Tea By The Tea Lounge

Loose leaf teas and tea accessories

  • White
  • Green
  • Oolong
  • Black
  • Pu-erh
  • Chai
  • Herbal
    • Peppermint tea
    • Chamomile tea
    • Rooibos tea
  • Benefits
  • Blog
  • Contact
Twitter Follow On Twitter

What’s in your cup?

Our goal at the Tea Lounge is to encourage you to ditch the tea bag and embrace the world of loose leaf teas. We'll introduce you to the best teas of Japan, China, India, Taiwan, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Korea and (yes) Australia: Delicate white teas reminiscent of pure water washing over stones; antioxidant rich green teas in all their grassy freshness; the heady, complex, seemingly endless world of oolong teas and rich, mouth filling, malty, luxurious black teas.


We'll also be introducing a range of sumptuous herbal teas - which strictly speaking are not "teas" but "tissanes" infused from the leaves, flowers, roots and twigs of herbs, fruits and flowering plants - as well as handmade blooming teas (flower teas) that unfurl into intricate designs (best enjoyed with a glass teapot).


Above all we love teas for how they make us feel. There's no better way to experience a state of "relaxed alertness" where we can be intensely creative, peaceful, uplifted and calm (all at the same time). There's also the uniquely personal ritual of steeping tea leaves and watching them slowly unfurl over multiple infusions. It's a process that brings us right into the moment; the "now" in which we live our lives. And isn't that the best place to be?

White tea: let the feeling “bloom” on your palate

white-tea-cups

White teas are the least processed of all the classes of tea and originate in China’s mountainous Fujian province. Here, following a centuries old tradition, the slender, downy spear-shaped buds of the Bao Hai Ying Zen / Da Bai variety (also known as Silver Needles) are handpicked in early spring, gently withered and left to [...] Read more »

Green tea: Your expressive shot of fresh, grassy antioxidants

green-tea

A green tea is the least oxidised of all the tea classes. The tea is picked and quickly dried (Chinese green tea) or steamed (Japanese green tea) which stops leaf enzyme activities and oxidation. The result is a tea that is appreciated for its freshness, brightness and vegetal flavour.  Green teas also deliver a healthy [...] Read more »

Oolong tea: the connoisseurs tea

oolong-tea

Once you dive into oolong teas, a new world will open up to you. Of all the tea classes, oolong teas are the most diverse in style, aroma and flavor.  Oolongs are considered the connoisseurs tea given their complexity, “completeness” and intricate manufacturing. The word “oolong” (or “wulong” in China) means “black dragon” for the [...] Read more »

Black Tea

Black Tea is tea that has been fully oxidised and, outside Southeast Asia, is the most widely consumed tea. It’s difficult to generalize about the flavour or aroma of black teas as much depends on the style and grade of tea that is used.  But you’ll find brisk, bright, mellow, smooth, rich, biscuity, malty and robust [...] Read more »

Chai Tea

“Chai” means tea in Hindi and is derived from the word “cha” which means tea across much of South East Asia. In India, chai specifically refers to a blend of rich black tea and aromatic spices made with milk. The Indian version of chai is also called masala chai, garam chai, spiced tea or spiced [...] Read more »

Herbal tea: Free from caffeine but full of flavour

Herbal teas are brewed in the same way as tea, but strictly speaking they are not a “tea.”  More correctly referred to as tisanes, they are made by steeping dried leaves, stem, flowers, herbs, or roots in boiling water.  True tea on the other hand is made from the leaf and buds of the Camellia [...] Read more »

Earl Grey Tea: Timeless, Classic & Very Highbrow

earl-grey-tea-and-cake

Timeless, classic, highbrow. Yes we’re talking about Earl Grey Black Tea with its iconic bergamot orange twist. Named after British prime minister and Earl Charles Grey, a traditional Earl Grey Tea is a blend of Indian and Ceylon teas (or China black teas) flavored with the tart oil derived from the rind of the bergamot [...] Read more »

Jasmine Tea

jasmine-pearl-tea

A 800 year old tea blend originating in China where fresh jasmine blossoms are mixed with green tea leaves. The tea absorbs the fragrant essence from the blossoms adding a sweet, soothing flavor to the tea. Jasmine tea (or Jasmine flower tea) is one of the most popular green teas in China, produced to a [...] Read more »

Tea Video: Superpowers

Screen Shot 2012-04-06 at 12.45.01 PM

After pulling together health information for our post on the health benefits of green tea, I started to wonder if there could be a more succinct way to get the message across. That’s when I stumbled on this video linked to from tea guy speaks. If this video does not get the message across the [...] Read more »

High Tea In Australia Is Afternoon Tea

high-tea

In Australia the term “high tea” refers to an afternoon tea consisting of tea, cakes, small sandwiches and savories*.   Most tea experts credit Anna Russell the seventh Duchess of Bedford as the first to adopt afternoon tea in the 1700s (but not all agree).  In any case, however the ritual started, by the late 1800s [...] Read more »

Is Your Tea Bag Letting You Down?

tea-bags

There’s a great divide in the tea brewing world. On one side are the tea nerds.  They talk about tea “terroir” and use yxing teapots and gaiwans.  They know all about oolong tea, puerh’s, white tea, green tea and yellow teas.  They’re about authentic tea, loose leaf tea and drinking in season. On the other [...] Read more »

The Tea Lounge provides information on tea and, later, an online store where you can buy premium, organic loose leaf teas. Ever since I visited a Kenyan tea plantation at the age of 9, I've been hooked on loose leaf tea. This is a place where we can share our passion, compare tasting notes, ferret out the best prices, sound off about the best blends and get the scoop on tea accessories galore, from teapots to tea infusers; tea cups to tea makers.

Contact | Copyright © 2013 Tea By The Tea Lounge