Imagine this: you open a bag of Taiwan high-mountain oolong. You inhale deeply. It smells like cool mist rolling through pine forests at 1,500 meters. Then you take a sip. You almost taste clean mountain air: bright, floral, and gently grassy. This is one of my favorite teas. In this post, I explore its lesser-known…
I recently came across a fascinating map shared by Quartz explaining why some countries use the word “tea” while others use variations of “cha” or “chai.” It turns out the difference is closely connected to ancient trade routes and how tea spread across the world from China. Tea by Sea, Cha by Land In general,…
A lot of non-tea related things happened this week but I have been having my daily seeps regardless. I am about to finish my stash of Earl Grey I buy in bulk at the Oriental Pastry & Grocery on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. I love going there to get my raw almonds, cardamon seeds and things like…
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…
