Shang Tea Edit

Lovely place, they were serving a delicious soup too.

Got to go a number of years a go while on a work trip. The owner was kind enough to sit down and chat with me for a while as well. Great time.

He actually introduced me to white teas for the first time, which were excellent.

What a great experience we have each time we drop in to Shang Tea. Zehua Shang is the proprietor, tea grower, and producer. Ask yourself: How can I learn more or/and buy better tea than from the tea farmer/producer who puts is name (brand) on the tea. Shang and his partner grow high-mountain, organic, white teas on their tea farm in Fujian, China. They are award winning, very high quality teas. We love the teas that we have been buying from Shang over the past 6 or 7 years.

The best place in Kansas City for Tea! High quality tea in a pleasant setting with a knowledgeable staff.

I dusted myself off and came out of my basement Tea Lair for a bit of an outing today, one bus trip downtown later to Crown Center and I was at my destination. Today is the Grand Opening of Shang Tea’s Brewing Station! This is also my first time visiting their new location, which, might I add, looks amazing.

For those not familiar with the shop, Shang Tea offers some truly wonderful teas, including the very unique Pao Blossom White and White Wu-Long. Shang grows his teas high in the beautiful Fujian Mountains, and after trying a few of them, it is certainly not hard to see why several of his teas are award winning.

While visiting the shop I was treated to sample tastings of the Pao Blossom White (always a favorite) and the Tangering Blossom Red. Of course all of the teas are presented in clear ‘sniffing’ canisters so you can enjoy the aroma of the leaves before purchasing sealed packages. While I was busily sniffing all the teas and selecting samples to buy, one of the very courteous members of staff pointed out the Shang Tea Sampler which Ben was sweet enough to buy for me. I certainly recommend getting it if you want to try an assortment of their teas. It doesn’t have all of them, but it is a great starter.

After ogling the teas and various tea brewing gear, it was time to visit their new Brewing Station and try their specialty, the Tang DynasTea! Back in the Tang Dynasty of China, tea drinking really hit its stride, it was during this time period that Lu Yu wrote The Classic of Tea, the Tea Horse Road was created, and when Japan was introduced to tea. It became more of an art form than just a medicinal drink, usually with things like onions, ginger, pepperming, cinnamon, oranges, and salt added to it (though women of the courts preferred their tea with fruit juices). Shang recreates the artistry of a time long passed with his Tang DynasTea, blending Brick Aged White Tea, Ginger, Cinnamon, Wild Honeysuckle and a touch of Himalayan Salt.

The aroma of this tea was incredibly balanced, blending the cinnamon and ginger warmth with gentle sweetness and a whisper of floral. It has a smell that I can best describe as welcoming. The taste is a great adventure, it starts out subtly sweet and spicy, the sweetness has a floral quality to it that blooms into a stronger, heady floral at the midtaste. Next is a gentle malt quality that still has an underlying sweetness, and for the finish, we get the salt. Usually with an odd taste like this I would preface ‘this might not be for everyone’ but the salt is mild and has the effect of making you salivate more leaving a sweet aftertaste. The salt really accentuates the other tastes, not something you would expect to work in a tea, but I can see why it was so popular back in 618-907AD. If you are in the Kansas City area I certainly recommend giving their brewing station a visit!

For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/04/shang-tea-grand-opening-and-tang.html

I love going to Shang Tea any chance I get. They offer quality teas and I love when I have time to sit down and have the samples! I enjoy watching him prepare the tea and always learn something new.
They offer sample sizes of all their teas to purchase but they are also very accommodating about letting you sample all their teas in store.
For being in a mall the atmosphere is quite relaxed and inviting.
They also offer tea pots, cups, and other brewing apparatus as well as gifts both tea and non tea related.

Shang is very helpful and knowledgeable about the teas he sells. Of course, these are teas that come directly from his tea farm in China. Shang and the staff are willing to make suggestions for tea and tea-related products to make your tea-drinking experience truly special. Even if you are a novice to tea, they are willing to help you find a tea that is sure to please.

Shang Tea is my favorite tea store in Kansas City. Shang owns his own tea farm in the Fujian Province, located high in the Tai Mu Mountains at an elevation of 2700 feet. He specializes in white tea and has won the gold prize in the Fujian province for his Silver Needle, White Peony, and Golden Needle Teas. Shang focuses on using traditional Chinese methods to produce the tea that he sells in his shop, which means that, for example, you will find that all his jasmine teas were scented with real jasmine flowers 6 times during the tea production process. You will also find that his smaller production cycle allows him to focus on traditional, organic farming and production methods that separate his product from those that rely on mass distribution and sales.

At his store you will find 16 different teas that he bring over from his farms including pure white teas, jasmine white teas, herbal white teas, green teas, oolong teas, and black/red teas. While his white tea is top notch and unmatched in terms of quality, his oolong and black teas are also very unique because he uses white teas leaves to produce these teas resulting in a smooth, pure, and clean taste (It is important to note here that the true white tea is only grown in the Fujian province and comes from the specific tea bush, the Bai Hao subvariety. It does not have anything to do with early pluckings contrary to popular belief).

The best part of the Shang experience is that he wants to make sure that you find the tea that is right for you. He is always brewing tea and giving customers the chance to try any tea that they want before they purchase it, and explaining the proper way to brew his tea.

If you enjoy drinking the highest quality, Chinese teas, then there is no better place to go in Kansas City than Shang Tea. If you don’t live in Kansas City, then you can purchase his tea online at www.shangtea.com.