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unique origin-sourced
old world teas

recent arrivals

2021 Raw Pu'er

verdant thickness from new and interesting terroirs

2021 Taiwanese Oolongs

choice April and May harvests from the island

Aged White Teas from Zhenghe County, Fujian

teas, medicines, & treasures in various styles

Mu Dan Wang "King Bai Mu Dan" Zhenghe White

fresh fujianese imperial bai cha

recent words

Dimensions of White Tea, an Introduction

You might have heard of White Tea: "one year tea, three years medicine, seven years treasure.” But what allows white tea to transform so remarkably — into medicine, and then treasure as they say — after just a few years?

Yiwu Part I: At a Glance

Not just a township, but a larger area and even a mindset, we look at why Yiwu occupies an inimitable cornerstone of the pu'erh experience. Series by Gus

Tea as Ritual

Tea scholar, educator, and Rivers & Lakes community guest writer Miles Cramer pens an essay providing a tasteful glance at tea's journey through time as a ritual communion.

riversandlakestea

This, ladies and gents and everyone in between, is

This, ladies and gents and everyone in between, is the first wave announcement of our drop of this year’s Taiwanese winter gao shan oolong! I’ll give you some prettier angles soon, but this one is ripe for the taking, starting now. Another Yung family harvest, hailing from the climes of Long Feng Xia, a part of Shan Lin Xi. This one was gathered and processed in mid October. A huge thank you goes out to @bart_tha_third 安伯廷 who originally started Rivers & Lakes with me, and is responsible for making the connection to this special tea family. #riversandlakestea #gaoshancha #taiwanesewulong #gongfucha #shanlinxi #longfengxia #oolong

I picked up this lovely kettle and stove combo fro

I picked up this lovely kettle and stove combo from Emilio at @thejadeleaf a while back, and I finally found myself with the time to teach myself charcoal stove water boiling. A lovely completely unplugged session with one of Dá É’s shu pu, brewed using @nuev_orden gaiwan and @pskeramika cups. I think @onerivertea made a recent post about charcoal stoves and that the excitement upon the success of a boil giving you a ‘dad-like’ pride. Indeed 😎 What are you drinking today?

Here’s a silly photo of me in the woods with som

Attractive homies pouring tea, what’s not to lik

Attractive homies pouring tea, what’s not to like. Don’t just live vicariously through the scroll — grab some leaves, get outside, have fun. the 21% off sale continues onwards, with about 24 more hours left: our most friendly / fiscally irresponsible sale yet. Don’t miss out on this lunacy. And why yes, those are fine @pskeramika cups and a sleek new test pot @m.e.cotterman gave us. #riversandlakestea #tea #chadao #gongfucha #teaoutside #teainnature #teatime #oolong #puerh #chaqi #teaholic #pourn #ilovetea #teamoment #tealifestyle #teagram #🍵 #чай #茶#çay #차 #普洱 #工夫茶

One of our fav early spring teas of the year is th

One of our fav early spring teas of the year is this 2021 Mi Ya Yin Zhen, a special grade of Bai Hao Yin Zhen Silver Needles. 🔸 The ever growing connoisseur market for Fujian white tea over the past decade has ushered in interesting distinctions and different takes on the classic white tea styles. (Isn’t it hard to keep up with how many grades of #baimudan there are now?) Whereas we used to just find longer banana-shaped buds for pretty much all our Yin Zhen, we are now seeing this earlier harvested 米芽 Mǐ Yá “rice bud” style being offered by some producers in Fujian. We love exploring these emerging specialities and are pleased to offer their experiencing to our audience. These needles are cute, early early spring little rice buds! This is a tea that handsomely rewards slowing down and tuning in during the tea session: fragrant, nutritive tones of sweet grass swim in a delicate and entertaining mouthfeel that eventually gives way to an aftertaste of sweet nuttiness — 甘 gān. Da Bai cultivar, harvested on March 12th in Zhenghe County, Fujian. Our sitewide 21% off sale continues — this is the best deal you’ll find on this tea. 🔸 #yinzhen #silverneedles #preqingming #mingqian #whitetea #baicha #chadao #baihaoyinzhen #fujiantea #gongfucha #teatime #teastagram #tea #imperialpluck #riversandlakestea

The biggest seller of this 21% off sale has been o

The biggest seller of this 21% off sale has been our yancha; the rock oolong from the Wuyi mountains. Thankful for your support! The sale continues: enter the code TWENTYONE at checkout to access. Free shipping over $60, US shipping; no international waits 😎

Currently pouring up a sheng cha in immeasurable t

Currently pouring up a sheng cha in immeasurable thanks to all those that put labor and love into these wondrous leaves and the richly animated culture of their enjoyment. The earth The elements The craftsperson and the traditions they were brought up into Their friends, family, and laborers helping them execute their vision All the curators and liaisons that extend the vision and enable accessibility to the wider world The tea house workers, the tea table hosts, entertainers, space holders, and gong fu acrobats fortifying traditions while incubating their evolution forward The recipient whose ability to keep their imagination aflame with chaqi, the enticing scent of discovery, and bonds of fellowship and broader community Cheers to all y’all. Our sitewide sale of 21% off continues…

White tea, white tea, white tea. The-simple-but-

White tea, white tea, white tea. The-simple-but-not-easy, friendly, and even trendy camellia production style that keeps us subtly entertained, stimulated and at ease, in seemingly complete understanding + control of its brewing yet still in the mystery of just how versatile and responsive it can be to touch. While we’ve been focusing on yancha and pu’er for much of this year, we keep a diverse catalog of white tea that doesn’t need much promotion. With the two variables of plucking grade and age on it having the most impact on its experience in the cup, we try to keep a diverse array of examples of these intersections… Among these are:
2021 Mi Ya Yin Zhen White Tea a “rice bud” earlier plucking of the classic silver needle style. 2021 Mu Dan Wang White Tea to us this is the ideal ratio of tips and leaf (1 bud 1 leaf), of fragrance and body for a white tea. Fresh and delish. Slide 6 2010 Zhenghe Shou Mei White Tea Olde and fully oxidized; layered complexity. Slide 2 2017 Zhenghe Shou Mei White Tea a greener shou mei on the brink of transformation. Slide 5 2016 Zhenghe Mu Dan Wang White Tea supreme grade like the 2021 mu Dan wang, but pressed and stored for 5 years. Complex like a fine scotch. (Slides 3 & 4) And others. Our sitewide sale currently underway this week allows for sure the most economically agreeable approach to these teas, and we suggest taking us up on it as this will be the most significant discount of the year: 21% off. Cheerio #whitetea #riversandlakestea

Recent fall adventures up on the ridge, complete w

Recent fall adventures up on the ridge, complete with new @m.e.cotterman test pot — thanks Mary 🧡 #lookingglassrock #teaculture #teatime #goldenhour #purplehour #blueridgeparkway #appalachia #828isgreat #optoutside #explorenc #myblueridge #moodygrams #gameoftones #romanticasheville #naturalnorthcarolina #blueridgeoutdoors #onlyinnorthcarolina #godscreation #gongfucha #chadao #tea #northcarolina

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