and more peaceful. The Japanese art of tea has its roots from this era.
Naturalistic Period (1368-1911 A.D., Ming & Ching Dynasties)
During this era, tea became a beverage to be enjoyed by everyone, rich and poor, Chinese and Europeans. The first written mention of tea in Europe was in Gaimbattista Ramusio's book ¡°Voyages and Travels.¡± He was a secretary of the Venetian Council of Ren, and he wrote about the health enhancing properties of tea. In 1606, the Dutch East India Company imported the first shipments of Chinese tea. Tea consumption spread throughout Europe, Africa, and the rest of Asia. In 1773, a group of U.S. colonists protesting the taxation of tea by Great Britain, boarded a ship from the Dutch East India Company and dumped its cargo of tea. This event known as the Boston Tea Party is the reason why tea is not subject to import taxes today in the United States.
Tea during this time was made from loose leaves steeped in hot water. Different methods to process tea originated during this period, which as a result led to different types of tea such as green, oolong, and black teas.
Present Day
Today, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world after water. TenRen was founded in Taiwan in the early 1950's with the goal of preserving and educating the art of Chinese tea. In the United States tea has been experiencing tremendous growth. TenRen has been operating in the United States and Canada since the early 1980s with the goal of introducing the art of Chinese tea to a new audience. TenRen's Lu Yu Tea Institute in Taiwan was established in 1970 with the goal of developing and refining Chinese tea culture. The Lu Yu Tea Institue has been the leader in the research, systemization, and development of tea equipment and tea brewing techniques. It has helped to educate many in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and elsewhere in the proper methods and techniques of Chinese tea culture.
