Why “Cinnabar”?
Cinnabar is the deep, warm red mineral that has been prized across cultures for thousands of years — and it is precisely the hue of perfectly oxidized red tea leaves. The name captures what we love most about these teas: the alchemy of turning a simple leaf into something extraordinary through the mastery of withering, rolling, oxidizing, and firing.
We chose it to honor that transformation — the quiet magic that happens when skilled hands meet a craft honed over generations.
Our Sourcing Philosophy
We work directly with small-scale tea farming families in China's premier red tea regions: the ancient tea forests of Yunnan, the misty peaks of Qimen in Anhui, and the protected highlands of the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian.
Every tea in our collection is personally selected. We visit the gardens, taste the harvests, and build relationships that span generations. No middlemen, no blending for volume — just honest tea from people who are proud of what they make.
What Makes Chinese Red Tea Special
Known in China as “hong cha” and in the West as “black tea,” red tea is fully oxidized, developing deep flavors and aromas — from the smooth, sweet character of unsmoked Lapsang Souchong to the honeyed luxury of Jin Jun Mei. The process is an art: leaves are withered to precise moisture levels, rolled to release their essential oils, carefully oxidized under controlled conditions, then fired to lock in flavor.
The result is a tea that is bold yet nuanced, warming yet refreshing, timeless yet perfectly contemporary. Chinese red tea is the original “black tea” the world fell in love with — and its finest expressions are still made, by hand, in the mountains of China.