ImmortaliTea Podcast

The host and one of the tea importers from Trident Cafe and Teas, Jake Dirnberger, drinks an old arbor pu’er from the Bulang mountains harvested in 2015 with filmmaker, Josh Hyde. The Bulang mountains in Southern China are renowned for the powerful, bittersweet teas they produce. One of the most famous terroirs for raw pu’er, this blend of old tree material from different villages has aged beautifully in wet Guangzhou storage. This sheng style pu’er tea was made from a blend of old arbor material harvested in the Spring of 2015 from different villages across a somewhat wide area. At 7 years of age, this tea has mellowed considerably. There is still some background astringency which should age out in a few years. Otherwise the character is rich and woodsy, with characteristic tobacco and dried fruit notes. This is a very good value for this quality of material with a good head start aging. Find the highest quality teas at Trident Cafe and Teas. Trident Cafe and Teas sources directly from tea farmers and maintains long term relationships with their farmers worldwide. These relationships have created one of the highest quality tea supply chains in the U.S.

The host and one of the tea importers from Trident Cafe and Teas, Jake Dirnberger, steeps a green tea known as Anji Baicha with filmmaker, Josh Hyde. Anji Baicha (安吉白茶) or just “Anji White” is a popular and newly developed green tea from Zhejiang, China. Though called “white” it is in fact a green tea. Its long, needle-like leaves brew a sweet, complex, and highly refreshing tea suitable for drinking any time of the year. This especially high grade batch was acquired at great expense, but was well worth it. The lightly green liquor bursts with spring-time floral and garden aromas. Its taste is almost unbelievably sweet and coating. This is a true tea lover’s tea with a classic Chinese green tea profile, though its natural sweetness should make it approachable for almost anyone. Find the highest quality teas at Trident Cafe and Teas. Trident Cafe and Teas sources directly from tea farmers and maintains long term relationships with their farmers worldwide. These relationships have created one of the highest quality tea supply chains in the U.S.

The host and one of the tea importers from Trident Cafe and Teas, Jake Dirnberger, steeps an award wining Tie Guan Yin from Taiwan with filmmaker, Josh Hyde. Tea was first brought to Taiwan’s Wen Shan district in Taipei city over 300 years ago by Chinese immigrants from Fujian. This Mu Zha Tie Guan Yin is an authentic and traditional Taiwan oolong through and through, grown in the birthplace of Taiwanese tea and processed in the traditional manner. Unlike the majority of Chinese Tie Guan Yin oolongs, which are lightly oxidized and bright green, Mu Zha Tie Guan Yins are darker and roasted. The tea undergoes a long process of withering, rolling, sorting, and baking, which takes a true master to execute well. This tea was awarded “Fine Grade” in the Mu Zha Tea Farmer’s Association Competition of 2022. It tastes remarkably balanced, with sweet honey and red cherry notes, complemented by a medium level charcoal roast. We imported a very small amount, so get it while it’s here. Find the highest quality teas at Trident Cafe and Teas. Trident Cafe and Teas sources directly from tea farmers and maintains long term relationships with their farmers worldwide. These relationships have created one of the highest quality tea supply chains in the U.S.

The host and one of the tea importers from Trident Cafe and Teas, Jake Dirnberger, and filmmaker, Josh Hyde, steep Huo Shan Huang Ya, a yellow tea (not green or white!) from Anhui, China. Plucked in the very early spring, it is made entirely from the young buds of the tea bushes. The pedigree of this tea extends back to the Ming Dynasty when it was offered as a tribute tea to the emperor. Our Yellow Buds tea is very delicate and sweet, suggestive of chestnuts and almond blossoms. It has a classic Chinese green profile but is less grass/vegetable forward than true green teas. Yellow tea is produced similarly to green tea, but with an added step of “sweating” the leaves with steam prior to the final firing which arrests oxidation. This sweating process causes the leaves to oxidize very slightly and slowly, which removes some of the enzymes responsible for green tea's very grassy taste. Find the highest quality teas at Trident Cafe and Teas. Trident Cafe and Teas sources directly from tea farmers and maintains long term relationships with their farmers worldwide. These relationships have created one of the highest quality tea supply chains in the U.S.

The host and one of the tea importers from Trident Cafe and Teas, Jake Dirnberger, and filmmaker, Josh Hyde, steep a two decades old, this white tea cake made from shoumei (larger tea leaves harvested late in the growing season) is something you won’t come across every day. Aged white teas are purported to have numerous health benefits, and are prized for their unique flavors and chaqi (tea energy). Because white teas aren’t de-enzymed as greens, oolongs, and blacks are, they oxidize naturally over a gradual period. Their flavors are rich and complex. In this cake, we taste medicinal herbs, wildflower honey, and cereal grains. This tea is an experience not to be missed, highly recommended for collectors. Find the highest quality teas at Trident Cafe and Teas. Trident Cafe and Teas sources directly from tea farmers and maintains long term relationships with their farmers worldwide. These relationships have created one of the highest quality tea supply chains in the U.S.

The host and one of the tea importers from Trident Cafe and Teas, Jake Dirnberger, and filmmaker, Josh Hyde, steep one of the most renowned teas in China, Dragonwell (longjing 明前龍井) from the West Lake (Xi Hu) protected area has a recorded history going back over a thousand years. The unique microclimate and pure spring water running into the tea fields help to create one of the most clear and mineral rich brews available in the tea world. Almost always processed into a green tea, this rare and very high grade black Dragonwell was masterfully withered for hours in order to encourage oxidation in the leaves to make it into a black tea. As a black, this tea loses nothing in terms of complexity. We taste complex floral and herbaceous flavors atop a base of sweet malts and lychee fruit. This tea was made from the world-renowned Qunti cultivar, the original cultivar from which Dragonwell was historically made. It was crafted by a tea maker with over 30 years of experience creating Dragonwell. This is a rare and exquisite tea with an authentic pedigree, we recommend this highly. Find the highest quality teas at Trident Cafe and Teas. Trident Cafe and Teas sources directly from tea farmers and maintains long term relationships with their farmers worldwide. These relationships have created one of the highest quality tea supply chains in the U.S.

The host and one of the tea importers from Trident Cafe and Teas, Jake Dirnberger, and filmmaker, Josh Hyde, steep an experimental oolong from the high-elevation tea gardens of Darjeeling, Red Thunder. This tea is one of Trident Cafe’s most popular teas. It’s withered and dried in multiple stages, resulting in a thick and heavy-bodied tea which abounds with traditional Darjeeling muscatel and floral aromas. Striking a balance between a more delicate first-flush and heavier and fully oxidized black Darjeeling, our Red Thunder has something for everyone. It is a highly enjoyable, infusable, and unorthodox tea not lacking in feeling or complexity. Find the highest quality teas at Trident Cafe and Teas. Trident Cafe and Teas sources directly from tea farmers and maintains long term relationships with their farmers worldwide. These relationships have created one of the highest quality tea supply chains in the U.S.

The host and one of the tea importers from Trident Cafe and Teas, Jake Dirnberger, and filmmaker, Josh Hyde, steep Da Wu Ye, translating to “Big Dark Leaf.” This is an exceptionally smooth and fragrant oolong from the Phoenix Mountains in Guangdong. Its large, darkly colored leaves brew a bright and refreshing tea soup which suggests pungent flowers, tropical fruits, and sweet gourds. It is a very sweet, pungent and full bodied tea which leaves a lasting aroma after drinking, and is a very fine example of Dan Cong oolong. Renowned among connoisseurs, Phoenix, or Dan Cong, oolongs are distinctive for their emphasis on the character of the specific tea-bush they are harvested from. The older-tree material our Da Wu Ye is made from adds to its depth and character. It is highly infusable and leaves a lingering sweetness and fragrance on the palette. Find the highest quality teas at Trident Cafe and Teas. Trident Cafe and Teas sources directly from tea farmers and maintains long term relationships with their farmers worldwide. These relationships have created one of the highest quality tea supply chains in the U.S.

The host and one of the tea importers from Trident Cafe and Teas, Jake Dirnberger, and filmmaker, Josh Hyde, steep “Slumbering Grove,” a pu'er tea. “Slumbering Grove” is another Trident-custom pressing from the Yiwu mountains in southeast Yunnan. It was made from old tree material gathered in the spring of 2017 and pressed into 200 gram cakes in 2021. Being stored as maocha (unpressed loose tea) in humid Guanzhou, it tastes remarkably far along in the aging process for being less than five years old. Its flavor is mellow, deep, and woodsy, with classic Yiwu stonefruit, floral, and wet earth aromas. Find the highest quality teas at Trident Cafe and Teas. Trident Cafe and Teas sources directly from tea farmers and maintains long term relationships with their farmers worldwide. These relationships have created one of the highest quality tea supply chains in the U.S.

The host and one of the tea importers from Trident Cafe and Teas, Jake Dirnberger, and filmmaker, Josh Hyde, steep a Jin Jun Mei, or “Golden Eyebrows” (names for the fuzzy golden buds which comprise this tea), a newly famous and highly sought after black tea from the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian China. Harvested early in the Spring, this tea is both oxidized and roasted. It is a highly unique black tea with an especially viscous mouthfeel and complex malty flavors. Our Jin Jun Mei is honey-sweetness forward, with mouth-filling malts and leaves and lingering piney aftertaste with lots of tingling-sensation. This is really one that has to be experienced to be believed; there’s no other tea quite like it. Find the highest quality teas at Trident Cafe and Teas. Trident Cafe and Teas sources directly from tea farmers and maintains long term relationships with their farmers worldwide. These relationships have created one of the highest quality tea supply chains in the U.S.