We Bring Your Mountains
Single-origin tea, from growers we know by name.
Gaoligong Mountain, Yunnan
where our sun-dried black tea grows
Mid-Autumn Selection
Two teas for the Mid-Autumn table: a gold-medal Wuyi Rougui from a new grower, and a sun-dried black tea from the old trees of Gaoligong Mountain.
A hand-made black tea from 40-to-70-year-old trees on Gaoligong Mountain, dried in the sun instead of the oven — smooth, sweet, and made to keep.
O R I G I N — Gaoligong Mountain, Baoshan, Yunnan · 4,400–4,900 ft
T Y P E — Black tea · Yunnan large-leaf · sun-dried
H A R V E S T — Spring 2026
C A F F E I N E — Medium–high
Yangzong Farm sits halfway up Gaoligong Mountain, next to a national forest reserve, looking over the dry, sunny valley of the Nu River. Its old garden was planted forty to seventy years ago and has been left to grow wild among the forest trees. The tea is made entirely by hand and dried in the sun rather than in an oven, which is what keeps it soft and lets it age.
A R O M A — Rich and full: flower honey and mountain air, sunk into the cup rather than sitting on top
T A S T E — Warm, soft and clearly sweet — no bitterness, no astringency, and still sweet after ten steeps.
WHAT YOU GET — One brew is 0.2 oz (6 g) of tea in a 4 oz (115 ml) gaiwan, about 1 part tea to 19 parts water. Re-steep the same leaves ten times or more: 40 oz of tea from one brew.
2 brews · 0.4 oz (12 g) · 80 oz of tea
4 brews · 0.85 oz (24 g) · 160 oz of tea
6 brews · 1.3 oz (36 g) · 240 oz of tea
A gorge-grown Zhengyan rock oolong from a new grower in the Wuyi Mountains — charcoal roasted by hand, gold medal winner in 2025.
O R I G I N — Wuyi Mountains, Fujian · Zhengyan core zone
T Y P E — Oolong · Wuyi rock tea · Rougui cultivar
H A R V E S T — Spring 2025
C A F F E I N E — Medium high
Wuyi tea is graded by where it grows. Zhengyan, the core cliffs inside the scenic reserve, is the top tier, and inside Zhengyan the most prized plots are the gorges — narrow cuts between rock walls where the tea sees little direct sun, the air stays damp, and weathered rock washes into the soil. This lot grows in one of those gorges; it is our first season with Chenqinyuan (宸沁苑), the family company that makes it.
The first cups lead with the roast — toffee and toasted bread — then the cinnamon comes through, and by the third or fourth steep the fruit shows: ripe peach, a little dried apricot. The body is full and slightly thick, with a gentle dryness on the roof of the mouth that turns sweet a few seconds later. The finish is where the gorge shows: a cool, mineral aftertaste that stays long after the cup is empty.
A R O M A — Cinnamon bark and toasted bread, with peach underneath
T A S T E — Full and smooth, cinnamon and ripe peach over toffee, a mineral finish that lasts for minutes
WHAT YOU GET — One brew is 0.2 oz (6 g) of tea in a 4 oz (115 ml) gaiwan, about 1 part tea to 19 parts water. Re-steep the same leaves eight to ten times: about 40 oz of tea from one brew.
2 brews · 0.4 oz (12 g) · about 80 oz of tea
4 brews · 0.85 oz (24 g) · about 160 oz of tea
6 brews · 1.3 oz (36 g) · about 240 oz of tea
Also On the Table
Three teas that belong on a Mid-Autumn table: loquat flower for the cool evening, Red Oolong to go with the mooncake, ripe pu'er for after the meal.
Fuding white tea blended with dried loquat blossoms.
O R I G I N — Fuding, Fujian
T Y P E — White tea with loquat blossoms
A G E D — 7 Years
C A F F E I N E — Low
S I Z E — 7 mini cakes per bag
Fuding Da Bai leaves are barely processed, just withered and dried, which leaves room for the blossoms to speak. The flowers add a soft, honeyed sweetness to the tea's quiet character.
A R O M A — Soft honeyed florals with a hint of fruit
T A S T E — Mellow and smooth, a delicate floral sweetness, a calm finish
Heavily oxidized oolong from Luye, halfway to black tea.
O R I G I N — Luye, Taitung, Taiwan
T Y P E — Heavily oxidized oolong (70–80%)
C A F F E I N E — Medium
S I Z E — 40 g (1.4 oz)
Red oolong is a modern Taiwanese craft made here from the Qingxin cultivar. Oxidized far past most oolongs, it lands between oolong and black tea, with the depth of one and the texture of the other.
A R O M A — Ripe fruit over warm roasted notes
T A S T E — Rich and mellow, sweet fruit and toasted warmth, a long finish with a pleasant edge of bitterness
Single-session cakes of smooth, fully fermented pu'er.
O R I G I N — Yunnan
T Y P E — Ripe pu'er, pressed mini cakes
A G E D — 8 Years
C A F F E I N E — Medium
S I Z E — 10 cakes per bag
Pressed from the leaves of fifty-year-old trees at around 1200 meters, fully fermented, then aged until the edges soften. Deep and smooth with no bitterness. One cake is a full session, at home or on the road.
A R O M A — Dark earth, sweet dates, a hint of dark chocolate
T A S T E — Smooth, mellow sweetness with rich earthy depth
M I D - A U T U M N T A S T I N G
Sept 19 – Oct 4
45 min · $35 per seat Up to 8 guests
3-4 teas of the season brewed at the table — including the Gold Medal Wuyi Rougui — with a fourth if the group is quick. A mooncake to go with them, vegan or classic. Forty-five minutes, small group, guided by us.
P L A Y
Game of Tea: Mountain Lord
A little AR tea game — climb a tea mountain, then learn to brew the leaf you find.
A B O U T
For seven years, our founder has traveled to the tea mountains himself — from Taitung to Zhangping to Fenghuang — sourcing directly from growers and tea makers he knows personally.
We bring each tea to Chicago in small batches. When a harvest is gone, we wait for the next.
From their hands to your cup.
Living water flows from the source.