How we buy tea
From a handful of gardens we know by name, tasted before it reaches the shelf.
Every lot is tasted first
Gardens send small samples of each harvest. We cup them side by side, the same way as at our Saturday cupping, and buy only the ones we would drink every day.
- We buy direct or through one importer we trust
- We list the garden and the harvest on every bag
- We sell a tea until it runs out, then wait for the next harvest
Where our tea comes from
We buy from a handful of gardens we know by name, taste every lot before it reaches the shelf and buy again only when the new harvest is as good.
Shizuoka, Japan
Sencha from a family farm that steams its leaf the same morning it is picked.
Anxi and Wuyi, China
Oolongs from two cooperatives; the rock oolong is roasted over charcoal in autumn.
Darjeeling, India
First and second flush from one estate, bought by the lot after tasting samples.
Yunnan, China
Raw and ripe pu-erh pressed into cakes by a small factory we have visited twice.
Come and taste first
The tasting table is open from 11:00 every day except Monday. Taste any tea on the shelf before you buy it; there is no charge.