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A trip to Yunnan
Last month, we were welcomed by a 20 C cool breeze at 5:00 AM when we touched down at Kunming airport in Yunnan, China. Far from Calcutta’s 35 C hot winds, I felt like I had been transported back to...
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Life is a bowl of Darjeeling … and cherries
Although variety is usually the spice of life, drinking the same tea for weeks on end provides many pleasures, offering a spot of calm and predictability in an otherwise frenetic world. In my case,...
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Tea (and fruit) all the way from China
At this time of year when fruit tree vendors begin to display mounds of California-grown russet, yellow, and green-skinned Asian pears at my local farmers’ markets, I can’t get enough of the fruit. I...
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The changing tea landscape in China
Managing Editor’s Note: Several weeks ago, I reached out to David Lee Hoffman, whose amazing tea journey is featured in the wonderful film, All In This Tea. He kindly agreed to allow me to select some...
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Pu’erh tea in the morning
Are you looking for a healthy morning coffee substitute? My customer, Kevin, substituted a 20-year-old pu’erh tea for his morning coffee. Each morning he brews two strong cups and meditates for 30...
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The surprising tea of Myanmar
When I was planning to visit Sri Lanka, many friends asked me to bring back some black tea for them. In the end, I changed my plans, deciding instead to visit Myanmar. When my friends heard of my...
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The evolution of tea – Part 1
Tea has come a long way from a single leaf plucked from a plant. Today, the tea plant is processed using six methods to become green, white, yellow, oolong, black, and dark (AKA post-fermented) tea....
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The inspiration behind my “Have Fun Teapot with Magneto-Bell Lid and Fuchsia...
If a beverage can be an inspiration, tea is mine. I need to explain why this is true. In February, the Arts Guild of Sonoma in California invited me to be a guest artist for their annual Repo Show, a...
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Ancient tea roads
The British brought tea to India (or started planting tea in India) no earlier than 1828, but tea has a history as long as 5,000 years, so certainly tea traveled in and around India for a long time,...
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The vastness of nuance
There’s something very special about being still and focused when preparing and drinking tea. Lucidity is the word in this case. In the moment, there’s rich detail: cups/bowls, leaves, pots, water,...
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China’s brown treasure – pu-erh tea
In China, Pu-erh is referred to as ‘Black Tea’ which can be a bit confusing to us Westerners as we use that term to refer to a specific type of tea that is definitely not Pu-erh. What we recognise as...
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Are you a “tea snob,” or do you just love great tea?
I wrote a post on my own little blog awhile back and decided to share it here where there are more eyes to see and possibly relate to it. What really is a ‘tea snob’? That is my question. Ladies...
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Never make a tea assumption!
Recently it has been my privilege to get to know a young woman raised in China. I mistakenly made the assumption that talking with her about Chinese teas would be a lengthy and fun part of our...
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K2K and Darjeeling
Kunming of Yunnan, and Kolkata of Bengal, are now declared sister cities. This adds another jewel in the crown of Darjeeling! Kolkata to Kunming – K2K – is a regional co-operation group under BCIM –...
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A serendipitous journey to the Ancient Tea Horse Road
A week ago, my husband and I took the train from Culver City to Exposition Park, home of the Natural History Museum. During the mere 7-mile trip, I anticipated the museum’s latest exhibit, Traveling...
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Dr. Selena Ahmed: Pushing the tea research envelope
Dr. Ahmed with Tea Traders in Yunnan Province For many, particularly tea lovers, Dr. Selena Ahmed’s job sounds like a dream job – travel to China several times a year, converse with tea farmers, and...
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China revisited
The 22nd Xinyang Maojian International Tea Cultural & Business Conference was opened on April 28, 2014, in Xinyang, Henan province of China. On its second day, the conference held a seminar which...
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All praise to a braise, with tea
With the first intimations of cooler weather on the horizon, I’m ready for some long-cooked stove top or oven-braised dishes and tea is one of the best braising and tenderizing additions to a broth I...
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Sisters in tea: Siliguri and Lincang
There is no doubt of the fact that Yunnan is the natural apogee of tea in the whole world given the location of world’s oldest tea tree in Fengqing, and tea trade routes going back several millennia....
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Tea in another form: A jewel of a gelée
What’s better than a fresh-out-of-the oven scone? Give up? A fresh-out-of-the-oven scone spread with tea gelée. Take your favorite tea, brew it, sweeten it lightly with either honey or sugar, and then...
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