It's All About Tea

Yabao. Depending on who you ask, Yabao tea can be categorized as raw pu-erh, white tea, white raw pu-erh, pu-erh buds, or even as a tisane! These are just some of the many categories this elusive Chinese tea falls into. So what is Yabao? Actually, it's quite tricky to define and confine it to a particular tea category. What we do know is, it's incredibly delicious. So let's try to take a closer look at what makes it so. (Read more)

Continuing this month's topic of food with tea, we have a popular Chinese street snack - tea eggs! In this post, we'll discuss how to make tea eggs and the different variations that exist.

You can find tea eggs sold from street vendors all over China. In Taiwan, where tea eggs are particularly popular, you can find them steaming hot in every single 7-11 and even in many bubble tea shops. There, they can be enjoyed alongside a refreshing cup of iced tea. (Read more)

Tea is deeply embedded in Taiwan’s culture. Children often start drinking tea at a young age and can distinguish between various Taiwanese tea varieties. Although nowadays, bubble tea shops are taking the way to a more slow habit of drinking tea – Gong Fu Cha.

Nevertheless, most bubble tea shops still serve decent-quality tea stocked from one of the island’s numerous tea farms. If you are at a bubble tea shop and want to experience the quality of the tea, simply order it without milk, toppings, or sugar, and you will see just how good it is, even on its own.

Taiwan is a mountainous island with high altitudes and ample rainfall. Perfect for growing high-quality tea! Tea grows everywhere on the island. You are bound to stumble upon a tea farm growing regional varieties from the north to the south. Indeed, each part of the country is known for its own distinct tea variety and takes pride in its farms and growing techniques. Let’s go over some of Taiwan’s most famous teas! (Read more)

In the past, we have written about a very popular Japanese concept mottainai. Literally translated as “what a waste!” it is actually more of a life philosophy. Following the philosophy of mottainai, we make sure that everything gets used to the fullest. Nothing gets wasted. Perhaps, this is where Japanese green tea over rice comes in, otherwise known as Ochazuke. (Read more)

The weather is getting warmer, and soon the summer heat will be rolling in. This means it’s right about time to stock up on this year’s green tea harvest and get ready for days filled with delicious matcha powder drinks! In this post, we’ve gathered some of our favorite refreshing iced matcha recipes. Including matcha cocktails, mocktails, and matcha lattes! (Read more)