Tea Sessions
I have traveled all over China and got to experience teas that blew me away. Every aspect was unique and traditional; I could tell that there was something extraordinary going on. What I experienced there is what we are offering now at Third Wave with our tea sessions.
When you order a tea session, you will have the first infusion brewed for you. Then you will be given a pitcher of hot water, cups for you or your group, and we will instruct you on how to continue brewing your tea for your session. This style of tea allows you to taste new teas and how their flavor develops and shifts over many steepings. If you ever want to detect delicate fruit notes in an oolong or raw pu-erh, this is the way to do it.
By capturing different levels of extraction, you will taste new flavors and smell unique aromas that you would have lost in western-style tea brewing. Tea sessions also open up a whole new menu of teas for you to try. From some of the best oolongs, white, green, and black teas we have ever tried to the highest regarded style of tea across China, raw pu-erh. This style of tea is an experience all in itself. Its taste is similar to a green tea but with some ferment, medicinal flavor, and eventually sweetness that lingers for ages. These teas are unique, fruit-forward, odd, and addictive. There is a whole culture in China surrounding raw pu-erh, and we want to make it a little less rare in the US.