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Always Top Terroir
All of our teas are from historic tea mountains and villages across China that were hailed by generations of connoisseurs.
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World Class Artisanship
Tea Drunk teas are commissioned in adherence to the rigorous standards set by a long heritage. From harvest, to process, to distribution, we touch ever piece of the supply chain.
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Hand-Picked and Hand-Made
Every bud and leaf is hand-picked and hand-crafted meticulously by heritage farmers. The teas are made in ultra-small batches in iron woks, on bamboo trays, and with sunlight.
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Heirloom Trees
Heirloom tea trees are born from seeds planted by generations before us. Every single tea tree is different from each other and offer the most complexity. Nature favors diversity.
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Expertise
We have exclusive rights to some of the rarest teas. We uphold the most conservative approaches to ensure authenticity in terroir, cultivar, and processing. We do not offer in-style teas or teas from plantations.
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Natural Budding, No GMO
Our teas are harvested for only 10- to 15 days a year, respecting tea tree's natural growing cycle. Commercial teas are modified to enable unnatural harvesting 9 out of 12 months a year.
We produce the world's most prized teas from China's best terroir.
It is our passion to bring the truly finest teas to the world. Every Spring, we head to the most profound mountains in China to eat, sleep and work alongside the heritage farmers to produce the world's most prized teas. Each tea in our selection is harvested for only 10 to 15 days a year, and every bud and leaf is handpicked and handcrafted meticulously with time perfected artisanship. Each batch cannot be recreated, just as nature cannot be duplicated.
Tea Drunk's unparalleled expertise allows us to commission and source teas that adhere to the rigorous standards set by a long heritage. We aim to introduce the pinnacle of tea to tea lovers, nurturing those interested from their very first cup to lifelong connoisseurs through education and access. We strive to sustain the height of tea that humans have achieved thus far in history. Tea Drunk is a Certified Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise in New York City.
Our teas are all terroir-specific; cultivar-specific; and vintage-specific.
We have exclusive rights to some of the rarest teas and carry teas from all six categories – Green, Yellow, White, Wu Long, Red, and Black – and the sub-categories that include Yan Cha, Dan Cong, and Pu Er.
The Three Pillars
Top terroir, ancient heirloom tea trees, and masterful tea-making by heritage farmers is the trinity of Tea Drunk’s loose-leaf teas.
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Terroir-Specific: Soil + Climate
Tea is a product of location. Since no two places are the same, authentic tea must be grown in the region historically known for producing a specific variety of tea.
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Cultivar-Specific: Plant + Provenance
Indigenous or heirloom varietals are required to produce authentic tea. The age of the tea tree matters a lot.
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Vintage-Specific: Harvesting + Processing
Tea harvesting and processing techniques are the results of centuries of refinement. Authentic tea must be harvested at the appropriate time and handcrafted with utmost care.
Our Name
In Chinese culture, the term "drunk" doesn't have a negative connotation. Instead, it is a romantic expression used to describe one's indulgence in true passion. For example, a poet would describe himself as being drunk by starlight, the gaze of a lover, or the intense beauty of the sun setting over a mountain range.
Tea Drunk walks an untrodden path to preserve a 2000-year old art epic romance between man and nature.
Historic Teas
To uphold the highest tea standard, we currently only commission historically famous and historic teas that meet all three criteria for authenticity: terroir, varietal, and craft. We do not offer "in-style" teas or teas from secondary terroir or plantations. For example, our Shi Feng Long Jing is THE Shi Feng Long Jing, not a tea in Long Jing style. We do not have teas such as An Ji Bai Cha, Moonlight White, or Jin Jun Mei.
Authentic tea is complex. A tea sourced from a historic region does not mean the specific batch is processed traditionally or picked within the desired window or from the desired varietal. Similarly, a tea processed using traditional methods but lacking the correct varietal and terroir does not qualify as authentic tea.