It's All About Tea

The Tetsubin, Japan's traditional cast iron kettle, is a cornerstone of the Japanese tea making ritual. 

The Tetsubin is an undeniable part of Japan's tea culture. With roots stretching back through centuries, this essential kettle has transcended its humble beginnings to become a celebrated piece of functional art. In this blogpost, we'll go through the history and origins of the Tetsubin. We'll explore the craftsmanship behind its creation, which has largely remained unchanged for centuries. We will also offer insights into how best to use and care for your Tetsubin, ensuring that it remains a treasured – and functional – part of your tea ritual. Embark with us as we explore the legacy of the Tetsubin and its significance in the art of making tea. (Read More)

Understanding the intricate process of tea infusion and extraction is a powerful tool for any tea enthusiast. It's the key to mastering the craft of brewing tea and controlling the taste and aroma of your cup. Crafting a good cup of tea involves understanding the subtle interplay of various factors contributing to its flavor and aroma. In this blog post, we'll go through the techniques and variables that shape tea's flavor, helping to create the perfect cup every time. (Read More)

The heart of tea's diversity lies in its countless varieties, each contributing its taste, aroma, and flavor to the world of tea. The major varieties, Camellia Sinensis and Camellia Assamica, are well-known in the tea community for the wide array of tea flavors and textures they produce. However, beyond these popular varieties exists a realm of lesser-known species that play a crucial role in the rich and varied world of tea.

This article aims to explore the depth of tea varieties, from the renowned to the rare. We'll dive into each variety's history, characteristics, and unique qualities, offering a comprehensive look at the plants that create our beloved beverage. At the same time, we hope to contribute to a better understanding of the tea plant and create a more vibrant, detailed representation of the rich world of flavors, aromas, and tastes evoked by the vast array of tea varieties. (Read More)

"Full, thick body", "a robust, woody base with accentuated floral notes", "delightfully sweet aftertaste". You probably heard these coming from the tea crowd more often than not. If you're new to the world of tasting tea, it might seem like some high knowledge accessible only to a few selected. We assure you though that tea tasting and evaluation aren't reserved solely for the connoisseurs. Today's blog post delves into the art of tea tasting and appreciation - a practice, open and accessible to anyone who loves tea and wants to deepen their understanding of its many layers. 

By learning to pay attention to these key aspects, we enhance our sensory palette and elevate our appreciation and enjoyment of tea to new heights. Each focused tasting session is a step forward in fine tuning our abilities to recognize and savor the subtle nuances in our cups. So, let's embark on this enlightening journey and equip you with the knowledge to transform every sip into a deeper, more meaningful encounter with tea. (Read More)

In the previous blog post, we started a thread on some of the most popular custom tea blends featuring loose-leaf tea. We explored a deeply rooted tradition of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) of mixing loose-leaf tea with various medicinal herbs, fruits, and flowers, among others, to create tea elixirs that are both therapeutic and aromatic. They focus on harmonizing the wellness aspects with the enjoyable sensory experiences of the tea.

We have explored some of Green and White Tea's custom tea blends. In this blog post, we continue with some of the most aromatic and complex tea types, namely Oolong tea, Red tea or Hong Cha (known as Black tea in the Western world), and Hei Cha, with Pu-erh tea as one of its most notable representatives. We'll learn about the different tea blends created with those tea types. We'll also explore the healthy advantages they bring along and how their ancient wisdom might benefit our modern lives. (Read More)