Top 10 Teas EVERY Tea Drinker Needs to Try

Hello hello!

Over the past decade, I've tried a wide variety of teas that are fun, classic, and sometimes -- outright disgusting. However, during my tea exploration, there are a few teas that stick out as pinpoints in my journey that helped me understand tea better than I did before. Rather, if it was something completely unique, or something that opened my eyes as to the wide array of incredible things tea can be turned into, I believe that these teas should be tried by every tea drinker at least once in their tea journey.

Let's dive in!

• Aged White Tea

Did you know that white tea can be aged? Long before getting into tea, I didn't even know what white tea was, much less the ability to age it. However, since white tea is only mildly processed, the enzymes that react to light and oxygen are still active in the leaf -- thus causing it to slowly oxidize over time. Aged white tea is a relatively new sub-market in the tea industry, and only really became popular around 2010. Despite its newness, aged white tea is a true delight that every tea drinker should experience just once in their tea-drinking journey.

• Huang Pian Shou Puer

First, you may be wondering: What is shou? What is huang pian? And lastly, what is puer?! While this requires a more complex answer, I'll give the bare-bones basic descriptions.

Huang Pian is the large-leaf material at the base of a tea tree's branch, which is often not plucked for production. It's often used as a 'poor man's tea (so to speak). Shou puer is a type of dry-fermented tea that's dark in color and oxidized. Huang Pian shou puer is one of my favorite shou puer teas I've ever had, and it gives a lot of depth while being enjoyable. Every tea drinker should drink this tea because it's an expansive way to see how vast the world of shou puer is, while still being enjoyable.

• Kyobancha

Kyobancha is a relatively unknown Japanese tea for most tea drinkers. Kyobancha is a type of roasted green tea from Kyoto, Japan, made from the larger, older leaves and stems that are harvested later in the season. But why is this on the list? I added this tea to the list because it's a wonderful example of how diverse Japanese teas can be -- outside of the classic staples.

• A Very Expensive Sheng

Now, let me start by saying the term 'expensive' is very subjective. In my mind, a cake of sheng puer that's over $20 is considered expensive (or maybe I'm just poor? That too lol). However, when I say expensive, I mean somewhere in the $2-$4 a gram range. Why is this so important? This is important because some of the best teas in the world are sheng puer teas, and oftentimes, the really pricy ones can really elevate that experience.

• Award-Winning Tie Guan Yin

Tie Guan Yin is one of China's most famous and well-known oolongs. However, because tie guan yin is so popular, there are many 'bad' ones out there. While the definition of 'bad' is entirely subjective to the beholder, I will say, I've seen many people say they dislike this Chinese staple because they have only tried a poorly-made version of it. While trying the award-winning Tie Guan Yin, you'll see how special this tea really is, and see where it originally garnered popularity.

• Tea-Stuffed Fruit

Tea-stuffed fruit? I mean, I am stuffed with tea all of the time... Jokes aside, tea-stuffed fruits are not entirely common, but have slowly gained popularity over the past decade. More commonly, tea is stuffed in bitter oranges, and can easily be found across many tea shops. So why is a citrus-cented tea so important to one's tea journey? I'd argue it's important for any and all tea drinkers to experience this because not only is it an older Chinese tradition, it's a way to see how malleable and delicious naturally-scented teas can actually be.

• Tea-Stuffed Bamboo

Tea-stuffed bamboo, you say? Yes, absolutely! Over the past 5 years, many smaller tea companies have begun producing tea-stuffed bamboo. In this process, many vendors have commissioned tea-stuff bamboo with white tea, sheng puer, and shou puer teas. The tea is roasted in the bamboo shoot, thus naturally scenting the tea with a bamboo aroma. But why is this important for tea drinkers to experience? Bamboo-stuffed teas are an oddity that also shows how malleable tea can be, and can help expand your knowledge of what tea is, and what it can do.

• High Mountain Taiwanese Oolong Tea

Fun fact: High mountain Taiwanese oolongs are the exact reason why I'm named 'the oolong drunk'!! Specifically, AliShan Taiwanese Oolong was the tea that made me fall head-first for oolong teas. During my oolong exploration, I quickly became a tea-nerd, and became forever obsessed with tea and tea culture. Taiwanese high-mountain oolongs can be pricy, but they're some of the best teas in the world and are completely worth it.

• Tea from America

Did you know tea can actually be grown in all 6 continents -- Europe being the 7th that can't grow it... Okay, sarcasm aside, tea can be grown in any warm and humid environment. Tea can be finicky to grow in many climates, and America doesn't have many geological areas that could sustain large-volume tea production. However, there are some small-scale farms in America that have successfully managed to grow tea in America. While some tea plantations can be found in Oregon, North Carolina, and Florida. However, where can you find the best American-grown tea? Arguably, I think Mississippi and Hawaii have the best American-grown teas that you can find. I think it's important for any tea drinker to try tea from Mississippi and Hawaii, to see how great American-grown tea can actually be.

• Tea from New Zealand

Last but certainly not least, New Zealand tea! In New Zealand, there's a tea estate called Zealong, and they grow incredible tea, including oolong tea, white tea, and black tea. However, due to New Zealand's soil and climate, New Zealand teas are a wonderful treat for anyone who tries them. While it might be pricy, especially with shipping, I'd argue that New Zealand teas are more than worth the cost and provide an excellent tea drinking experience.

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Did you see anyhting on my list that you agree with? Is there something missing that should be here? Join the conversation HERE on instagram!

~ Cody

aka The Oolong Drunk

"Blissfully Tea Drunk..."