World Tea
Exploring Chinese tea through honest tasting,
careful brewing and practical education.
New to Chinese tea?
Start with three small steps: get to know the tea families, brew a cup, then follow a tasting.
- Understand the tea categories — a short introduction to what makes each family different.
- Brew your first cup — practical starting points for leaf, water, temperature and time.
- Read a tasting review — follow a Silver Needle session and notice how the cup changes.
Latest from World Tea
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A Tea That Outlived Its Shop — Revisiting a 1998 Anhua Dark Tea
A tea kept for more than ten years, from a shop that has since closed: ten infusions of woody sweetness across two days. Labelled 1998 Anhua dark tea, with the year unverified. Rated 8.0/10.
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2026 Spring Yunnan Silver Needle (Sunwah Tea): Jasmine, Orchid and Seventeen Infusions
A first-person review of Sunwah Tea’s 2026 Spring Yunnan Silver Needle: jasmine-orchid perfume, gradual body development, twelve strong infusions and a final rating of 7.4/10.
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紫天饼 8592, Claimed 1980s: Enjoyable, but Not Worth SGD 400
Ten infusions of 紫天饼 8592 (Zi Tian Bing), a ripe (shou) Pu’er, brought herbal woody sweetness and a lingering monk fruit finish. Claimed 1980s; provenance unverified. My verdict: 6.8/10—enjoyable, but not worth SGD 400.
Follow the next tea session
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For tea photos and shorter notes, follow @worldteablog on Instagram.
Start with the Six Categories and More
Explore chrysanthemum and chenpi alongside the tea library.
Find Your Next Step
Tea Encyclopedia — understand the categories and their vocabulary.
Brewing Academy — explore brewing approaches.
Tea Journal — follow the benchmark journeys and reflections.
Curated Collection — explore the selection as it develops.
World Tea is written by Wilbur Tan, a tea enthusiast and writer based in Singapore. Meet Wilbur and read the review method.