about wan ling tea house

Why Wan Ling Tea House? Wan Ling Tea House was originally established by Cai Wan-Ling, a Chinese national from a small village in An Xi county, Fu Jian province, South East China. An Xi is famous throughout China for it's range of fine Oolong teas and tea art or, cha dao, the way of tea. In Fujian, and An Xi in particular, drinking tea is a fundamental of daily life. Fujian is one the original provinces from where tea was shipped to Europe and the reason why many nationalities call tea, tea or te. Te is how the local Min Nan (Southern Min) people pronouce the commonly used character, whereas in the nationally spoken Mandarin, it is pronounced Cha.

Wan Ling moved to Shanghai in 2002 to work in a famous Fujian tea shop, but in 2004 decided to brave it herself and establish her own shop, hence the birth of Wan Ling Tea House Shanghai.

Ok, now we have Wan Ling Tea House, so why have a European home in the UK? Around 2002 James was working in Shanghai. As a tea fanatic, his regular trips meant that he brought back Chinese tea for friends and family. By chance, James met Wan Ling in the tea shop and that is, as they say, how it started.

What next? Well, especially in the UK, we are huge consumers of tea, however, our consumption is very much limited to the tea bag. This, Wan Ling Tea House feels is a great shame. There is a world of tea out there that most people know little or nothing about. Wan Ling Tea House would love to give people the opportunity to sample some of the thousands that exisit and to find the ones that suit them and their moods. From this hope www.wanlingteahouse.com has grown, aiming to provide a source of information that gives people an insight into the names, the places, the history and importantly the art of tea.

The European online tea shop website and UK team of Emma and James. Wan Ling Tea House hopes to offer a source of fine teas that have been lovingly prepared along with tea wares and other tea related products that will enhance your tea drinking experience.

We believe tea should be a drink that anyone can enjoy at anytime, with anyone, but also that tea is much more and can be appreciated the same way as a fine wine - something to be savoured and delicate nuances appreciated. Tea's unique flavours, colours & smells come from seasonal, geographical and production variations. Wan Ling Tea House welcomes you to try a new, healthy way to refresh you taste buds and spend time with good friends.

For those new to the world beyond the tea bag please take your time to browse through our international www.wanlingteahouse.com tea site. Those wishing to start or enhance their tea drinking journey please visit our online tea shop.