Our flight boxes have arrived and they are all very limited edition.
In order to really learn about tea we have to educate our palates through tasting. These flight boxes are designed to give you an opportunity to taste 3 specially selected teas in the same session so that you can directly compare and contrast to supercharge your tea training.
Horizontal tea tasting is an excellent way to study tea. It allows you to learn and store taste information through direct comparison and helps you to join the dots between different variablles (terroirs, processing, cultivar etc) and how this affects flavour. Horizontal tea tasting is an immersive, social and fascinating experience.
These flight boxes are perfect for any experienced Teahead whilst being an incredible jumping off point to enthuse your friends and family in the world of tea. Imagine if you had started your tea journey through a horizontal tasting session!
The teas selected are all top-shelf and include extremely limited edition tea that would give a thrill of joy to any tea connoisseur (read our list of teas at the bottom of this article). We did not pick any fillers - these are all some of the most highly sought after teas in the world.
Please be aware that these are very limited edition because we have included special, very small batch teas:
All boxes come with information cards about the teas, tasting notes and brewing instructions. There is enough tea in each box for several Gong Fu sessions - either as horizontal tastings or to enjoy a tea by itself.
White Flight Selection:
- Elder White - The precious lateral buds of wild PuErh trees picked in late winter. Fresh cut wood, dried apricots and marzipan with a ginger spiciness. (EXCLUSIVE TO THIS FLIGHT BOX)
- Jade Star II - Much anticipated sequel of the legendary Jade Star. An aged Bai Mu Dan & Shou Mei blended White tea from 2009. Dried mint, burnt apples and dark molasses with a spicy, cannabis skunkiness.
- Silver Needle - Very early spring picked silver beige buds producing a luscious, thick and soft liquor. Summer meadow flowers and dry grass with sweet, ripe cantaloupe.
Green Flight Selection:
- Temple Blossom - Tang Dynasty temple tea closely associated with Buddhist monks which inspired Japanese tea culture. Slate, elderflower and edamame with a sweet, orange lozenge finish. (EXCLUSIVE TO THIS FLIGHT BOX)
- Imperial Green - Pre Qing Ming harvest of one of China’s most famous teas. Lush and aromatic with satisfying vegetal notes of cut grass and asparagus with toasted hazelnuts.
- Naked Spring - Top drawer Green needle tea from Kaihua in Zhejiang. The epitome of spring with starfruit, fresh linen and green bamboo.
Oolong Flight Selection:
- 25 Year TGY - Dark, 25 year aged Tie Guan Yin made in 1992 and stored immaculately. Sweet, rich and rounded with vanilla fudge, mocha coffee and black treacle. (EXTREMELY SMALL BATCH AND EXCLUSIVE TO THIS FLIGHT BOX)
- Summer Haze - Uniquely light Wuyi Oolong cultivar. Summery mix of hay, asian pear, mangosteen and meadow flowers with a charcoal warmth.
- Alishan Cream - A rich and luxurious tea made from the naturally milky Jin Xuan cultivar. Malted milkshake, high mountain grass, alpine rhododendrons and cream.
Black Flight Selection:
- Gleaming Brow - Highest grade Wuyi tea picked only a few days per year. Turkish delight notes of rose and cocoa, lychee fruitiness and roasted prune. Ultra soft and juicy. (ONE OF THE MOST VALUED TEAS IN CHINA)
- Superior Keemun - Top shelf grade of a classic Anhui black. Black cherry, stewed prunes, hay and dark chocolate.
- Ruby Black - Captivating Black tea unlike any other tea available. Camphor, lilacs and menthol with cinnamon sweetness leading to a quenching minerality.
PuErh Flight Selection:
- Pudding Announcer - A comforting and easy drinking Xigui village raw PuErh made from 150 year old tea trees. Pandan rice pudding with strawberry jam and jasmine. (EXCLUSIVE ADVANCED RELEASE FOR THIS BOX)
- Monocle Boss - Masterful Raw Gushu with a thick, syrupy texture. Sweet grapefruit zest, leather bound library books and brown butter. The tiniest hint of bitterness transforms to a lily flower sweetness.
- Black Yunnan Tuo '98 - Ripe PuErh aged since 1998 in Yunnan. Wet cave, new leather, medicinal bark and the slightest earthy apple sweetness. Excellent digestif.