Honey Orchid Red - Old Tree

Deep perfume, a touch of tartness, and the nourishing energy of an old tree tea make this tea hard to resist. The popular Phoenix Mountain oolong (dancong) varietal makes for a red tea unlike any others—with a giant body, effusive aroma, and an abundance of dark berry sweetness.

Peddler's Note: All seven tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, pungent, astringent, umami are present.  This is an awesome tea for tasting, with an amazing sweet aroma, abundance of flavors, and tart punch—plus the energy is like a warm steam bath—warming you up and getting circulation flowing.

2025 Harvest

Unsprayed by Pesticides

Label 35

Lion

Genuine Non-Belonging

Standing with great poise, an elegantly dressed lion looks back at the past, their tail flowing with the passage of time into the shape of infinity. On their dress, you can see boxing gloves or claws, embroideries of past aggressions. Their hovering glass looks more like a vessel for wine than tea, perhaps a former source of comfort that no longer serves them. Now their hands are relaxed in long opera gloves held in front. No longer drawn to struggle, they enjoy the dramas of humanity from the balcony.

Some may wonder at the lion’s male hair and female attire—their dress fits them perfectly but doesn’t fit the expectations of others. In the sky, the various configurations of societies with their norms float like planets. Belonging nowhere for this moment, as if standing on Mars, the lion has become their own astronaut—a peaceful ronin clad in armor designed piece by piece through chance battles lost and won. 

In the past the lion served many masters. Each misstep provided the cloth by which they stitched together their bespoke non-uniform of non-belonging. Now they enjoy the serenity of self-contained reflection as they wait with infinite patience—really, there is no rush—for the approach of another who wears the insignia of genuineness, to enjoy the mutual connection, acceptance, and freedom of non-belonging together.

Non-belonging means that people don’t need to fit any criteria in order to be valued and treated with kindness. Understanding that everything—from social classes to fashion fads (and even the most well-meaning missions)—can be used to exclude and divide, the thoughtful lion encourages you to embrace a more pervasive view of solidarity through a quiet refusal of all that divides. In doing so, you're bound to chart a course to the outer reaches of belonging and find the lion waiting there among the stars.