SereneTea Seattle

12/04/2026

Silver Needle season is here 🤍🌱

After a month traveling through southern tea regions, one thing I kept hearing from farmers: this year has been unusually cold. Slower growth like this often affects both yield and flavor development — making this harvest especially interesting to taste.

Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yin Zhen) is often thought of as a simple “all-bud” white tea, and honestly I wasn’t always a fan of it myself, but in reality, its flavor profile can vary significantly depending on cultivar, terroir, and processing.

While tasting in Fu Ding, I sampled three distinct styles:
– a highly floral batch with remarkable endurance (lasting 10+ steeps)
– a “rice needle” with a natural sticky rice aroma, likely influenced by cultivar and processing nuances
– a more classic profile: umami-forward, clean, and gently grassy

We’ve also been exploring other white teas this season, including:
– Xiao Cai Cha, a local heirloom varietal known for its deeper, more rustic character
– Gong Mei, which uses more mature leaves and offers a fuller body compared to bud-only teas

White tea may appear simple, but its diversity is often underestimated. More insights from this harvest coming soon 🍃

04/04/2026

Oolong tea has always been one of my favorite tea genres. It’s complex, diverse, and endlessly fascinating. From the prestigious Wu Yi Yan Cha to Taiwan’s high mountain oolongs, to the intensely aromatic Dan Congs, each family tells its own story.

This year, I’ve found myself drawn to Tie Guan Yin. It’s a tea with deep roots, connecting mainland China and Taiwan, carrying with it a rich yet complicated modern history. Growing up in Canton, I remember it as one of the essential teas served in restaurants—familiar, comforting, and ever-present.

Over time, it rose to national fame, then faded from the spotlight… only to begin its quiet resurgence.

This year, my trip to Anxi wasn’t just about rediscovering Tie Guan Yin—it was about staying open to whatever surprises this place has to offer.

30/03/2026

Can you distinguish these four different Long Jing teas?

I’ve been staying in Yangmeiling Village in Shifeng, Hangzhou, immersing myself in Xi Hu Long Jing tea over the past weeks. During this time, I’ve had the privilege of learning from the Liu family—diving deep into everything from cultivars and picking standards to soil conditions and the art of pan-firing (kill-green).

Through these conversations with master Liu and hands-on experiences, an idea naturally took shape.

We’re excited to introduce a special Long Jing Education Tea Box.

This box will feature four pre-Qingming Long Jing teas:
– Liu Family’s Shifeng Long Jing No. 43
– Liu Family’s Shifeng Long Jing (heirloom cultivar)
– A Qian Dao Lake Long Jing (a nearby production region)
– And a complimentary Long Jing often used as a market substitute or counterfeit

Our intention is simple: to invite you to taste across differences. By comparing these teas side by side, you’ll begin to understand not only the beauty of Long Jing, but also the nuances—and complexities—that come with it.

Whether you’re just beginning your tea journey or have been drinking tea for years, this box is designed to deepen your understanding through direct experience.

We are currently waiting on the heirloom cultivar, which will be produced this week. The presale will launch on our website on March 31.

This project comes from a place of curiosity, learning, and a desire to share that process with you.

30/03/2026

23/03/2026

A sneak peek of this year’s pre–Qing Ming Xi Hu Long Jing 🍃

From fresh spring leaves to withering, pan-firing (“kill green”), and finally, into your cup.

Today marks the first day of harvest at Yang Mei Ling (Shi Feng area). The rain has slowed the picking, so only a small batch could be gathered—but we couldn’t be more excited for this new beginning along with the Long Jing farmer who will bring this delicacy to all of us 🙌

09/03/2026

A new season is about to come, and nothing excites us more than seeing the first morning light shedding on new sprouted tea leaves, awaken by strength. It brings not just vitality, but also so much joy to farmers. A new cycle begins, with new growth and new opportunities. What news will Serene Tea bring this year? Let’s wait and find out 😉

21/10/2025

Some tea thoughts I have been gathering..

Many wondered what happened to Serene Tea or me, and I am very grateful for all the caring messages you all have sent me 🙏 what matters now is finding strength to come back to this path I have always loved. Tea has never left, and neither have you nor I.

06/10/2025

A full moon brings changes.

Serene Tea stayed quiet for a long time, as many changes happened, I am slowly trying to find strength, routine and passion back. This is a cup of gratefulness despite all the challenges that happened in a strange place. Today I am grateful for changes, grateful for everyone’s love and best wishes, and grateful for a new beginning.

Happy Mid Autumn Fest everyone!

07/02/2023

This is our first Dan Cong Huang Pian tea cake and a special collaboration with Nazanin !
You can make a good guess on what Dan Cong tea this is based on the cover design by me and Nazanin! 🦆🦆 You can find them on both our site and Tea Thought’s site.
These fun tea cakes are now on a special promotional price of only $20 for the first 20 cakes (US domestic) and 10 cakes (international), and afterwards they will be $28. We have only a few left for the promotional price!
Let’s quack up with this special Ya Shi Huang Pian tea cake 🦆😄

01/12/2022

Hey friends in Seattle! Are you enjoying the first 大雪 snow this year by cozing up at home with warm tea while watching the snowflakes falling down serenely? Give me a shout out if you do so I can be jealous! 🤣
Unfortunately I live too close to the water so no snow for me, but one of the reasons I always look forward to a snowing day is so that I can take out my favorite cat tea trays, brew a tea up and put on that beyond satisfaction face like him! 😌 (isn’t that what we all do when we drink tea?!)
If you like this tray as much as I do, there are two LAST trays left with 15% off + US domestic free shipping!

28/11/2022

We have traveled to some tea destinations this year that I never thought about going. The new destinations brought new opportunities and tea stories, and I want to thank you for becoming our new follower and trying our tea for the first time this year. I hope through our teas, you have also had new experiences this year. If you have been itchy to try something from us but haven’t yet, now it’s the BEST opportunity before the annual Huge Turkey sale ends at midnight! We want to give back more this year so we are giving our additional teas with your order + gifts! Everything will be packed with our holiday package to make it a perfect gift for you or your friends/families!