Off to China for Verdant Tea Adventures! What Can I Bring Back for Everyone?

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I am very interested in yixing mugs!

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Aiko said

Oh my, how exciting. I will be keeping a really close eye on this one, I would especially love the chance to thank some of the farmers you work with personally (well, as personally as it can get anyway). Best wishes in your travels; you must be quite excited!

Edit: I don’t know if this is really in your vein, but if you happen to come across any interesting clay “tea animals,” especially (but certainly not limited to) those of dragons, qilin, pi xiu, or other mythical creatures, I would certainly be interested in them. I’ve had my eyes peeled for some of these for years, but there just doesn’t seem to be much variety out there (and I guess I’m pickier than I would like to be). I’ve never been sure if this is because there’s just not enough demand for US vendors to import them or if they’re just not actually that common at all.

Yay! Tea animals… I will keep my eyes out. I love my little clay rabbit tea animal, and offered tea animals last year around this time. I will try to get some good pictures of possible tea animals to bring in. Pixiu and dragons are especially easy to find.

Oh that would be lovely!

Uniquity said

I love my tea feet that I got from Verdant. They hang out on my tea shelf most of the time. : )

Ooooh, tea animals! I only recently discovered these and don’t have any yet and I would be super interested.

Aiko said

Hurrah! I can’t wait to see what you find; thank you!

Kittenna said

I could probably be persuaded to buy myself a tea animal, or request one for Christmas (or my soon thereafter birthday)… !!!

Ah yes, the birthday Christmas present combo. I know it well

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mrmopar said

keep us posted i am on this.

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mrmopar said

how about a Wei Zui Yan about 4 years old?

It may not be the Dayi brand Wei Zui Yan, but I will definitely keep my eyes out for sheng pu’er that has the intensity that Dayi is marketing in their recipe that would make for great aging potential. I would love to expand the sheng offerings to encompass a wider range of the flavor profiles available out there. Thanks for the suggestion!

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Sare said

i would love just some real China Tea lol

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slh72488 said

I’d love a couple of really nice, but reasonably priced sheng pu’erh cakes. Also, any interesting greens and oolongs you come across. Basically any exceptional teas you find I’d be interested in, but I’d be particularly grateful if I could get my hands on some delicious sheng pu’erh…

Enjoy the trip!

Definitely! One of my main goals is to sit down with Wang Yanxin and talk about $30-$50 cakes of sheng (or less for smaller bricks). It is really hard for me to find something in that range that I fall in love with, but recently we found a Fuhai 2007 cake that was incredible at $45 a cake. I actually have more of that one on the way right now. It sold out in less than a day, so I got in 20 more cakes. They might be on the site by Friday. I really want to make pu’er accesible, so getting into that price range is important. I will keep you updated.

Aiko said

I’m glad to hear that— I’ve been looking into making some cake-investments as well, but the prices can just be so daunting sometimes. I imagine it’s challenging finding decent cakes at entry-level prices; it’s encouraging that you’re looking into it <:

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Have an awesome trip, David!

Thanks so much!

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Bonnie said

I’d like a rock from the He farm. I have a rock for them from here that I don’t think I can get to you in time. I’ll try it’s small.
I know they like them.
I love this idea.
A bamboo tray can be so expensive here and shouldn’t break easily being transported back.
Gaiwans or Yixing pots might break easily. Oh, the tea pets are small and make nice little gifts. You know Puer is a favorite for me…I love it when Verdant gets more Puer.
Mostly, I want you and Lily to have a safe and wonderful time! Not all business! Have fun and relax, eat great food and gain weight!

Thanks Bonnie. They are going to love the rock that you sent. Mrs He’s sister collects and sells Laoshan Lu Shi, a beautiful kind of rock found only in the Laoshan mountain range. I would love to bring some back for people to use as tea animals, or just to have a piece of the land where the tea comes from.

I love this idea – the next time I’m home I’ll try to get a petosky stone to share.

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ssajami said

Have a great time. It sounds like it’s going to be an amazing trip, and I am looking forward to your updates!

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Batrachoid said

I’d be very interested in some gai, unique and sturdy tea ware, or anything with a frog on it. I recently lost most of my tea ware and will be slowly rebuilding a collection. I need a new tea board, preferably with a drain pipe, but I’ve been hesitant. I’d trust the judgement of someone physically comparing them over what few are available online with just a photo.
I’d be interested in gong fu red tea and bai mu dan. I’m sure I’ll wind up wanting everything you bring back, though. Taiwanese oolongs would be a great addition.

Have fun and observe carefully!

Sorry to hear that you lost most of your tea wares. I suppose it is a good opportunity to build a new collection though. Wooden tea boards with drain pipes are excellent. I will see what is available. Shipping could be kind of intense for 40 lbs of walnut wood, but maybe not. I am excited to see what kinds of tea wares are big this year in China. Every year different styles come in and out. Last year Ru Kiln wares were big.

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