Huoshan Huang Ya is one of Anhui’s most famous teas- first appearing in the Han Dynasty, and listed as an official imperial tribute tea in the Tang Dynasty. This special delicate reserve level tea is made by covering the leaves before they are fully dry but after they are heat fixed to trigger enzymatic changes that bring out deep rich flavor and texture in the finished buds. The Cheng family’s high elevation harvest from their biodiverse pristine mountain plot is packed with notes of cucumber and watermelon, daffodil, steamed bun and toasted fennel.

Qimen is famous specifically for it's tiny buddy black teas like this one. It takes an incredible amount of labor to pick enough buds for even one pound of Reserve Qimen, but the results are so exquisite that Master Cheng shares it as his pride and joy every year. The buddy quality gives this tea a very thick feeling on the palate and potent, powerful flavor and aroma.

Shu Cheng Xiao Lan Hua was designated in 2010 as an intangible cultural heritage of Anhui county, celebrating its history and importance for the region since the Qing Dynasty. The tiny little pre-Qingming buds needed to make this tea are labor-intensive to harvest, with a full day of picking yielding less than a pound of finished buds. The name “Little Orchid” comes from the way the buds unfurl in the cup like little orchid blooms and from their deep floral aromatics.