Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Silver Needle) White Tea (Organic) 2010 20% off
Liu An Gua Pian (Organic) Green Tea 2010 20% off
Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) Rock Oolong 2009 20% off
Ye Fang (Wild Bush) Dan Cong Oolong 2009 20% off
Premium Keemun Black Tea (Organic) 2009 20% off
Seven Cups Shu Bing (Black Puer Cake) 2008 400gLate Spring Oolong China Tea Tour
Our Oolong Tea Tour (April 17 – April 30) will feature Oolong teas and Black teas that are harvested early in the summer.
Tour date: April 17-April 30, 2010 (exact dates subject to change)
Duration: 14 days in China
Tour cost: $3,500
Single room supplement: $635
Minimum deposit: $1,500 (refundable until 60 days prior to departure)
Tour cost includes: All local travel, all meals, all hotels, and all entry fees to events/museums from April 17 to April 29 (accommodations for the night before the tour starts are not included)
Tour cost does not include: Airfare to and from Guangzhou, visas, immunizations, or tips
Day-By-Day Itinerary
To be on time for the beginning of this tour, please plan to arrive in Guangzhou by Saturday, April 17, 2010. We recommend that you arrive no later than 12:00pm (noon).
Day 1 (4/17) Daytrip around Guangzhou
After we pick you up from the airport, we will ease into our first day in China with a driving tour of the old part of Guangzhou. Zhuping will take you to a famous local teahouse to recharge with some tea as you tour the city. Then we’ll have a special dinner in a park, where tea is integrated into the cuisine.
Day 2 (4/18) Fly to Chaozhou (Dan Cong)
This ancient city will be our home-base for the next few days. We arrive here in Chaozhou in the afternoon and we’ll take a bus tour of the city. We’ll have our first meeting with Master Ye (he’s pictured in the product photo!) and taste some Dan Cong teas with him. Master Ye produces Dan Cong oolongs and is one of the leading authorities on Chaozhou’s tea culture. We’ll also visit an old neighborhood full of ancient architecture.
Day 3 (4/19) Daytrip to Phoenix Mountain and Wu Dong Mountain (Dan Cong)
Today we’ll head out to visit the area around Phoenix Mountain, particularly Wu Dong Mountain, which is famous for old single-bush Dan Cong teas. Most of the bushes are more than 200 years old. Then we’ll take you to a traditional workshop to see farmers producing Dan Cong from single bushes. You’ll have a chance to drink a wide variety of single-bush teas from different bushes. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to ask lots of questions, and even taste the fresh Mao Cha (freshly-processed, but before the leaves are separated into different grades) that is used to make Dan Cong.
Day 4 (4/20) Daytrip around Chaozhou (Gong Fu Cha)
In the morning we’ll visit Mr. Wu, a Chaozhou Zhuni teapot master. Mr. Wu will show you how to make a Zhuni teapot. Then we walk through a couple of private museums to admire wood carvings and embroidery. After the musuem, we’ll visit a teahouse in Chaozhou to try different flavors and grades of Dan Cong oolongs. We have arranged a special tea ceremony, called Chaozhou Gong Fu Cha, for you. The tea master will teach you how to use traditional tools to make Gong Fu Cha, so that you have a chance to practice this ceremony. Gong Fu Cha is considered a Chinese Cultural Treasure (“Fei Wu Zhi Wen Hua Yi Chan”). Of all ancient Chinese tea ceremonies, Gong Fu Cha is the only one that has been consistently practiced to the present day. We’ve learned the other ceremonies from books and local tea culture habits.
Day 5 (4/21) Daytrip around Chaozhou (Chaozhou Local Culture)
Chaozhou is renowned for its porcelain and its unique cuisine. Today we’ll visit Chaozhou’s famous Porcelain Teaware Market before heading to Kai Yuan Si, a temple from the Tang Dynasty that’s over 1,000 years old. We’ll have a vegetarian lunch in the temple’s restaurant, then head to one of China’s four ancient bridges, called Guang Zhi Qiao. If you’re interested, Zhuping will take you to some of her favorite shops that line Chaozhou’s Song Dynasty-era streets.
Day 6 (4/22) Chaozhou to Anxi (Anxi Oolong)
After we arrive in Anxi in the afternoon, we’ll make for the Anxi Tea Museum. Then we’ll visit a tea garden that has a variety of Anxi oolong bushes, and Zhuping will teach you how to distinguish between the bushes. Thirsty? Not to worry, we’ll make sure to have some tea at a local teahouse!
Day 7 (4/23) Daytrip to Anxi’s countryside (High Mountain Anxi Tea)
Today we’ll head out to the countryside around Anxi. We’ll see how local farmers use traditional methods to produce tea. As a note, Anxi oolong production has been significantly influenced by Taiwanese techniques, but these people are still making oolongs in the traditional way. We’ll meet Master Zhang and his family to see what “traditional” oolong production means. Master Zhang is looking forward to letting you try some of these techniques yourself. As we travel through the countryside, you’ll see how the old architecture differs from that in the city.
Day 8 (4/24) Anxi to Wu Yi Mountain (Da Hong Pao)
Today we’ll travel to Wu Yi mountain to study Da Hong Pao, the most famous rock oolong in China. Zhuping will take you to see Da Hong Pao’s mother bush, which is over 350 years old, in a special park. We’ll tour Wu Yi Mountain, which is the birthplace of China’s rock oolongs, and visit the temple where people believe that oolong tea was invented.
Day 9 (4/25) Meet Master Liu Guo Ying (Traditional Rock Oolong Tea)
From his garden to his workshop, Master Liu will show you the entire process of picking and producing traditional rock oolong teas by hand. He will teach you how different bushes, soils, roasting techniques, and grades all yield different flavors of oolong. Come thirsty…we’ll taste a lot of tea today!
Day 10 (4/26) Meet Master Jiang (Popular Rock Oolong Tea)
Today we will visit Master Jiang in her factory. We’ll walk through her organic tea garden to see how she has planted the garden, how she cultivates the tea using organic methods, and how she makes a very fragrant oolong. She will also teach you the differences between tea bushes in a special demonstration garden where she has many different varietals of rock oolongs. We’ll dine on local food in the area’s picturesque bamboo forest.
Day 11 (4/27) Daytrip to Tong Mu Village (Lapsang Souchong Black Tea)
We’ll take a break from oolongs to visit Tong Mu Village, nestled in the Tong Mu Natural Preserve, which is the home of Lapsang Souchong. You’ll meet Master Liang Jun De and the three families that have been responsible for authentic Lapsang Souchong for many generations, and see a 100-year-old tea factory constructed entirely of wood. You’ll learn why this tea is smokey and have an opportunity to witness the whole process of making this special tea, starting with the famous black tea bush, the “Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong,” in the family’s wild tea garden.
Day 12 (4/28) Tour Wu Yi Mountain
Today we’ll relax and enjoy some of the culture around Wu Yi Mountain. We’ll float along the river in a bamboo boat to enjoy the gorgeous scenery. On the boat, you’ll have a chance to absorb the scenery and learn why this particular area is so well suited for oolong tea. Then we’ll visit an ancient kiln where the original Mo Cha tea bowls were produced. Mo Cha is a powdered green tea popular during the Tang and Song Dynasties, when it was drunk in a bowl. After a visit to a local teahouse, Zhuping will show you how to relax, Chinese-style, and you’ll have a chance to shop for local products.
Day 13 (4/29) Wu Yi to Guangzhou
We’ll head back to Guangzhou and visit a local teahouse to try some Puer, Green, Black, and other teas. Zhuping will teach you about these different kinds of tea. You enjoy some delicious Guangdonese food along the Pearl River. The Pearl River was once the primary artery through which tea was exported around the world.
Day 14 (4/30) Back home!
