Tea tour 2019 - the first days in Shanghai

Easter Sunday, 21 April 2019

I read excitement, curiosity, and a little skepticism in the eyes surrounding me. I am in the hall of the hotel; around me, the fourteen customers joining the Nannuoshan Tea Tour 2019. They don’t know much about the happenings of the days ahead, except that we will be tasting a lot of tea and traveling to tea plantations.

After dinner, we break the ice by steeping hot tea. A Yan Cha tea master and her scholar welcome us to one of their Shanghai tea venues. A special tea moment starts, best rendered by Max's impressions in his blog post. 

 

Monday, 22 April 2019

Tea acclimatisation day in Shanghai. In the morning we walk through the empty hallways of Nannuoshan’s favourite tea shopping mall: early in the morning, just a few of the hundreds of tiny tea shops are already open, ideal for pinpointing our preferred shops for more selective shopping.

Gabriele shows his favourite tea shops and gives a few suggestions for the best purchases.

 

We spend the whole day in the mall, alternating organised tea tastings with free shopping. On the plan: Pu’er, Yunnan black tea, hei cha, fresh and aged white tea, and Taiwan oolongs.

A few photos of tea tastings at Nannuoshan’s favourite tea shops:

  

Pu’er on the left, Taiwan oolongs on the right.

  

An aged Taiwan oolong steeping in a zhuni Yixing teapot.

 

  

A very fresh Silver Needle white tea: just a couple of weeks ago, these leaves were still attached to the branches. Max concentrated in taking notes.

 

Dinner is prepared by a local family, who cooked Shanghainese specialities for us and delivered them to the shopping mall.

With bellies full of tea and food, we slowly stroll back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we have to get up at 5 o’clock!

 

Written by Gabriele