A collection of dated experiences and short diary entries centered around tea, ritual, and daily life. These field notes capture quiet observations, personal reflections, and moments of presence through tea.
The other day, a friend and I decided to go check out some Coffee places recommended by a blog called “Eatery Expert“. Even though Manhattan offers a large choice of ☕Coffee places☕, It does not mean “Quality” is that easy to find. And my friend is a “Barista” type, she lived in Austria for a…
The other day, I went to visit a friend of a friend of mine. This friend: Hisao Hanafusa, is a Japanese artist and has his atelier on 26th Street. You can actually read this NY Times article about shoji screens and also like his Facebook page, he really is the sweetest man. Anyway, we went there…
NYC Boba Then vs Now Latest Update: April 25, 2026 – Bubble tea’s still NYC’s obsession. Just yesterday, I tweeted about Xing Fu Tang opening in FiDi across from Printemps. Their brown sugar deerioca milk tea takes the classic to new heights—more on that below. Back in 2011, I first encountered bubble tea in Flushing, Queens. Every…
I first came across Ten Ren Tea through a recommendation on Twitter and decided to visit while exploring tea shops in New York City. At the time, the NYC tea scene was still relatively small compared to what it is today. Specialty tea shops were not as widespread, and places like Ten Ren were among…
Updated with current notes from Mariage Frères (2026) Kawanecha Meicha is a Japanese green tea from Mariage Frères. I first discovered it in Paris at the boutique near Place des Ternes on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The shop felt elegant, quiet, and welcoming. The aroma of tea filled every room. It quickly became one of…
I got this one at Ten Ren, in Chinatown, New York City. On Steepster, Ten Ren is saying these few words on this Pouchon Tea, 3rd grade: Ten Ren’s Third Grade Pouchong consists of quality tea leaves from northern Taiwan. Pouchong along with Tung-Ting Oolong tea are among Taiwan’s famous teas. Pouchong tea originated in…
The first time I’ve heard of Yixing Clay and Yixing teapots, it’s was like “Love at the first sight”. I know it sounds kind of extreme. But, if I was a collector of anything, that would be ‘THE’ thing for me to collect and decorate my entire house with. Yes this is a true passion,…
