The Nuanced Mysteries of TDT’s 11 Exotic Whole Leaf Green Teas
When you look at a tea leaf, it might seem like the simple leaf of a plant, plucked out to create your daily beverage. Seldom do we realise the amount of care, effort and the journey that it goes through before creating the perfect tea that is worth to find its place in your cup! If you are a tea lover and appreciator, or even a curious beginner who would love to experience perfection to the ‘T’ea, stay tuned with us in this read as we demystify some flavourful secrets...
At TDT
We aim to source the rarest teas, each grown with a unique method than the other; some involving time-consuming hand-pressing techniques, others grown under traditional curtains to block about 85% of the sunlight while some others steamed, and pan-fired by hand to ultimately create the most tasty and high-quality teas. TDT’s 11 exotic teas are a tried, tested and perfected set of 11 spectacular teas that are the fruits of such legendary growing methods and polished processing techniques. This collection is as rare, as it is healthy and a valuable addition to your lifestyle that can also help you to stay energetic and fit over the long run. If there were 11 teas in character and aesthetics that a tea lover must have, it has to be this set of exotic teas!
Read ahead to explore more about our Exotic Tea range:
Hydrating Wellness with TAIPING HOUKUI 
Immerse in blissful therapy with this spectacularly large leafed tea that is sometimes known to grow, as long as 15 centimeters. Involving a complex and distinguished making process to create its striking elongated shape, each leaf of Taiping Houkui is skillfully hand-pressed. This process never lets the tea taste bitter, while cleansing your body with beneficial hydration and a brilliant, soft and clear sweetness.
A tasteful myth
Ancient stories surround this tea, including a tale, where a mother monkey is known to have helped a tea farmer in his dreams to discover this precious tea deep in the forest!
Your healthy-alternative to dessert ANJI WHITE 
It is an exceptional green tea but with jaded white leaves! What feels like liquid silk, when you run your fingers through it, Anji Bai green tea’s rich flavour and distinct appearance takes you with a welcoming surprise. Its crispy, tender buds offer a delicate yet sweet herbaceous flavour. And a umami, savoury aftertaste that is a delicious replacement to your after-meal dessert cravings.
Meditative Sweetness of SPRING HUANGSHAN MAOFENG
When the newest buds and youngest leaves of Spring are plucked to create a tea, it has to be of magical sweetness and flavours! The astounding aroma of this tea comes from the warmth of Spring and from the skills of tea masters who patiently knead the tea leaves and hand-roll them before baking. When you pour this fine green tea into your cup, its fragrant aromas are noticed and the meditative freshness awakens your senses.
A premium quality tea
This popular one has been loved by the monks of the ‘Yellow Mountains’ since centuries for its zen-like properties!
Boost your dental health with LONGJING 
An absolute classic whole leaf green tea, Longjing is a rare brew that was discovered by a king and is known to have miraculously healed his ailing mother. Ever since, this tea has been revered for its many health benefits and supporting delicious taste profiles. The first thing you notice when you look at Longjing is its unique flat leaf that is a result of careful and laborious harvesting. It is pan-fired twice to allow the original jade hues and pure full-bodied aromas to develop completely. There are significant traces of fluorine and other minerals in longjing that help to reduce dental plaque, tooth decay and bad breath.
Trusted by the royals
Not just another green-tea, this exotic brew is admired and cultivated by royal families since the Song Dynasty, of which 18 royal bushes are still harvested today!
De-stress with ORGANIC JINGZHI BUD 
A well-rested winter tea itself, organic Jingzhi tea buds allow you to de-stress as well. This slow-grown tea with evolved flavours tells you to pause and de-stress for a few moments every day. Mild on taste notes with noteworthy and pronounced sweet vegetal aromas, the soothing grassy hints go on to gradually embrace you with a strong sweetness that acts as a natural mood enhancer, and an anti-stress beverage.
Improve Mindfulness with GANLU 
When you taste the artistic sharpness and aromatic personality of Ganlu green tea, you can feel its impressive depth and full-bodied profile working to improve your focus and mental alertness when consumed every day. Enjoy its sweet and fruity accents, anytime of the day to wake you up and get you going.
Better known as ‘Sweet Dew’
The misty regions of Mount Meng are perfect for this smooth and delicate ‘Sweet Dew’ tea, a favourite of Buddhist monks!
Reverse aging with JIULONGSHAN HIGH MOUNTAIN 
Would you love to live at the mountains, breathing in the refreshing and crisp mountain air? It is no secret that the fresh breeze of nature has healing, and anti-aging properties as compared to the smoke-clouded city air. Experience many health benefits such as its anti-bacterial, anti-aging and slimming properties that make you look younger and energetic with soothing and floral hints of honey of joy. So, although you might be living in a bustling city, you can still experience the goodness of Jiu Long Shan high mountains with this brew.
Therapeutic rejuvenation with ORGANIC JAPANESE GYOKURO COMPETITION GRADE 
If you could savour a tea that has been improved and perfected over decades to become worthy of being nominated for Japan's National Tea Competition, how quickly would you want your hands on it? Rejoice, because we have sourced a rare organic green tea for you, the ‘Organic Japanese Gyokuro Competition Grade’. This tea is a precious shaded tea, plucked from trees that are covered for 20-30 days with expert covering techniques that block 85% of sunlight. Such growing methods allow the tea to gain evolved flavour notes and a sophisticated sweetness!
Precious and perfected
This elegant tea usually takes a decade of intensive processing and learnings to perfect!
Relax much with the SILVERNEEDLE BUD 
Another white-tea - oops - a green tea from our exotic tea range, that exudes pure-white feathery softness is the Silverneedle Bud green tea. Its silvery liquor swirls in your mouth with a grassy and translucent mouth-feel, reminding you of fresh and mellow wildflowers. Gently pan-dried without many additional processes, it retains soothing, earthy perfumes that allow you to unwind and tingle your creative cells with refreshing honey-sweetness and creamy taste.
Daily dose of nutrition with MEI JIA WU DRAGONWELL 
A tea grown in an ancient tea-village amidst warm, sub-tropical weathers, the shoots of this tea grow rapidly and are known to accumulate higher levels of nutrition and amino acids. With a gentle taste of richness and freshness, Mei Jia Wu Dragonwell offers a long-lasting flavour and a nutty mineral finish. This village is known for one of the best varieties of Dragon Well tea with slender, artisanally-rolled leaves and a sweet, sparkling texture.
A tea-village treasure
Meijiawu village is situated around the pristine West Lake mountains and is a traditional center of over 160 tea houses.
Boost your immune system with LIU AN GUA PIAN 
Our exotic teas are unique because each of them is processed with distinct methods creating a personality of their own; aroma-wise, texture, colour-wise and more so, in terms of flavours and health benefits. This particular tea is made with only leaves and no buds; shaped like a melon-seed but ruffles with sweet, floral edges in your daily cup. The unique shape comes from a traditional wok-frying technique, that allows the tea to gradually mature and improve immunity while helping the body to fight germs.
The search for the most unique and extraordinary teas
begins and ends with TDT’s exotic tea collection; what also happens to be the last word in luxury tea experiences! When tea farmers invest skillful expertise and care into growing them, and when the right quality of teas are sourced and packaged carefully, they transcend to become an essential element for mindful, healthy and soulful living. Our 11 exotic teas are a pure example of just that.
One can consider them as exquisite collectibles owing to their unique packaging, and design or a gift of precious health sourced from misty mountains and high prefectures! Each tea from our exotic teas collection tells a striking story that makes it worth celebrating. To explore more varieties of Japanese and other types of green teas, please click here. At TDT, we also take corporate orders and can customize teas and tea-gifts for large and small orders too!
Other interesting reads:
Exciting World of Japanese Green Teas
Use code TDTBlog10 for 10% discount on your purchase.