Why 2008 has been so good for Green Teas and others...

In spite of the Chinese cold weather earlier this year, it has been a stunning year for green teas. We look back at the Spring season and list the teas we're most proud to have in our collection.

This Year's Dragon Well, especially the Pre Rain (very early first picking before the April 5th Spring festival called Qing Ming) was outstandingly good with rich, juicy buds full of flavour. We are proud to say that the really hard work we have done with our suppliers near Hangzhou's West Lake, has really paid off. The organically farmed land is superb for making the best raw material for Dragon Well - this was clear to us the first time we saw it and tasted the tea. However, tea quality is not just determined by the quality of the raw leaf, it is also about how well the processing, packing and storage is carried out.

Every time we visited our suppliers over the last few years, we worked tirelessly to discuss what was needed to ensure that the amazing quality of the raw material was equalled by the quality and accuracy of the picking, withering, firing, packing and storage. We encouraged our supplier of Dragon Well to invite many of China's top Dragon Well experts to come and help delicately tune every stage of production. A complete renovation of the processing factory, with installation of new machinery, a huge cold storage area as well as implementation of the highest standards of hygiene (HACCP), care for the environment (ISO14001), Fair Trade inspection, all took place and added to their already existing organic status accredited by the German BCS ‘Oko Guarantee.’ While these standards and accreditations is fantastic, we view them as a bonus as our primary concern has always been the quality of the finished product above all else.

We were immensely proud of the Dragon Well but we were also very pleased indeed with the Downy Tip or Mao Jian in Mandarin Chinese. Dragon Well is hand fired in a wok. The Mao Jian is a much less expensive tea which is picked a little later in April (from 8th onwards) and is processed by machine - but don’t let this put you off. Our supplier purchased a new machine for firing the tea, in response to our advice, which is heated by hot air rather than by direct fire. This ensures much better control of temperature and a tea with the cleanest, purest flavour without any trace of burnt aroma or flavour, which is so common in Mao Jian style teas.

This year's Anji Bai Cha was outstanding (as it's always been) - the most thickly textured, glycerous infusion with rich abundant flavours. Remember to use plenty of leaf and steep with very cool water for best results. It tastes a little similar to some of the best Gyokuro from Japan, with a full umami flavour.

This spring's Big Red Robe Supreme is also a wonderful example of this tea. Replete with perfect mineral notes and hugely structured textures, finishing with lighter flavours of fruits and sweet roasted nuts.

The new additions, which we felt were outstanding, were Jun Shan Silver Needle and Mo Gan Huang Ya yellow teas. If you have not tried yellow tea before then these are a great place to start as they will show you how fantastic this little know category of tea can be. Jun Shan Island one of the most exclusive tea terroir – it is situated in the middle of Lake Dong Ting in Hunan Province. The rich, red, almost tropical soil and climate imbue the tea with the most incredible complexity of flavours of fruits, wines as well as sappy, thick textures presented in gentle waves of taste. It's a tea which has to be tasted to be understood. It also looks beautiful, composed of delicate downy buds, which when infused in a glass (with boiling water) stand upright like a forest or spears. Drinking it is almost a mystical, ethereal experience.

Mo Gan Huang Ya is a truly outstanding tea from Huzhou in Zhejiang province. Our selection is composed of the smallest, youngest buds picked and processed at the end of march (which is very early for tea production). It offers a soft and gentle alternative to green tea, without vegetal flavours.