One of my favorite experiences in China was on our last day in Shanghai when we visited Tian Shan Tea City. Who knew tea was so complicated!! We sat in the shop of Ms. Lin li Zhen for infusion after infusion of Chinese teas (courtyard, shop # 1250). The 'city' itself looks something like a temple from the outside and has a courtyard of shops and a mall like structure with 3 floors of shops selling tea and any tea related accessory you could imagine.
Finding a tea you like is a lot like finding a wine you like, having a sample of one or two will give you a starting point from which to explore further. There are 4 basic types of tea you will find at the mall. Green tea most people are familiar with, a lightly oxidized tea. Oolong, a semi oxidized tea is often pretty close in flavor to green tea. Red tea, or what we know as black tea, is more heavily oxidized. Pu'er is special tea, actually from a different type of tea plant, and is the top top end for tea aficionados. Aged pu'er teas are sought after and are extremely pricey, running more than 50 rmb per gram. You'll see dinner plate sized cakes of this tea, wrapped in identifying paper, adorning the walls of the shops (pictured below). I didn’t try any of the Pu’er teas, but I did have an aged tea that was…not so great tasting, but it is supposed to be good for you, so I bought it! I have plenty to share, so feel free to come over for a cup or two. Also, there are different grades of tea and different methods of rolling and drying, there are flavored teas (lychee, rose, ginseng, etc... ), herbal teas, etc... and it would take you a solid week of tasting to conquer them all.
A good place to shop for cups and the accessories is Mu Yun (ground floor, shop # 1023), stocked with handmade ceramics and carved bamboo. Their selection is a cut above the rest and many of the items are actual works of art, without being priced accordingly, instead of mass produced look a likes. Even if you aren’t interested in buying a whole tea set, Mu Yun has functional and unique little pieces of art that make great presents. Really the prices in all of tea city were 'real' as opposed to inflated tourist prices. (I also found a very unique chopstick shop in a different part of town…ask me if interested.)
Although not that much English is spoken this definitely won't stand in the way of a very enriching time and, language barrier or not, the shop owners want to share their teas with you and help you understand the richness of the tea experience.
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