If you thought a cup of tea started and ended with a bag of Lipton and a splash of milk then consider this a wake up call. Tea originated in China, and the sophisticated culture and history that surrounds it is easily the equal of, say, wine in Europe. This experience takes place in a lively wholesale market where the restaurants and teahouses come to buy their leaves. Here you’ll meet a selection of vendors who represent different regions and learn about the main variations: greens, blacks, oolongs, and reds. You’ll also learn how to appreciate the different flavors, which qualities are most prized by locals and how these ordinary-looking leaves can very literally be worth more than their weight in gold.
Already something of a tea connoisseur? For a more in-depth experience Bespoke can arrange a day trip to the Longjing tea fields in Hangzhou, where you’ll hike through the tea fields, learn how it’s grown and processed, and taste the leaves at the very spot they were grown, in one of China’s most prestigious tea growing regions.