It's All About Tea

For many of us, the world is going through a turbulent time. It is easy to get overwhelmed with stress, anxiety, and uncertainties. Lately, I found myself in this situation. At times it can seem as though I am no longer in control of my own life.  

While many of us are going through quarantine and social distancing, some professions continue to go to work. Whatever the situation, it is not an easy time. 

Being based in big and bustling New York, it is hard not to feel the effects of the quarantine first-hand. When I become overwhelmed, it can even be hard to remember about the remedies I have at my side.

So I decided to turn the situation around — I picked up a packet of my favorite tea. (Read more)

Tea brews can have so many beautiful color schemes: oak brown, amber orange, jade green, honey yellow… and the list goes on. 

As we’ve already learned, the color of the tea doesn’t always correspond with the tea category. In the west, we are mostly used to ordering a black tea and receiving a dark brown, almost black tea brew. When it comes to Chinese black teas (red teas), the color of the brew can vary from a darkish umber brown to a light golden liquid. 

So what are some of the things that influence the resulting color of the tea brew? (Read more)

A Russian Caravan tea blend is described as the ideal melange of woody, smoky aroma and velvety sweet taste. It originated over years of loose leaf teas being transported over the harsh wintery Russian steppes. Finally, the tea would arrive to Russia’s elite, fully smoked out from the numerous campfires lit along the way. Today we can enjoy a perfect blend of loose-leaf Chinese teas creating the taste that was once so craved, centuries ago. (Read more) 

While not being limited to animals, tea pets are small clay figures used during gong fu cha for various purposes. Most often, they are used by tea drinkers as decoration, but also for good luck, or to test water for the right temperature.

Tea pets have a long history, dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (13th century China). Tea pets are not only used for aesthetic purposes. Their meanings and positioning are actually closely intertwined with feng shui. (Read more)

In the modern-day tea world, “wild tea trees” are a huge debate. There has been an increasing number of tea vendors that use the mystic appeal of wild tea trees as a marketing ploy. Thus more tea enthusiasts start to believe that these teas are not exactly authentic.  

The majority of ancient tea trees grown in China’s Yunnan province. Yes, the pu-erh region! 

Since they are not cultivated, they can stretch anywhere from 5 up to 10 meters in height, which makes the tea leaves challenging to harvest. (Read more)