About World Tea

I’m Wilbur Tan, a tea enthusiast and writer based in Singapore. World Tea is my ongoing exploration of Chinese tea: what I taste, how I brew, and what I learn one session at a time.

I created this journal to study the major tea traditions carefully and make those experiences useful to other tea drinkers. My reviews preserve the details of each infusion alongside the landscapes, memories and feelings that the cup brings to mind.

How I Explore Tea

I work through benchmark teas before widening the comparison. My Wuyi Rock Tea journey explores cultivars and their character; my Pu’er studies move from familiar recipes towards regions and terroir. The Fuding white-tea series follows Silver Needle, Bai Mu Dan, Gong Mei and Shou Mei.

How to Read My Reviews

I use Volvic Natural Mineral Water for my tea reviews unless I explicitly state otherwise. Each review records the tea’s identity and the brewing details available from the session, followed by dry-leaf and warmed-vessel aromas, numbered infusions, spent leaves and a closing assessment. Missing details are marked as unrecorded. A tasting describes that sample, water, vessel and session; another preparation can give a different result.

Tasting imagery is personal association. A forest, a garden or a breakfast scene describes how a tea feels to me; it is not evidence of ingredients or origin. Packaging details and supplier claims are identified as such when provenance has not been independently established.

Understanding the Scorecards

Flavour intensity and quality are different questions. A pronounced bitter note can be enjoyable, while a delicate aroma can be beautifully expressed. Read the tasting description alongside any number, and compare sessions only with their brewing conditions in view.

Older reviews retain their original scorecards. Their sensory scores are personal assessments, not calibrated measurements or a universal ranking between tea types. Where an overall score is recorded, it represents the overall evaluation of that session; it is not an authentication or laboratory grade. Reviews without a recorded numerical rating use a descriptive assessment.

Independence

All reviews reflect my own tasting experience and honest opinion. When a tea is provided as a sample or gift, or when an article contains a commercial or affiliate relationship, this will be clearly disclosed. Such relationships do not guarantee favorable coverage or influence the final assessment.

Start Exploring

Browse the reviews, learn about the tea categories, or send a question or correction.