Private Reserve (Exclusive)

Private Reserve is the RESERVE tier of the DelmarTe range — the cabinet where the rare leaf lives. These eleven teas are the styles tea people cross town for: Jasmine White Dragon Pearls, hand-rolled and scented in the classic manner; Yellow Tea Ming Dynasty, from the rarest of the traditional tea categories; Imperial White Pu Erh, an aged style prized for mellow depth; and Pai Mu Tan, the white tea better known in the West as White Peony.

Why do reserve teas taste so different?

Mostly restraint — less flavoring, more leaf. The Japanese greens show how far green tea travels beyond the supermarket bag: Bancha Arashiama on the everyday-Japan end, and Genmaicha Musashi, cut with toasted rice for a nutty, broth-like cup. Milk Oolong brings the naturally creamy, buttery character that made the style famous — no dairy involved. White Angel, Sunrise in Tibet, and the Jade Temple Exclusive Collection round out the list alongside the simply named Imperial Tea.

If you're buying rare loose leaf tea online for the first time, start from a direction you already know: oolong if you drink black tea, genmaicha if you love toasty flavors, white tea if you prefer a delicate cup. Then brew gently — water straight off the boil is too aggressive for many of these leaves — and give the pot your attention. RESERVE teas reward it.