Adapting Tea Rituals to a Busy Work Schedule

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 filled with tea. Some teas are there because they brew easily in an office environment. Others simply accumulated over time faster than I could drink them.

The biggest challenge was finding teas and brewing methods that fit naturally into a workday without turning tea preparation into another task to manage.

Some teas work surprisingly well in simpler setups. Others really deserve more time and attention than an office can realistically offer.

Learning to Simplify Tea Rituals

Before working full-time in an office, I often approached tea in a more deliberate way. I would carefully choose teaware, experiment with steeping times, and dedicate real time to the experience.

Workday tea is different.

Sometimes the ritual becomes less about perfection and more about creating small moments of pause throughout the day. Even a simple steeping session between meetings can completely reset the atmosphere of an afternoon.

That shift made me appreciate tea differently.

The Problem With Accumulating Too Much Tea

At one point, I subscribed to the White2Tea tea club for a couple of months. I enjoyed discovering new puer teas, but eventually I realized I could not keep up with the amount of tea arriving.

Like many tea drinkers, I ended up with more tea than I could realistically consume.

A good portion of those extra puer teas eventually became part of my office tea collection. In a way, work turned into the perfect place to slowly work through teas that had been waiting on my shelves for far too long.

Tea Learning Beyond the Teacup

Lately, I have also been listening to more tea-related podcasts during commutes and quieter moments of the day.

One discovery I particularly enjoyed was The Tea History Podcast by Laszlo Montgomery. It was fascinating to hear tea explored through history, trade, culture, and politics rather than only through tasting notes or brewing techniques. Lessons to take here… Listening to tea history podcasts also reminded me how much I enjoy reading about tea culture and tea history outside of tasting and brewing. I have shared a few of my favorite tea-related books in a separate post for anyone interested in exploring the subject further.

It reminded me how expansive tea culture really is once you begin exploring beyond the shallow layers.

A selection of tea books featured in this post and related reading on tea culture is listed below.

Tea Habits Continue to Evolve

One thing I have noticed over the years is that tea rituals are never completely fixed. I drink much less of it later in the day. Eventually the caffein does affect you as you age. I never had problems drinking it until late at night up until I hit 30.

On top of that, the way we drink tea changes with our schedules, routines, interests, and environments. Some periods leave room for long tea sessions and careful brewing especially if I welcome guests. Most of the time, it’s a routine practice that needs to fit a busy schedule.

Tea does not always need perfect conditions to remain meaningful. In my case, it’s not my only passion. Actually, over the years, I returned to my original love for the arts, and which is also a passion that can be shared with others.

Ending With Lu Tong

Speaking of arts, I will end with one tea poem by Lu Tong, often referred to as Seven Bowls of Tea:

Lu Tong (Tang Dynasty, 790–835)

Translation adapted from Steven R. Jones (2008)

The first bowl moistens my lips and throat;
The second bowl breaks my loneliness;
The third bowl searches my barren entrails,
Therein some five thousand scrolls;
The fourth bowl raises a slight perspiration,
And all life’s inequities pass out through my pores;
The fifth bowl purifies my flesh and bones;
The sixth bowl calls me to the immortals.
The seventh bowl could not be drunk,
Only the breath of the cool wind rises in my sleeves.
Where is Penglai Island?
Yuchuanzi wishes to ride this sweet breeze home.