Hong Kong Tea Tasting at “Plantation by teakha”
Tea. You’ll be served a freshly brewed cup wherever you go in Hong Kong. So, I decided to learn more about it at a Hong Kong tea tasting.
I grew up in a country without much of a tea culture. Unsurprisingly, I thought of tea as a medicinal plant. In my mind, it was a potion to help with the flu and stomach pain.:))
Years later, while exploring Sri Lanka and its incredible tea plantations, I discovered that tea is much more than I had thought.
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Table of Contents
- Hong Kong tea tasting – the experience and what I’ve learned
Hong Kong tea tasting – the experience and what I’ve learned
Moving to Hong Kong made me more curious about tea ceremonies in China and beyond. Thus, I started looking for the perfect place to experience them.
That’s how I discovered the tea wonderland at Plantation by Teakha and their Introduction to Tea event, also held in English.
It was a moody Monday morning when I woke up filled with anticipation. I took the MTR all the way to Say Wan to be welcomed by Nana Chan, the tea-passionate owner of Plantation by Teakha and Teakha Tea Shop, where you’ll find not only some of the best high tea in Hong Kong but also delicious tarts.
The small place at Plantation offers a cozy feel, perfect for learning more about tea while enjoying some of the best high tea in Hong Kong.
Spend the perfect time with my 4 days Hong Kong Itinerary
I’ve done wine tastings in Romania, Italy, and Santorini. We also had a lovely cheese-tasting experience in the Netherlands, but I would never have considered tea-tasting. Silly me!
And somehow, my journey to Asia made me curious and led me to my first Hong Kong tea tasting.
On the table, we had nicely arranged several tiny teacups and six different types of tea. I was about to learn that tea tasting follows the same steps as any other kind of tasting.
You get to see, smell, and taste all the different stages of the tea.
We smelled the dry leaves, saw how the flavor was released once we put them in a warm cup, their smell after the first and second infusion, and the taste of each tea stage.
Green tea –> Pre-Qingming Longjing
It is perhaps the best high tea in Hong Kong.
The first tea we tasted was a Longjing green tea from one of the five Longjing production areas in Xihu Lake, just outside of Hangzhou.
Its name comes from its harvest period, which can be before or after the Qingming Festival or Ancestors’ Day. It falls on the first day of the fifth solar term of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar.
The pre-Qingming Longjing we tasted was very light and delicate, coming from very young leaves, while the tea harvested after the festival became stronger and darker.
Once harvested, the Longjing green tea goes through a short production process: it is roasted by hand in a large wok-like iron pan.
What else I’ve learned about green tea?
- Green tea must be kept in the refrigerator but in a sealed bag because it absorbs different smells.
- It shouldn’t be boiled, so pour hot water (up to 70 degrees) over the leaves and let it infuse for a few minutes.
White tea –> White Peony Tea Cake
White Peony tea is perhaps one of the most famous Chinese white teas. It is considered a high-grade tea made from the youngest leaves and unopened leaf buds.
The tea we tasted was from a tea cake made in Fuding in Fujian province, harvested in early Spring, giving it a mild and refreshing taste.
What else I’ve learned about white tea?
- The older the tea, the better. Naturally, price increases, along with its medicinal properties.
- White tea should not be boiled, but it can be infused at 80 degrees (slightly higher when in cake form);
- White tea is held in cake tea for storage purposes.
Oolong tea –> Shanlinxi Milky Oolong
I also chose to take home the Shanlinxi Milky Oolong, which is originally from Shanlinxi province in central Taiwan. Although the best oolong tea comes from Taiwan, it is also harvested in mainland China.
This Taiwanese ball-rolled Oolong tea is harvested at an altitude of 1400 m and has a buttery, floral, milky fragrance. The tea leaves are rolled in a ball to improve oxidation and preservation over time.
Oolong tea is not as sensible as green and white teas; thus, boiling water can be poured over it and infused for several minutes.
Oolong tea –> Red Oolong
Very similar to black tea, the red Oolong tea we tasted was one of the rare teas from Taitung in Eastern Taiwan.
Red Oolong in this area is harvested during the summer months. A green leafhopper ingests it, contributing to the tea’s oxidation and overall production process.
As a result, the red Oolong has a natural honey flavor, a ripened longan fruit aroma, and a nectar-like silky body.
This was maybe one of the strongest and most stringent of the six teas we tasted. It is not particularly “my cup of tea,” but it is definitely something worth trying.
Black Tea –> Keemun Xiang Luo
One of the best high teas in Hong Kong, this hand-made black tea comes from the Qimen mountains in Anhui province. Most of it was traditionally exported to the UK.
You might recognize its smell once it comes in contact with a hot cup and starts releasing its natural oils, just because the same tea is used for the famous English Breakfast tea.
Puerh –> Rice Scent Aged Puerh
If you’ve ever been to a dim sum place in Hong Kong, you’re not a stranger to the taste and smell of puerh tea, traditionally known for its digestive properties.
But the coal-like rice-scented aged Puerh (10 years) differs from anything you’ve tried. It was harvested from actual trees, some over 100 years old, in the Menghai region.
The tea then goes through a specific process, being fermented in a dark and dry room with rice bacteria, which gives it the unique rice scent that makes it different from other aged puerhs.
I must admit I expected a strong, bitter taste, something I would not enjoy. But to my surprise, the rice scent of aged Puerh was delicious, soft, and discrete.
Other tea facts worth knowing
- A good tea is an aged tea.
- There is also “Yellow tea” between White and Oolong, but it is very rare—only two kinds are produced in China.
- Teas do not have an expiration date, but they might change their taste in time.
- Teas have caffeine, but its concentration depends on many factors, such as temperature and fermentation.
- Infuse 6 g of tea into a 450 ml teapot.
This being said, I enjoyed my Hong Kong tea-tasting experience. I encourage you not to take my word for it but to try it out if you’ve ever been curious and want to learn more about tea and its types.
