A Glorious Encounter with Mountain Tea’s Oriental Beauty

When the first infusion emerges from my gaiwan, the soft floral nose of Mountain Tea’s Oriental Beauty whispers of upcoming notes of honey, plum, rose hips, and spice. Gently unfolded thanks to my intention and care, each aromatic steep weaves itself into the next. The tea’s lineage, shaped by the meticulous bite of tea leafhoppers and crafted with precision by Mountain Tea, is breathtaking in its rarity and elegance. 

I have been buying from Mountain Tea, based in California but rooted in the traditions of high mountain oolong craftsmanship, for over ten years now. They have been dedicated to procuring high quality teas since 1987. Their devotion to  time‑honored artisan methods shines through in every cup.  This Oriental Beauty is hand‑picked just at the right moment—when the leafhopper’s touch triggers the tea plant’s own natural sweetness. That honeyed complexity, subtle yet profound, defines the cup. 

With each steep, flavors evolve: the first was delicate—soft florals and airy honey; as I moved through slowly towards the seventh, deeper plum and spiced honey notes emerge, yielding a medium-bodied finish that lingered with a huigan (a Chinese word for 'returning sweetness').

Final Pouring Thoughts

Mountain Tea’s Oriental Beauty is nothing short of luminous. Its gentle floral perfume, honey-sweet body, and plum undertones create a tea experience that feels handcrafted by nature and human dedication alike. My ritual—with the gaiwan, four grams, and seven steeps—allowed me to journey through its depths fully.

If you’re seeking a tea that balances refined delicacy with layered complexity, and a company whose passion and tradition pour as generously as the brew itself, this Oriental Beauty demands your attention—and perhaps, your awe.

Shi Ru Wuyi Oolong

 Steam rises from the small porcelain cup as the morning light spills across my table. I’ve measured the leaves — Shi Ru Wuyi Oolong, stone milk — and poured the water with the slow care the practice deserves. The aroma is mineral and warm, with a soft sweetness that deepens in the second steep. I drink, not for refreshment alone, but to watch how the tea changes from sip to sip, as if each infusion is a new voice joining the conversation.

This is how the day begins: not with rushing or scripting, but with something so simple it resists my habit of turning it into a story. The light doesn’t care about my urge to narrate it. The tea doesn’t ask to be explained. They both simply are — here, now — and the moment shifts before I can hold it still.

These flashes of unfiltered experience feel like small gifts from a generous world. The angle of the light on the wood grain. A bird landing and leaving again. The heat of the cup in my hands. All of it quietly suggests: just see.

And when I do, the constant commentary in my head softens. The moment reveals itself without my rearranging it into some private play with myself in the lead role. In that space, reality becomes open-ended, willing to surprise me.

This, I think, is my practice — to remain with such moments whenever they arrive, whether they’re as delicate as the scattering of seed husks below the feeder or as sudden as laughter in a quiet room. Each hints at the truth of interdependent origination, where nothing arises alone.

Of course, I lose it easily — pulled back into noticing the uneven paint on my porch, the stiffness in my knee, the list of errands. Samsara again. This is life.

So I steep the next round of tea. The stone milk’s creaminess lingers at the back of the tongue, now touched with a gentle floral note. With each cup, I return — to the present, to the meeting point of form and emptiness, where even a single swallow can be enough to wake me up.

 

If you’ve ever found yourself chasing the mineral whispers of Wuyi rock teas, or quietly wondering what the mountains taste like after a rain, then let me suggest something—Shi Ru (石乳), also known as “Stone Milk” Oolong. I picked mine up from Path of Cha, a vendor I trust for quality and integrity, and brewed it the way I always do—with my gaiwan, quietly, slowly, using the Gong Fu Cha method that gives a tea room to speak.

Shi Ru is not an everyday oolong. It’s rare, even among Wuyi Yancha, and it’s not flashy. No perfume, no fruit basket. What it is, is dignified. Rooted. Old in the best way.

From the first rinse, there’s a sense of presence—mineral-rich, as though the rocks themselves have leached their memory into the leaves. The flavor is full-bodied and creamy, yes, but not like dairy or dessert. It’s a subtle richness, more like stone-polished silk. There’s a sweet depth that appears after the second steeping, and the signature Yan Yun—the so-called “rock rhyme”—is unmistakable. If you’ve ever tried a Rou Gui or Shui Xian and loved the finish, imagine that, but quieter and more refined. Less cinnamon, more earth and bone.

I steeped it about seven times before the energy began to taper. Each infusion brought something new—wetter stone, osmanthus hints, a trace of toasted rice. By the third or fourth steep, it lingered in the throat and chest like a memory. The energy is grounding but alert. No jitters, just clarity.

Shi Ru dates back to the Tang dynasty and was once favored by the royal courts of the Song and Yuan dynasties. And I believe it. It has that imperial poise. It’s not trying to impress—it just is.

Should you try it?

If you’re just beginning with Wuyi oolongs, this might be a quiet place to start—perhaps too quiet. But if you already love the layered, mineral complexity of rock teas and are looking for something uncommon, something that doesn’t shout but insists, gently, on being remembered—then yes. Absolutely. Set aside an unhurried morning or late afternoon, warm your gaiwan, and give this one the space to charm you. and if you can't find honey and you wanna come visit Louisville, Kentucky let me know and I'll put aside a session just for you!

A whole new experience for me today with Path of Cha’s Sakura Wakoucha black tea

 Koucha is the Japanese word used for Japanese black tea. Like hong cha, koucha translates as red tea, referred to as black tea in the West. Wakoucha is specifically black tea produced in Japan, "Wa" referring to Japan in this context. The properties of Japanese black tea are akin to hong cha. Still, the unique Japanese cultivars create this tea's distinctive, mild character and softer taste.

From the website...

"Our Award-winning Organic Sakura Wakoucha is grown in Yame, Fukuoka prefecture. There is but a small number of farms producing limited amounts of koucha throughout Japan. In fact, most tea grown in Japan is green tea, with most black teas imported from abroad. And wakoucha, being a local tea, is enjoyed almost exclusively by Japanese tea enthusiasts.

The taste of Japanese black tea is spectacular. Taking a sip of our Sakura Wakoucha, you will submerge in a juicy sweetness, void of astringency. A lingering, slightly floral taste will remain on the palate. Notes of succulent cherries and honey will follow, subsiding in a superb, long-lasting finish. The color of the liquor is a comforting apricot-orange hue. Our Japanese Sakura Black Tea makes a perfect afternoon drink and pairs well with desserts.

Wakoucha is a fully oxidized tea. The leaves undergo a long process of withering (up to 20 hours). The next step is rolling, where the leaves are pressed in a circular motion. It helps release the inner moisture and further oxidize the leaves. The leaves are then put into large sieves and shaken up and down to avoid entanglement during the filtering stage. Repeated kneading comes next, which further breaks the cell walls, followed by another oxidation for 2-3 hours. After that, farmers dry the leaves with hot air in the drying phase and add handpicked cherry tree leaves. The result is a delicate, honey-flowery tea with fruity notes and higher sweetness that overflows in the mouth and leaves a lasting impression for hours ahead.

Produced by tea farmer Harashima-san, this tea won the prestigious Nihoncha Award in 2017."

Get some, you deserve this! www.pathofcha.com

A wonderful light winter oolong from Mountain Tea.

 Dong Pian is a unique harvested after the winter regular harvest season. Normally during the coldest time the tea bushes are dormant. So Dong Pian is not produced every year. Only on some occasions the weather gets warmer for a few days and the young leaves grow before dormancy, then we have luck to harvest this bonus tea. Due to growth in the cold weather, this tea tastes mellow, sweet with aroma and extremely fragrant. The taste of gardenias clings to the upper palate and dazzles the senses.

Steeping Instructions:

Prepare 4 grams of tea leaf (slightly less than a teaspoon) per 100ml of water(about half a cup).

For the first two steeps, 92°c water for no longer than 60 seconds will provide plenty of flavor.  From the third steep onward it is fine to add up to thirty additional seconds per steep.  This should provide between four and six re-steeps depending on the quality of the tea.  For larger vessels (teapots of over 500ml) re-steep potential is usually lower.

A Californian Ginseng Oolong grown in Wisconsin!

 

My blood sugar is already better! The health benefits of Ginseng have made it prized in the East and the West.  In China, Ginseng was historically said to sharpen the senses, cure illnesses, and even prolong life.  While not quite as fanciful, modern medicine has shown that ginseng does contain several unique types of anti-oxidants and other compounds known as ginsenosides.  Clinical trials have also shown that American ginseng in particular can help in controlling blood-sugar levels in patients with type-II diabetes.  It is no wonder that ginseng has a long-running record as the most popular herbal health supplement in the United States.

Asian ginseng tends to overpower the taste of the tea, but American ginseng is both milder and sweeter.  We’ve found that our more floral teas pair very well with just the right amount of ginseng.  As the steep time increases the flavor of ginseng becomes more pronounced, so a bit of experimentation is necessary for each individual brewer’s tastes.  Our own sweet spot uses 3 grams of tea with 100ml, steeped at 90c for 50 to 60 seconds.  After the third brew 20 seconds can safely be added to the steep time.  The liquor is very sweet and savory, with a hint of nuttiness in the aftertaste.  The floral flavors of gardenias concentrate on the tip of the tongue and linger.

Bana Tea has an aged Da Hong Pao that is so mouth watering! Get it while you can!

I have never had such a rich and juicy Big Red Robe in all my life!

From the Bana site we read:

Type: Wuyi Rock Oolong - Da Hong Pao - premium grade
Production area: Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province

Grown in the Wuyi National Scenic Area, this tea is an Authentic Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) Rock Oolong. This amazingly flavorful tea possesses all the flavors and characteristics of an authentic Wuyi Oolong. It is thick, aromatic, toasty, and viscous. During processing, some of the leaves were crushed. The tea master sorted out the crushed leaves and pressed them into a 150g chocolate bar-like block that can be broken into 18 pieces. For a fraction of the price of the whole leaf, you can enjoy a cup of aged authentic Wuyi Rock Oolong.

In addition to the great price, this tea is very convenient to make. Simply break off a piece, place it in a cup, pour hot water, and enjoy. No measuring of tea leaves is required and no more messy tea leaves scattered on the kitchen counter. It is a great tea for busy people on the go.

A brand new experience for BuddhaMum with added info by West China Tea out of Austin!

 ...don't really know what this is or why I bought it but I was stoned when I bought it and it comes from Austin so those are two signs that I made good decisions. It reminds me both of the cicada corpses to come this summer and of pistachios. I wonder what it'll taste like!

And here is information from the merchants website westchinatea.com

"Raw Ya Bao (野生芽苞, Yě Shēng Yá Bāo, "Wild Bud") is the new growth of a species of plant that the farmers in Yunnan refer to as yě shēng chá 野生茶 ("wild tea"). These trees are distributed randomly throughout the forest, and were not planted by anybody, nor are they cultivated by anybody. At first glance, these trees are similar in appearance to gǔ shù 古樹 ("ancient tree") Pu'er tea trees, however the latter are often found planted in rows in old arbors. Unlike the domesticated Pu'er plant, the Yá Bāo plants send off their new growth in the middle of Winter, as opposed to Spring. The differences don't end there: whereas the buds of domesticated Pu'er plants will regenerate several days after being plucked throughout the growing season and will develop into one or two leaves upon reaching maturity, Yá Bāo only come out once per year and do not regrow after being plucked until the following year. When they mature, each bud develops into four or five leaves, which are often red, purple, or even white when they are young, turning green as they grow. Because each Yá Bāo is destined to become multiple leaves, their appearance is distinct from the slender single buds we associate with the domesticated tea plant. Instead, they appear as a sheaf of buds nested within each other, similar to bamboo shoots or hops. The fact that these wild trees grow far apart from each other, as opposed to in patches, and often in remote or inaccessible places, combined with the low annual yield of each tree, has prevented Yá Bāo from being commercially viable, despite being prized by tea farmers and locals. These plants have recently been identified by science as a completely distinct species, Camelia crassicolumna, which may be a contributor to the gene pool of the modern domestic tea plant. Recent studies (Liu et. al., 2009) have found that crassicolumna contains neither caffeine nor theophylline, the stimulant xanthines found in tea. It is considered, however, to be tea by tea farmers. Raw Yá Bāo is simply sun-dried, and yields an almost clear liquor, with a sweet, heady fragrance; a mild flavor; and surprisingly deep, lingering mouthfeel. In spite of its light color, this is a very long-lasting tea, and can be steeped 15-20 times. The Qi is euphoric and cloud-like."

 

And I can confirm the euphoric Qi! 

Thoughts on 'Small Enlightenments and of course, Tea as Practice to WAKE UP!

 Seeing the ocean as I rarely do, it has become an opportunity to question my daily habit of defining reality before experiencing it. Wonderfully, almost teasingly, the Universe urges me to try to see the waves with scrutiny or critique because it simply cannot be done! 

It resists my tendency to “script” my experience there—to create a personal drama of what’s happening around me. The sea is far too vast for my ego to get to penetrate these moments with its memories of beachdays past. There is just THIS ocean and THIS moment, just NOW and then gone! 

The generous Universe makes small enlightenments a repeatable gift. So go see the ocean occasionally. Look at the clouds. Sit in the sun or on your meditation cushion and Just Wake Up to this moment whatever it brings.

The mindfulness that vast water provokes is able to draw me out of the buzz of my incessant, internal conversation with myself. It urges my seeing reality as it truly is. Doing that requires being present to the moment, apart from the expectations and interpretations I bring to it. Once I stop shaping reality into a theatrical performance with myself at its center, mindfulness allows the world to surprise me. The Universe becomes delightfully open-ended. 

My Practice, as I see it, is to stay in that moment any/time I get the chance to be even momentarily astounded by beauty/pain/reality/oneness/? Wether its vast like the ocean, or small like the fading wine-colored  leaves upon my stoop as I begin another walk, another chance at seeing reality without dualism, without independent-arising mind, showing me the true connection of Inter-independent Origination.

And then perhaps I sneeze at the diesel fumes of a truck that passes and then I idly look with very little sincere curiosity at the landscaping choices of my neighbors and I think about my bodies newest complaints. And so back into Samsara I go. This is Life! 

And so then I mindfully, as a Practice create GongFu Cha Tea starting before meditation, do the dishes just to do the dishes, and I walk with intention, or I sit on my meditation cushion and voila! I begin again to be open to opportunities, to find my various paths of return to Inter-dependent Origination, that place of Oneness, of both Form And Emptiness that arises in the rare moments of small enlightenments. 

Foxtrot from Whispering Pines Tea Co!

 This has been sitting around forever and is still tasty! Sold-out status but you can put your name on a contact list should the company ever make it again!

As Larry (David) would say, "pretty, pretty pretty pretty good!" 

This pu-erh blend has a flavor profile that perfectly matches a cup of dark hot cocoa! Opening with cream and dark chocolate, Foxtrot dances across the tongue with a silky texture accented with powdery cocoa notes and an almost chewy marshmallow finish. Blended with 2012 Huron Gold Needle loose shou pu-erh, organic & fair-trade Ethiopian cocoa nibs, and hand cut madagascar vanilla, Foxtrot will have your tongue and soul dancing to the warm rhythm of bliss! Strong and warming cha qi!