The quest for the perfect mineral balance
The set began with tea brewed from water drawn directly from a mountain spring in Yunnan’s Jingmai region — a sensation we wanted to bottle. Unable to transport the spring itself, we turned to the geology that made it special. Over two years, we mapped the mineral profiles of half a dozen Yunnanese rock formations, working with local geologists to identify stones that reliably raise total dissolved solids (TDS) without adding off-flavours or cloudiness. The final set draws from five distinct sites. The pink sandstone hails from Honghe, where iron-rich soils give it a gentle, sweet signature. The grey limestone comes from Wenshan’s ancient seabeds, adding calcium and a round texture. Milky quartz, hand-picked from riverbeds in the Nujiang valley, lends a crystalline purity. Speckled dolomite, sourced near Mengzi, imparts a soft, almost chalky mouthfeel that carries through the finish. Dark schist from Shidian, metamorphic and dense, rounds out the set with a trace of magnesium and a subtle smokiness. Every stone is hand-washed, graded, and cut to a size that fits comfortably in a standard 1-litre pitcher. The result is a miniature terroir kit — a way to tune your brewing water with the same precision a teapot craftsman uses to season a new Yixing pot. The process is best described as a collaboration with the mountain — and tasting the difference, you’ll understand why.