We are people who left an office to walk back into the mountains.

In the spring of 2018 we sat down for the first time in a tea farmer's courtyard in Menghai, Yunnan. Three-hundred-year-old trees stood on the slope behind us; he poured the first round into a chipped enamel bowl. After that mouthful we more or less knew — this was something we wanted to do properly.

Over the seven years since, we have walked the twelve core origins, slowly: West Lake, Fuding, Wuyi, Phoenix Mountain, Menghai, Lincang, Mengding. We stayed in each place, picked alongside the growers, watched the leaves wither, fire, roll, and roast. We wanted to know which branch each leaf came from and how exactly it became the mouthful in the cup.

We do not run a big shop and we do not carry many teas. Each season we pick only the few that are truly clean, write down their full story, and wait for the people who care to find them.