Bohea Tea

If you read “bow-hee-ah tee-ah,” we have the same sense of humor! If you read “bow-hee tee,” we make the same mistakes.

Bohea, pronounced “boo-hee,” isn’t even the real name of the tea though. This tea is actually a category called Wuyi teas, which includes blacks and oolongs. You may know of them if you’re a fan of smoky teas: lapsang souchong is one of the most well known. And if you’re an elite tea drinker, you may know of the most expensive tea: Da-Hong Pao (ringing up at $1.2 million per kilo). All of these teas are from the same family, but I’m going to start with bohea because that’s the one with probably the shortest history!

Bohea is a trade name, and this tea was the most popular tea to be traded to the Americas! (You can probably start guessing what historical significance this tea has) Bohea was the blanket term for all dark teas drank in England around the 17th century. The tea that made its way to the colonies was usually a scrap tea, made of sifted crumbles of pekoe and souchong. But over in America, the colonists regarded it as high quality! My guess? The English East India Company charged an arm and a leg for it, making it seem better than the cheaper Dutch East India goods even though it was basically the same thing. It’s also noted that about half the tea drank in Britain was smuggled in from shady dealers.

As far traditions of how to drink, it remains one of the more simple services.
Pre-1800, tea was taken plain, served in silver kettles and teapots, with many other odds and ends (milk jugs, sugar bowls with tongs, handleless cups). It was mainly an after dinner drink for women, as men preferred beer when they could get it.
After 1800, tea was prepared separately in the kitchen, and the teacups with handles we all know and love came into style.
Currently, this tea is easily prepared with a teaspoon of leaves in boiling water for three minutes.

This tea is a fairly smoky one. It has notes of orange and cinnamon. Typically, all the flavors are very well balanced, making it a great choice for anyone who likes smoked teas with a hint of something fun. Read our thoughts on it here.