What if the best teas aren’t the ones hyped on every list, but the ones a friend carries across the ocean because they can’t be found anywhere else? That’s exactly how I first met Le Comptoir Florian (also known as La Maison du Thé) in Belgium. Several years ago a friend was coming to visit…
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,…
Finding Space for Tea During the Workday When I had to commute to office to work, one of the first things I did was build a small tea setup at work. Now, I use a portable one on days I commute which are much less often. At this point, I probably have an entire drawer…
The “Mushroom” Everyone Had Growing up in Russia, you eventually encounter a strange creature in someone’s home. People simply call it “mushroom” — or “гриб.” It sits quietly in a jar. It looks unusual. Yet everyone seems to have one. For years, we would keep it, forget about it, let it die, and then get…
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 collect tea-related stories from newsfeeds, articles, and research. This is not a news cycle recap.It is a curated view of how tea appears across culture, industry, design, health debates, and daily life. Tea ranks among the most widely consumed beverages in the world.It also connects economies, rituals, and everyday habits across China, India, Kenya,…
How I started tea blogging. From working at a Chinese Television to Tea Blogging
Austrian tea culture is often overshadowed by the country’s famous coffee houses. During a recent trip to Salzburg and Vienna, I discovered a quieter side of this tradition through the Sacher Blend, a tea served at Café Sacher and crafted by Demmers Teehaus. Austrian Tea Culture Beyond Coffee Austria is well known for its traditional…
5 Good Books About the History of Tea Recently, I came across many posts recommending The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzō as a must-read classic. However, I have not read it yet. At the same time, I find myself more drawn to the origins of tea in China. While I respect Japanese tea culture,…
