Category: Tea Musings
-
“All Good Things…”
Almost two months have passed since my last article. In Internet years, that is almost a decade. It wasn’t like I had nothing to write about. In fact, I had several things. For example . . . Over the course of the summer, I internally outlined an article on GABA tea. Since that was turning…
-
Beengs and Purge
As some of you might remember, a couple of years ago, I co-hosted of a tea-themed podcast. On the above episode, we had a guest—James of TeaDB—to discuss puerh storage. I contributed nothing to the episode, save for a couple of queries and quips here and there. James was star informant on the subject of…
-
A Year of Weird and Wonderful White Teas
Toward the end of any year, content creators, influencers, media pundits (social or otherwise) are encouraged to create look-backs or listicles of the year-that-was. Throughout my long and industrious “career” as a tea blogger, I’ve made such reflections in the past. Usually commenting on how weird the year was, or how wonderful some aspect of…
-
Gifts of the Doke River
In July, a very 2020 thing happened. I shattered a gaiwan lid. Even “funnier”? This was the second such gaiwan lid I’d shattered this year. My luck with even the most basic teaware was middling at best. Like any “softboi”, I posted this guy-winey gaiwan lament online. First person to comment on this tragedy was…
-
Bordering on Sheng Puerh
Let’s talk about border sheng. As long-time readers already know, I’m a bit of an old hat (and advocate) of sheng cha produced outside of Yunnan province, China. I’ve devoted the last decade or so to trying sheng cha from countries along (or near) the Yunnanese border. The Phongsaly region of Laos, the Kokang region…
-
Meet Herb
Meet Herb. Herb is a tea pet. What’s a tea pet, you might be asking? Well, it’s a long story, and—honestly—one I haven’t taken much interest in. Until now.
-
“And Who Is My Neighbor?”
Trigger Warning: The following article discusses religion and race. So, consider yourself doubly warned. In my Bible readings, there is one aspect I keep coming back to. In the Gospels, Jesus conveyed his teachings through the use parables. Short, fictional stories that often left the listener with more questions than answers. He gave his reason…
-
Tea in Star Wars
Episode 1 The Rise of the Steam The kettle boils! A tea geek, locked in his room during quarantine, casually watched an episode of some Star Wars cartoon, and—lo!—a tea pot appeared into view. At first, he thought it was a mere happenstance, and didn’t think that tea played a part in the lore. He…
-
Biography of a Bing Cha
I’ve often expressed my ambivalence to the tea category that is puerh. Sometimes, though, a story about it demands my attention. And most of those times, the story isn’t even mine. Even stranger still? A few of those stories focus on the puerh itself, and the journey it went through. This is one such story.
-
Tea Love in the Time of COVID
Strange times we’re living in, huh?