It's All About Tea — chanoyu

Tea is the beverage we choose when we want to unwind and feel rejuvenated at the same time. Coffee may be the energy drink that gets us going in the morning and powers us when working through the night. Tea is more than just a calming brew, whether black, green, white, herbal, hot, or icy cold. It could be a ritual, a social or cultural event, or even spiritual practice.

The tea customs in different countries give us a unique insight into the cultural landscape of their peoples. They highlight the dominating social values and their evolution over time. Let’s embark on a colorful journey across the continents, discovering the tea ritual and sharing a cup of tea with the world! (Read more)

In the previous part of this article, we traced the practice of drinking tea for focus in ancient times. We talked about the connection between tea and mindfulness in China's most important spiritual denominations.

Today, we'll explore the benefits of drinking tea with mindfulness, backed by science. We will also guide you through an exercise on how to drink tea for focus, ease anxiety, and enjoy stress-free mornings and positive and productive days! Grab a cup and dive in! (Read More)

For many of us, the world is going through unrest. It is easy to get overwhelmed with stress, anxiety, and loss of stability. Our daily reality is constantly plagued by war, inflation, COVID, street and school violence, or social division. The mere thought of those disasters can be hard to bear. It puts our minds and souls under constant pressure.

In times like these, the simple action of drinking tea with mindfulness can be a remedy at hand. Let's explore how drinking tea for focusing evolved from ancient times to nowadays in China's most important religious movements. We will also learn ways to take advantage of those practices to quiet the bustling thoughts, achieve mindfulness, and shift to a better state of calm and gratitude. (Read more)

Surely most of us know that tea originated in China. Throughout centuries, the mighty tea leaf spread across continents and established itself as the most popular beverage in the world. The world's tea history is indeed vibrant. Such that we cannot simply cover in one article. However, here we will address the most important dates of Asian tea. Specifically, in the history of tea in China, Japan, and Taiwan. (Read more)

When you want to make your matcha in the traditional Japanese style, it's essential to invest in a proper Japanese tea set. A basic tea set will include a chawan (matcha bowl), chasen (matcha whisk), and chashaku (matcha scoop). If you want a complete Japanese tea set, however, you should also get a furui (tea sift), and a kusenaoshi (chasen holder). By the way, this is only if you want to enjoy matcha at home, casually. If you're going to make matcha as per the ways of Chado, you need much more equipment. So, if you want to make a proper bowl of frothy green matcha, if nothing else, you should always have quality matcha tea powder and a chasen. So how do we take care of the matcha whisk to ensure its longevity for years of umami-rich tea bowls to come? (Read more)