Lion’s Mane

Lion's mane (houtougu, 猴头菇 - "monkey head mushroom") is a snowy, pom-pom-like mushroom whose cascading soft spines really do resemble a lion's mane. Ours is grown by a Thai farm devoted to this one mushroom, and it is widely regarded as some of the finest lion's mane in Thailand.

Taste and aroma in tea

Dried lion's mane gives the cup a gentle, enveloping body: faintly sweet, with nutty, creamy undertones and a whisper of umami - like a fine mushroom broth, only lighter. It is especially at home with ripe pu-erh and black tea, deepening their earthy warmth, and it lends green tea a little extra weight. The liquor takes on a soft golden hue.

A superfood in the Chinese tradition

In old China, houtougu was a treasured mountain delicacy - "monkey head from the hills, bird's nest from the sea," as the saying went - and monastery lore credited it with settling the stomach and clearing the mind. Today lion's mane is one of the most celebrated superfood mushrooms in the world: researchers are studying its signature compounds, hericenones and erinacines, and it has become a favourite of everyone who values calm, focused energy.

How to brew

Lion's mane likes an unhurried steep: water at 95–100 °C and three to five minutes of patience. The pieces hold up to several infusions, growing mellower and rounder each time.