About Us
Founded in 2011
Tea Urchin was founded in 2011 by Eugene & Belle, a husband and wife team from Shanghai, China. Eugene & Belle launched Tea Urchin to share their love of Chinese tea with the world. Eugene is a pu'er collector and Belle is a Government accredited expert in tea grading & tea ceremony. Together, they travel around Yunnan, China, searching for great tea, made by small workshops or individual farmers, and help them reach an international market. Tea Urchin also produces it's own brand of pu'er tea, called “Cha Ren” (茶仁 which means “tea compassion”), hand crafted in the traditional method, in remote mountain villages. We work with the same trusted tea-makers each year, so you can compare different harvests and do a vertical tasting. You can meet our producers & follow our tea adventures on our Tea Urchin blog and Facebook page.
Tea Urchin was always a labor of love, but is now very much a hobby rather than a business. We both work other jobs, as well as raising our family, but we still want to share our tea collection with friends around the world. So feel free to order, but please understand if we take a few days to get back to you. Our standard shipping travels from China by sea freight — this keeps it affordable, but it takes 4–8 weeks door to door, and we can't provide a tracking number until your parcel reaches your country's postal system (usually 4–6 weeks after dispatch). In a hurry? We also offer express shipping (EMS) at checkout. Please note our prices don't include your country's import duties or taxes — these are your responsibility to pay. So whilst we offer some rare aged tea at a great price, you will need to be patient!
From China with love,
