It's All About Tea

Chinese black tea – Hong Cha (红茶) – is one of the world's most widely produced teas, but it has a different name, a different history, and a fundamentally different character from the black teas most Westerners know. For centuries, Chinese farmers produced hong cha almost exclusively for export. It wasn't until 2005, when Jin Jun Mei sparked a domestic tea renaissance, that Chinese black tea became a tea for Chinese people, too. This is a guide to its history, its types, and what makes it worth drinking.  (Read more)

There’s a variety of reasons we may choose to drink alcohol: relaxing after a hard day’s work, relieving anxiety, for inspiration, or for socializing. Instead of the daily whiskey or wine, why not make a healthy habit of drinking tea? (Read more)

Today, we are exploring a popular topic: Pu-erh tea caffeine content. Pu-erh is one of the most controversial tea categories. Many people believe that Pu-erh is particularly high in caffeine. And among those many, some assume that the darker the tea, the more caffeine it contains. Perhaps it is because darker brews of tea resemble the highly caffeinated culprit coffee? Though we know that the freshest, youngest green teas often have higher caffeine content. While it's true that Pu-erh is an excellent energizing tea, is it that high in caffeine? And does the color of the brew matter? (Read more)

In the somewhat intricate world of tea ceremony, there exists a debate: incense or no incense? 

Personal preference aside, we decided to go deeper into why exactly incense can be burned during tea ceremonies. After all, this is a long tradition that has holds its roots in Buddhism and has made its way into the traditional tea ceremony. (Read more)

We all love a cup of hot frothy matcha tea. 

The best thing about it is — as long as you have all the right utensils, it's super easy to make at home. For a small fraction of what you would be paying at a cafe, you can whisk yourself up a cup of hot matcha, iced matcha, matcha latte, or even a matcha cocktail!

So what are the five indispensable tools that any matcha lover needs? (Read more)