Tea Drunk

Tea Drunk is the producer of the world's most prized teas and a destination for those seeking except Location - Tea is a product of location.

OUR PASSION

Every Spring, we head to the deepest mountains in China to eat, sleep and work alongside the heritage farmers to produce the world’s most prized teas. We walk an untrodden path to preserve a 2000-year old art that is the epic romance between man and nature. OUR TEA

We commission all of our teas in the most conservative fashion to bring discerning connoisseurs the utmost traditional e

ssence of historical teas. Every tea in our selection is harvested for only 10 to 15 days a year from renowned tea mountains that were hailed by emperors and artists alike. We have exclusive rights to some of the rarest teas and carry teas from all six categories – Green, Yellow, White, Wu Long, Red and Black – as well as the sub-categories that include Cliff Tea, Dan Cong, and Pu Er. Every bud and leaf is handpicked and handcrafted meticulously with time perfected artisanship. Each batch cannot be recreated just as nature cannot be duplicated. Since no two places are the same, authentic tea must be grown in the region historically known for producing the variety of tea. Craft - Tea harvesting and processing techniques are the result of centuries of refinement. Authentic tea must be harvested at the optimal time and handcrafted with utmost care. Varietal - Indigenous or heirloom varietals are required to produce the authentic tea. The age of the tea tree itself determines the characteristics of the tea. OUR NAME

In Chinese culture, the term “drunk” doesn’t have a negative connotation. Instead it is a romantic expression used to describe one’s indulgence in true passion. For example a poet would describe himself being drunk starlight, the gaze of a lover, or the intense beauty of the sun setting over a mountain range. Tea Drunk is a celebration of the epic romance between man and nature.

10/29/2025

🥃🍵 The Aesthetics of Taste – Tea & Whiskey

📅 Dec 6, 2025 | ⏰ 5–7PM

📍 Tea Drunk at Nomadworks, NYC

🎟️ RSVP at teadrunk.com

We’re bringing tea and whiskey side by side again for a one-of-a-kind comparative tasting designed to explore the aesthetic of taste—that intersection of flavor, structure, and craftsmanship.

Together with whiskey expert Lia Niskanen, we’ll dive into what makes each drink so complex and expressive. From terroir and distillation to the layering of aromas and composition of taste, this event is a deep, but super fun, exploration for anyone who loves thoughtful food and drink.

If you’ve ever been curious about how tea and whiskey speak the same sensory language, this experience is for you.

Let’s slow down, sip with intention, and geek out together. Sign up today at teadrunk.com

10/24/2025

During today’s apprentice session, we explored Lu Shan Yun Wu 廬山雲霧, one of China’s most floral and showy green teas. We had a 2023 and 2025 vintage but we focused more on the difference in picking grade.

Both come from Xiao Tian Chi 小天池, one of the top three micro-terroirs of Lu Shan, and the only one legally available. The other two are Han Yang Feng, the lot owned by military, and a lot in the botanic garden reserved for researchers. Lu Shan’s cold, misty climate produces smaller leaves and pushes harvest season later into the year. Yun Wu is often among the last of the green teas picked each spring.

We also discussed how leaf maturity affects evaluation: as polyphenols increase, the leaves darken and the liquor gains intensity in the tannins. While age increases oxidation risk of green tea, superior processing and meticulous packaging and storage can help greatly mitigate that risk. As the green tea oxidize, the tea start to taste sweeter and smoother. However, notes are becoming more homogenized and the complexity level of the tea is reduced. Therefore, while it is a direction where the tea is becoming more pleasant, it also makes the tea less sophisticated, therefore it is undesired.

Have you ever tried Lu Shan Yun Wu? Order today at teadrunk.com, or come taste with us in person~🍵

#廬山 #雲霧

10/21/2025

During today’s apprentice session, we compared two teas that share the same cultivar but made into teas from different categories, one red tea and one Wu Yi Yan Cha. Huang Guan Yin (codename 105), a clonal hybrid of Tie Guan Yin 鐵觀音 and Huang Dan 黃旦, was once trendy in Wu Yi Shan for its stunning aroma.

Despite their identical genetic origin, Jin Jun Mei 金駿眉 and Huang Guan Yin 黃觀音 express that potential very differently. Jin Jun Mei is a bud-only red tea, easy to recognize by its golden hairs and “mosquito marking” (蚊字紋). Its liquor is golden and airy, a signature of its Tong Mu terroir.

Meanwhile, Huang Guan Yin made as Yan Cha doubles down on aroma. The dark, string-shaped leaves (條形) reveal a mature picking and high roast that brings definition to the cup.

While both share faint notes of winter melon and gentle umami, the distinct processing techniques create completely different personalities, a vivid example of how craftsmanship can transform the same cultivar into two unique expressions.

Have you ever compared two teas with the same cultivar but made into teas of different categories? Order both teas from teadrunk.com, or come taste with us~🍵

#金駿眉 #黃觀音

10/16/2025

During today’s apprentice session, we explored how picking maturity alone can shape a tea. We tasted two teas from Tong Mu: Xiao Chi Gan 2021 and Da Chi Gan 2021, made from the same cultivar, producer, and vintage with only the picking grade differing.

Earlier picking means the leaves are more tender and elastic, which you can see in the tightly rolled dry leaves of Xiao Chi Gan. When brewed, this difference translates clearly in the cup. Xiao Chi Gan, picked in early spring, is juicier but carries a touch more bitterness due to having more buds. Da Chi Gan, picked in mid spring, is woodier and sweeter with a stronger terroir note of gentle green apple skin.

We also discussed how regulating red tea is especially challenging because of the mix of buds and leaves. Some producers deliberately choose a more mature picking for greater evenness in processing, making it easier to achieve higher sweetness proportionally in the total flavor compounds.

We also discussed Ti Xiang (提香), a fining step in red tea processing that “lifts” the aroma. It’s a delicate final step that distinguishes great red teas from good ones, enhancing fragrance and refining balance.

Have you ever compared teas that differ only in picking grade? Order both teas from teadrunk.com, or come taste with us~🍵

10/15/2025

In the simplest way, Camellia sinensis cultivars are identified by being trunk or bush style, and the size of MATURE tea leaves. It’s a myth that large-leaf cultivars are always associated with trunk-style tea trees while small-leaf cultivars are with bush-style tea trees.🌳

Beyond the cultivar matrix, we want to illustrate how different cultivars are utilized in tea production today. Wu Longs are typically made from medium and large leaf cultivars, but there are also some small-leaf cultivars in the mix to make things interesting. One notable attribute of small-leaf cultivars being made into Wu Long is that they are always very aromatic, as demonstrated in Que She, Ai Jiao Wu Long, Ju Duo Zai, etc.

So give all these different cultivars a try yourself. We’ll be sharing a rare true-cliff Que She this coming Tea Club tasting. Join us in our tea studio near Time Square. Cheers~ 🍵

Sign up at teadrunk.com

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10/14/2025

We tasted two 2015 Sheng Pu from Xi Shuang Ban Na: Ge Deng from the east and Man Nuo from the west: to experience how terroir shapes teas across the Lan Cang River.

Pu Er connoisseurs often have a favorite side: the East for its elegance, or the West for its bold, substantial teas. Ge Deng is one of the highest tea mountains to the East with a colder climate, giving the leaves a smaller size but longer lasting, consistent flavor. The leaves were also shinier while the tea felt airy with a refreshing coolness. Man Nuo is one the lowest of the famous 15 mountains at about 1200-1300 meters in elevation. The tea had rougher tannins and comforting grain notes.

We also talked about how tasting an aging Sheng Pu every few months allows us to monitor how tea ferments and shifts at a snail’s pace. Man Nuo is particularly interesting in that it starts off light and thin but thickens as it matures.

Order both teas from teadrunk.com, or come taste with us and find which side of the river you prefer~🍵

10/13/2025

Join us Thursday, October 23rd for another Educational Tea Club tasting where we explore lot-specific pu er, red tea made from Wu Long cultivar and rare small-leaf Yan Cha. Sign up for tea club for complimentary tastings, or join us a la carte at teadrunk.com. Sip with you soon~🍵

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10/12/2025

Shan Chang (山場), is at the core of Chinese tea quality and tea culture. The closest translation we have is terroir. While one can easily spend years in the their initial study of the different Shan Chang of Chinese tea, here we attempt to give you a quick super high level overview that hopefully can kickstart your pursuit.

All historically famous terroir have one thing in common, they are divided into Nei Shan 內山 (Inner Mountain) and Wai Shan 外山 (Outer Mountain). While Nei Shan is regarded higher, Wai Shan is also part of the true terroir or Zheng Chan Di 正產地 in Chinese. Most of the teas DO NOT come from Zheng Chan Di, aka. non-true terroir. That’s what we usually call “in-kind” teas.

Different historically famous tea region might have different terminology for these concepts but the concept itself is the same.

Here we use Wu Yi Shan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and China’s most mature tea region today to illustrate the idea. There are dozens of micro-terroir within Zheng Yan terroir and here we are just giving you the 5 most classic and representative to get started. In the future, we’ll be drilling into even more details.

We’ll be leaving in a month to visit these top terroir, join us this time or next! More details and educational articles on teadrunk.com

#山場 #產地

10/10/2025

Introducing teas of Han Lu 🍃. We are now officially in the season of 寒露 (Hán Lù), which means “Cold Dew” in Chinese. This is when temperature drops rapidly and we are entering into deep autumn. Yin energy is rising and air is getting crisp and dry. Join us for teas that meet the vibe of retreat with aesthetic of stillness and sparse beauty. 🍵

Only available till October 22nd. Then we are taking a break as we head to Wu Yi Shan for our Educational Tea Tour and the roasting season. So make a reservation today at teadrunk.com 🙌

#寒露 #节气

10/09/2025

We did a blind tasting of two very distinct Dan Congs, a Bai Ye 2022 and a She Men 2022, to practice our tea evaluation.

We started with trying to identify the category of tea by examining the dry leaves. The darker color of the leaves narrowed the options down to Dan Cong, Yan Cha, or Red tea. The leaves were skinny and string-shaped eliminating Yan Cha. The aroma had notes of toastiness, narrowing the tea down to Dan Cong and eliminating red tea which has notes of sweetness in the aroma.

Then we explored the differences in flavor and tried to attribute it to Terroir or Cultivar. One had very fruity notes with a tannic mouthfeel. The other had grassy and herbaceous notes with a weighty mouthfeel. Due to the stark contrast in flavor profile, we determined that the differences likely come from distinct cultivars.

The teas were revealed to be a Bai Ye (fruity one) and a She Men (grassy one). It was a good reminder that not all Dan Congs have to be fruity to be excellent. In fact, She Men was more interesting since it didn’t have a strong fruity note.

Order both teas from teadrunk.com or come practice tea evaluation with us in person Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings~🍵

10/07/2025

To further develop tea evaluation skills, we drank Bai Mu Dan from different years, 2023 and 2025. Of the three main factors (terroir, cultivar, processing) to consider, the terroir and cultivar for these two vintages were more or less equal. Both come from wild tea trees in Dian Tou, Fu Ding, Fu Jian and both use Fu Ding Da Hao as the cultivar.

We started with observations about the dry leaves, but we had to be careful to separate those from conclusions about quality. 2023 was a drier year for tea so the leaves are skinnier. Additionally, the leaves are darker in color. Darker leaves likely comes from oxidation which may be from aging or processing. At this point, it is hard to say whether this is an indication of quality. The 2025 vintage has a better picking grade and plumper buds. We also practiced a fun technique for evaluating dry leaves, which is to breathe out lightly like a rabbit to give the leaves some warmth and then smell.

We made sure to also consider each factor in the evaluation hierarchy from easy to difficult to achieve: aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and aftertaste. The 2023 vintage has a deeper aroma likely from age. When tasting the tea, there are some vegetal notes as well as a sense of heaviness or weight. For the 2025 vintage, the aroma was much brighter. The flavors were light and elegant. The mouthfeel is smoother and rounder. The aftertastes for both vintages were relatively similar.

Try both teas from teadrunk.com or join us in person Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings~🍵

10/03/2025

We drank a 2019 and 2021 Qi Lan today to further explore Yan Cha. Qi Lan, which can be translated to extraordinary orchid or weird orchid, is an aromatic cultivar with a tannic mouthfeel. It has notes of pistachio, dried basil, and savoriness.

Both Qi Lan come from Shi Zi Feng (Lion’s Peak), a signature Zheng Yan (True Cliff) terroir in Wu Yi Shan. Zheng Yan Qi Lan is rare. It is more commonly found in the Ban Yan (Half Cliff) region of Wu Yi Shan. While Zheng Yan producers emphasize complexity and balance, Ban Yan producers often strategize to highlight one strength of the cultivar, which is aroma for Qi Lan. As fragrant as these two teas are, they are more subdued compared to most Qi Lan in the market.

Comparing the two Qi Lan we had today, the 2021 vintage is more showy while the 2019 vintage is exemplary in striking a balance between mouthfeel and aroma. Additionally, due to its age, the 2019 vintage has some fruitier and earthier notes.

Can you guess which tea is the 2019 vintage? Order both from teadrunk.com to discover the differences yourself or join us in person~🍵

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