Master Product List

Gunpowder tea gets its name from the appearance of the leaves, which are rolled tightly into small, round pellets ranging from Pinhead to Pea Leaf. The smaller the roll, the more expensive the tea. The tight roll helps Gunpowder remain fresher, longer than other teas.

Lung Ching translated means Dragon’s Well. The legend of its name comes from a story around 250 AD when the farmers of the Hangzhou region had been praying for rain and discovered a dragon lurking near a spring in the hills. They implored the dragon to come to their rescue. Instantly, clouds came rushing in from all sides and poured forth timely rain. On this account, the temple adjoining the spring is known as Dragon’s Well Monastery, and the tea derives its name from the same legend. The finest Lung Ching is produced only near the beautiful West Lake of Hangzhou. The leaf is remarkably flat and smooth and is slick to the touch. Standard 5120 is our top pick from the earliest production season. We work closely with our trusted supplier to find a unique production lot which best balances s the classic character of dragonwell tea, with new and unique flavors from the particular season.

The tea garden where we source our Organic Yun Wu—Cloud Mist tea uniquely situated atop the famed Putuo Shan (Mount Putuo) located on a remote island of the same name in the Southeast Zhoushan region of Zhejiang province. The garden was originally planted and maintained by Cinese Buddhists, and is one of the most sacred buddhist sites in China. Visiting the garden, it becomes clear why it is so sacred: The lush vegetation, combined with nearly perpetual cloud coverage and cool mist, make for nearly ideal tea growing conditions for green tea manufacture. The garden itself is completely self sustained managed by local farmers who tend to the plants year-round. The tea is produced during the late spring and summer months. Fresh plucked leaf is taken down the mountain to the nearby factory, where it is delicately handled through the final firing and packaging. For those seeking some of the purest green tea from China, with true representation of the classic pan-fired green tea character, Yun Wu is an excellent choice.

Origin: Huangshan Mountains, China. Cloud Mist Supreme is one of the finest grades of the Yun Wu teas from the fabled Huangshan Mountain region in southern Anhui province. Perpetual cloud coverage—along with some help from man-made shade structures—enables the leaves to develop slowly on the bush, rendering a softer and sweeter cup character.

Known as the native home to Camellia sinensis, Yunnan is ideally suited for tea cultivation, and includes centuries-long tea manufacturing practices that are maintained by teamakers throughout the entire region. Yunnan green tea has a very distinctive flavor profile, unlike any other region, that can sometimes be difficult to articulate. From the beautiful tippy appearance, to the long, sweet and herbaceous finish, Yunnan Green Mao Feng is an excellent China Spring tea.

loosely rolled and tippy green tea, from Spring 2020 production. An excellent value China Spring green tea

origin authentic, from Jiangsu Province, China

Kabusecha, which translates to “covered tea,” is a style of shaded Japanese green tea that is loosely defined as a mid-point style between Sencha (not shaded) and Gyokuro (shaded approximately 23–30 days prior to harvest). For Kabusecha 2146, which is shaded approximately 15–20 days, the differences go far beyond tea categories.

Kabusecha is manufactured from mostly Saemidori (translation: “Clear Green”), a newer cultivar known for outstanding aroma, brilliant green color, low bitterness and astringency, and high amino acid content; all characteristics that it inherits from it’s parent cultivar: Asatsuyu

The cultivar used in this year’s Hachijyu-Hachiya (88th Night) is Okumidori, which translates as “Deep Green”. This leaf has an aroma similar to the elusive scent of cherry blossoms: not overly floral, but deep and complex. Due to the exceptional manufacturing on this particular batch, the cultivar flavor shines through, perfectly balanced by the sweet aroma of fresh-withered leaf. In the finish, this tea builds to a powerful and lasting aftertaste of savory yet delicate notes of the sea, yielding only to the next sip.

Matcha Kansai is a traditional style stone-ground matcha, sourced through our main supplier in Kagoshima, Japan. Matcha Kansai is named after the region which encompasses the primary prefectures where this tea is sourced.

Served as a self-drinker, Matcha Kansai delivers a deep green color, which is indicative of high-quality production and freshness. With proper whisking technique, Matcha Kansai develops a thick and persistent topping of foam, and a well-balanced, sweet and smooth cup, with a very clean finish. Matcha Kansai can also be used as a high-quality ingredient for many applications, including blended beverages, green tea latte, or other culinary recipes.

Organic Matcha Konomi strikes the perfect balance between quality and value. Produced in the late Summer and early Autumn months in Kagoshima prefecture, Organic Matcha Konomi delivers a sweet, smooth and well-balanced character to the cup. As a self-drinker, Organic Matcha Konomi can hold its own with a whisk and a bowl. As a premium ingredient, Organic Matcha Konomi will add a beautiful deep green color, and a clean vegetal character to any beverage or other culinary preparation.

From the birthplace of tea, this is a stunning, large single bud tea, wich has been meticulously processed and carefully handled at every step.

We at The G.S. Haly Company work very hard to maintain consistent, high-quality standards for all of our products. Our Standard #5001 is considered the benchmark for consistent high quality iced tea material. As one of the largest specialty tea importers in the U.S. we have a distinct responsibility to maintain our standard #5001; you may not know this tea by name, but you will recognize it as the flavor of specialty iced tea in the United States.

As demand for certified organic teas continues to increase in the US, we are pleased to now offer an NOP Organic equivalent standard to one of our best-selling black teas: China Black OP #5002 (China Std. 1265). While it is very challenging to find an organic version of this tea that has the same degree of depth, complexity and liquor color, we think that our new standard #5003 is an excellent choice for those who seek an organic version of our classic #5002.

NOP Organic China Black OP works extremely well as a base tea for many different blends and flavored teas, as the base flavor is smooth and very approachable. A clean and well-sorted leaf with visual appeal, our new standard #5003 works very well as both hot and iced tea.

Origin: Anhui, China. Keemun Mao Feng is one of the first keemun types produced every year. Tea Production in Keemun (Qimen) County typically begins in early April, while the young leaves are still tender and sweet. Careful handling at every step, including hand-rolling, charcoal firing, and hand-sorting helps to concentrate the flavors of malt and honey. This particular cup has a brighter character than most traditional Keemun standards, with a fruity and almost juicy quality, balanced by a classic Keemun malty finish.

Known in China as “Zhen Shan Xiao Zhong”, this tea has an excellent pedigree and an equally interesting cup profile. Grown on the slopes of the famed Wuyi mountains, home to some of the first black teas ever made, our Wuyi Congou is the same base tea which is traditionally smoked over fresh pine roots to make the famous Lapsang Souchong. Without the smoke, Wuyi Congou has a very soft and buttery mouthfeel, and the flavor is naturally delicate and sweet, yielding a long and pleasing aftertaste.

One of the most challenging aspects of buying a good tea for iced tea applications, whether organic or not, is finding a product that does not cloud when cool. While there are many factors that contribute to the clouding of tea, including the quality of the material, the pH level of the water, and the leaf cultivar used, we find that the Organic Iyerpadi Estate Black BOP is one of the only non-China origin specialty teas that does not cloud when cool.

So, what makes this tea different from any other South Indian Black tea? After some research, and extensive experimentation, we believe that the main contributing factor is that Iyerpadi Estate still maintains its fields with purely China jat cultivars (Camellia, sinensis), which it has done since its founding by the British in 1898. In fact, some parts of the Estate have original tea bushes still in commercial use.

In addition to the plant material used, the elevation of the garden (around 4,000 ft.) and ample rainfall help to produce a tea which is well-balanced, full bodied and brisk: an ideal profile for an organic iced tea.

Through a recent collaboration with one of our long-time tea suppliers in India, we have established a new standard of South India Black Fannings for use as a single-origin iced tea blend, or as an enhancement to your existing iced tea blend.

Our new standard #6004 lends deep red liquor color, rich and juicy flavors, and just enough brightness to shine through any iced tea application. Standard #6004 can be blended with our proprietary iced tea blend #5001, China Black BOP, to create a zesty and complex iced tea.

We are excited to support the revival of a lesser-known tea producing area in North India: Kumaon. Through a collaborative effort with the production team at the Champawat Tea Estate, we have found a tea that shows both classic North Indian character, and unique and delicious flavors that can only be created in the Kumaon tea producing region.

This cup shows a hybrid character including the woodsy, resiny, loamy qualities typical of teas from eastern China, alongside the malty, leafy autumnal notes typical of Dooars and Terai in the foothills below Darjeeling. This cup is less astringent than comparable teas from India or Sri Lanka, but still retains enough structure to carry a bit of milk, particularly if made just a bit stronger than usual.

Remarkably smooth for such a small grade. Offers benchmark breakfast tea flavor notes of toasted grain, tobacco leaf and a slightly savory quality. The smaller particle size gives darker cup color and a weightier palate presence, but does so without the astringency of a comparable cup from India or Sri Lanka. Great for someone who wants the color and character of a typical breakfast tea but has low tolerance for astringency. Adding milk to a stronger than usual steeping of this tea would make for a full bodied brew indeed.

Produced at the Mangbai Tea Plantation in Cangyuan County, Lincang, this 2019 crop tea is still very young, but already revealing great flavor character and excellent potential to age gracefully.

These days, it is becoming more difficult to find traditional-style Ti Kwan Yin. While the trend in semi-ball oolong is for lighter oxidation and ligher baking, we believe that the classic character of Ti Kwan Yin oolong should represent the complex and artisinal skill required to achieve the desired character - ripened stone-fruit flavor, complex floral aroma, and sweet nutty finish. To achieve this character, Ti Kwan Yin must be slowly and expertly processed over the course of two to three days. While it might be faster and easier to achieve a greener version of Ti Kwan Yin, we always prefer this tea to represent the classic leaf and cup character that its reputation was established upon. While our standard is not the highest possible grade available, it does represent the style that we prefer, and the tea which we want to preserve for future generations to enjoy.

Through our efforts to bring new and interesting teas to our customers, we recently came across a very nice semi-ball oolong from Fujian Province in Southeast China. This tea has many similarities to our higher grade Ti Kuan Yin, though is a bit more straightforward. Fujian Jade Oolong works very well as a base for blended or flavored teas, as well as an everyday self-drinker. We are very pleased with the quality and value of this tea, and look forward to building up a long-term following for one of our new standards.

Black tea base, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom seed, Cardamom pods, Clove buds, Vanilla pieces, natural & artificial flavoring