how the year unfolds
This is not a course you consume alone — it is a shared journey around the world, one tea room at a time. Each month, a new room opens: a curated space where Chinese tea is served with intention. Some months you may physically visit if the room is in your city; other months you join the live video stream, tea in hand, as if you were seated at the same table. The thread that holds it all together is the weekly tea tasting: a new Chinese tea every Wednesday, introduced by Chen Hui Yi, whose experience across white, green, yellow, and beyond makes every session a masterclass in humility.
We begin gently, with white tea’s quiet clarity, and let the calendar guide us through green’s freshness, yellow’s fleeting sweetness, the boundless depth of oolongs, the comfort of black tea, and the living complexity of sheng and shu puerh. By the time we reach the dark, fermented teas, you will have tasted over fifty distinct expressions of Camellia sinensis — and you will have made friends in the room who see tea the same way you do.
Teaching happens in the drinking. Chen Yi Hui leads without lecture: you pour, you taste, you listen. Between sessions, a private space on tea.community keeps the conversation alive — members share their brewing notes, ask about a tea’s origin, and plan local meet-ups when a room appears nearby. The deeper study sits on tea.school, where you will find video primers on processing methods, regional terroir, and the history of every tea we encounter. Teas themselves are sourced through shop.thetea.app, and quarterly curated boxes arrive at your door so you can brew alongside the stream.
The year culminates in Saint Petersburg, where we gather in person for a closing retreat: three days of ceremony, silence, and shared cups. The aim is not to collect knowledge but to arrive at a way of being with tea that travels beyond the programme.
Week by week
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Week 1 — Bái Háo Yín Zhēn (白毫银针). The quiet clarity of white tea — beginning with Silver Needle, the simplest leaf.
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Week 2 — Bái Mǔ Dān (白牡丹). Layered sweetness: White Peony’s gentle complexity of bud and leaf.
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Week 3 — Shòu Méi (寿眉). Aged white tea’s evolving character — from fresh straw to dried fruit.
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Week 4 — Gōng Méi (贡眉). Lesser-known white tea: Gong Mei’s subtle nuance and downy texture.
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Week 5 — Lóng Jǐng (龙井). The iconic Dragon Well: roasting, flat perfection, and chestnut sweetness.
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Week 6 — Bìluó Chūn (碧螺春). Spring spirals: the floral, fruity joy of Biluochun from Suzhou.
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Week 7 — Huángshān Máofēng (黄山毛峰). Orchid fragrance of Yellow Mountain — crisp, clean green tea.
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Week 8 — Xīnyáng Máojiān (信阳毛尖). Tippy and fresh: Xinyang Maojian’s bright energy and bud-heavy character.
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Week 9 — Lù’ān Guāpiàn (六安瓜片). Melon Seed tea: a unique leaf-only green without buds or stems.
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Week 10 — Tàipíng Hóukuí (太平猴魁). Monkey King’s large‑leaf artistry — long, flattened leaves and orchid finish.
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Week 11 — Jūnshān Yínzhēn (君山银针). Yellow tea’s pinnacle: Junshan Silver Needle, a dance of buds in the glass.
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Week 12 — Mèngdǐng Huángyá (蒙顶黄芽). Mengding Yellow Buds: sweetness born of careful withering and heaping.
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Week 13 — Tiě Guānyīn (铁观音). Anxi’s Iron Goddess: orchid, cream, and the signature Guanyin rhyme.
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Week 14 — Dà Hóng Páo (大红袍). Wuyi rock tea: the legendary Big Red Robe — mineral, floral, and deep.
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Week 15 — Shuǐ Jīn Guī (水金龟). The Gold Water Turtle yancha: minerality and a soft, lingering aftertaste.
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Week 16 — Bái Jī Guān (白鸡冠). White Cockscomb: light‑roasted Wuyi miracle with a bright, gardenia note.
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Week 17 — Fènghuáng Dān Cōng — Mì Lán Xiāng (凤凰单丛 — 蜜兰香). Honey orchid fragrance single bush: the sweet, floral emblem of Chaozhou.
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Week 18 — Fènghuáng Dān Cōng — Yā Shǐ Xiāng (凤凰单丛 — 鸭屎香). Duck Shit aroma: misunderstood masterpiece, almond and gardenia layers.
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Week 19 — Dòng Dǐng Oolong (冻顶乌龙). Taiwan’s Frozen Summit: creamy, buttery, and gently roasted high‑mountain tea.
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Week 20 — Ālǐ Shān Oolong (阿里山乌龙). Ali Mountain: high elevation, floral elegance, and a silky mouthfeel.
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Week 21 — Qímén Hóngchá (祁门红茶). Keemun: the Burgundy of teas — winey, smoky, and deeply aromatic.
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Week 22 — Zhèngshān Xiǎozhǒng (正山小种). Lapsang Souchong: pine‑smoked tradition from Tongmu, ancient and bold.
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Week 23 — Jīn Jùn Méi (金骏眉). Golden eyebrows: pure bud luxury, sweet potato and cocoa notes.
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Week 24 — Yí Hóng (宜红). Yixing red: a lesser‑known gem from the teapot city, fruity and smooth.
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Week 25 — Diàn Hóng (滇红). Yunnan black: malt, honey, and the golden tips of Fengqing.
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Week 26 — Shēng Pǔ’ěr (生普洱), 2018 Yìwǔ (易武). Aged raw puerh from Yiwu: forest floor, camphor, and the early whispers of age.
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Week 27 — Shú Pǔ’ěr (熟普洱), 2020 Líncāng (临沧). Ripe puerh: dark fermentation comfort — earthy, creamy, and warm.
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Week 28 — Shēng Pǔ’ěr (生普洱), Lǎo Bān Zhāng (老班章). The king of puerh mountains: Lao Ban Zhang’s powerful bitterness and deep huigan.
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Week 29 — Shú Pǔ’ěr (熟普洱), Bā Dá Shān (巴达山). Ripe from Bada: smooth, chocolatey, and built for daily drinking.
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Week 30 — Shēng Pǔ’ěr (生普洱), Bīng Dǎo (冰岛). Icy Island sweetness: Bingdao’s immediate huigan and soft, lasting finish.
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Week 31 — Shú Pǔ’ěr (熟普洱), Hè Kāi (贺开). He Kai old trees: deep fermentation, date sweetness, and a clean mouthfeel.
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Week 32 — Shēng Pǔ’ěr (生普洱), Máng Fèi (莽费). Wild tea: Mangfei’s untamed character, high aroma, and strong returning sweetness.
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Week 33 — Shēng Pǔ’ěr (生普洱), Nán Nuò (南糯). Nannuo sheng: floral, honeyed, and a perfect entry into young raw puerh.
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Week 34 — Shú Pǔ’ěr (熟普洱), Dà Xuě Shān (大雪山). Ripe from the Great Snow Mountain: thick body and lingering sweetness.
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Week 35 — Ān Guā Yè (安瓜叶). Aged basket‑fired green: exploring how green tea transforms over years.
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Week 36 — Qīngzhuān (青砖). Dark tea: Qingzhuan (green brick) from Hubei, fermented and pressed.
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Week 37 — Fúzhuān (茯砖). Fuzhuan brick: Hunan’s golden flower (jinhua) dark tea, smooth and medicinal.
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Week 38 — Liù Bǎo (六堡). Liu Bao: Guangxi’s aged, betel‑nutty dark tea — a digestive classic.
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Week 39 — Kāng Zhuān (康砖). Sichuan Kang brick: the tea of the Ancient Tea Horse Road, mellow and earthy.
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Week 40 — Zhú Tǒng Chá (竹筒茶). Bamboo‑wrapped tea from Yunnan: smoky, sweet, and evocative of the forest.
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Week 41 — Bǎo Zhǒng (包种). Pouchong: lightly oxidised, fragrance of lilac and melon from northern Taiwan.
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Week 42 — Shuǐ Xiān (水仙). Wuyi Narcissus: heavy mineral body and a long, calming aftertaste.
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Week 43 — Qī Lán (奇兰). Strange Orchid yancha: bright floral top notes and a surprising peach finish.
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Week 44 — Ròu Guì (肉桂). Wuyi Rougui: cinnamon spice aroma, strong, and warm — a rock tea heavyweight.
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Week 45 — Guī Wén (龟纹). Turtle pattern oolong: a rare, tightly rolled gem from Fujian’s high peaks.
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Week 46 — Yán Chá Qí Zhǒng (岩茶奇种). Wuyi wonder bush: a blend of wild‑harvested yancha, unpredictable and alive.
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Week 47 — Lǎo Cōng Shuǐ Xiān (老枞水仙). Old bush Narcissus: tree‑moss aroma, deep woody texture, and profound calm.
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Week 48 — Bái Hǔ Táng (白虎汤). White Tiger soup: an ancient herbal tea blending — tasting tea as medicine.
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Week 49 — Jú Huā Chá (菊花茶) with Pǔ’ěr (普洱). Chrysanthemum puerh: a Cantonese dim‑sum classic, floral and darkly sweet.
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Week 50 — Lǎo Shēng Pǔ’ěr (老生普), 1990s Bāng Wēi (邦崴). Ageing as art: a 1990s sheng from Bangwei — camphor, dried plum, and silence.
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Week 51 — Sān Shí Nián Shú Pǔ’ěr (三十年熟普). Thirty‑year ripe: the pinnacle of fermentation, like silk and old books.
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Week 52 — Shēng Pǔ’ěr (生普洱), Closing Cake — your own blend. At the Saint Petersburg retreat, we press a communal cake — your tea to carry forward.
What’s included
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52 live guided tasting sessions hosted by Chen Hui Yi (replay available)
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monthly deep‑dive into a distinctive tea room, with live Q&A and behind‑the‑scenes
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quarterly curated tea boxes shipped worldwide, featuring the teas we taste (4 shipments)
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access to the tea.school library including video courses and tasting notes
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private tea.community forum for cohort discussions and room meet‑ups
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closing retreat in Saint Petersburg (participation included; travel and accommodation not included)
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one‑on‑one 30‑minute video consultation with Chen Hui Yi
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digital tea journal with session notes, tea details, and space for personal reflections
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early access to tea.travel expeditions related to the visited rooms