It's All About Tea

If you are just starting to explore the vast and somewhat mysterious world of pu-erh, chances are you’ve been purchasing samples. The samples are an excellent way to get acquainted with the tea and see what you like before investing in a whole cake. An entire pu-erh cake can be pricey, but it is well worth it if you find one you want, as it will last you for many months, if not years, and often gets better with age. 

After you purchase your first cake or brick, the next step is to break it into a size suitable for one tea session. For this, we use specially designated pu-erh tea needles. Learn about how to properly loosen and break pu-erh tea. (Read more)

When the weather is warm, all we want to do is go outdoors. And as much as we love enjoying tea in the comfort of a home, there is plenty of time for that during the chilly winters. Summer, on the other hand, is the perfect time to enjoy tea outdoors, with fresh greenery all around and the sounds of mountain streams...

Although packing for some quality gongfu cha time outdoors can be intimidating. What to bring? How do we make sure the teaware doesn't break? What about the water? What if the tea gets crushed? (Read more)

Does tea have caffeine? Yes – all teas from Camellia sinensis do. But how much caffeine ends up in your cup depends on far more than tea type: cultivar, harvest season, shade-growing, brewing temperature, and steeping time all play a role. Here's how it works. (Read more)

A common mistake people make is thinking they can use their teapot right away. We often get questions from people who are curious or taken aback by the smell they notice after receiving a piece of teaware. It can be described as “earthy”, “muddy”, “moldy”, and even “fishy”.

While a strong fishy or moldy smell is usually not a good sign, a new Yixing teapot may have a mild earthy or clay scent from the firing and storage. To lighten the earthy smell of clay and prepare the teapot for tea brewing, we should season it before use. (Read more)

At Path of Cha, we always recommend cold brew as the best way for extracting all the flavors and components out of a loose leaf tea. However, during the summer’s heat if you're in the mood to have a certain tea iced and just don’t want to wait a few hours for a cold brew, there is an alternative method for making iced tea. Find out how to make a quick iced tea without sacrificing as much flavor as you would with a classic iced tea, while saving more time! (Read more)