Stock up on tea to go with festival mooncakes

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With the Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, it is the time to enjoy some sumptuously soft and sweet mooncakes no matter which flavor or style you choose — Cantonese, Suzhou or Taiwanese.

It is a true delight to pair a rich slice of mooncake with a cup of tea, which will balance the sweetness of the mooncake and make the snack lighter- and fresher-tasting.

Whether hot or cold, green or Oolong, there are seldom shortages of tea options at markets. Shanghai Daily went on a little tea trip at City Shop.

Lady Earl Grey

Origin: England

Price: 88 yuan (US$20.42)/125g

Description: Earl Grey tea has a distinct aroma and flavor that comes from oil extracted from the rind of a bergamot orange, a fragrant and bitter fruit the size of an orange and with a color similar to lemons.

Qimen black tea

Origin: China

Price: 138 yuan (US$22.51)/200g

Description: A very well-known Chinese black tea, Qimen, or Keemun in English, has a fruity and bitter but balanced taste. Its aroma is fruity, woodsy and smoky.

King Hsuan Oolong tea

Origin: Taiwan (China)

Price: 179 yuan (US$29.20)/100g

Description: Formulated in 1981, King Hsuan Oolong tea is a semi-fermented tea that is very smooth and refreshing. It has a nice aroma coupled with a sweet and fragrant flavor.

Chrysanthemum tea

Origin: China

Price: 17.8 yuan (US$2.90)/5g

Description: First drunk during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), chrysanthemum tea is made from chrysanthemum flowers and is the most popular in East Asia. Refreshing and sweet tasting, this tea is also said to have many medicinal values and cooling properties that decrease body heat.

Twinings jasmine green tea

Origin: England

Price: 24.40 yuan (US$3.98)/450ml

Description: A green tea slightly scented with jasmine flowers, this tea is mild and floral. It has an alluring fragrance and a hint of jasmine taste. Though having a bit of a grassy aftertaste, it is a pretty decent tea.

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