….if adding some entertaining ritual is on your agenda consider tossing out your strainers…..

“The burden of responsibility is placed on the wrong people: the non-organic companies should be the ones required to list on their tea packages all the pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals they use.  The organic, sustainable growers shouldn’t be the ones who, in addition to making the effort of doing the right thing, also have to [...]

Sand castles. Remember going to the beach, digging in the sand all day, building something like a castle with a moat around the perimeter? Coming home with sand-filled shoes, sand-filled bathing suit, and sand in your ears? Recently I attended the Sandsations construction contest at the beach community where we summer. [...]

I received an interesting email from a T Ching member. He brought up a few very interesting points which I’d like to put out there to readers of this blog. He was actually asking for some recommendations for selections of tea bags, which he would like to offer to his guests. He did mention how [...]

We will be sending out 25 grams each of Nepalese Oolong (Meghma) and Kashanganj Snow Bud by the end of this week. If there is anyone who is interested in participating but has not yet signed up, now is the time. You can find out the details here. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to [...]

Completely restored to favor, the young man admitted he had never possessed the secret of transmutation; he was formally forgiven and promptly appointed director of Europe’s first china factory. It was established near Dresden in a little village called Meissen and proved to be worth almost as much to Augustus as the Philosopher’s Stone would [...]

The method we use to heat the water that will embrace our tea is an often ignored yet very important part of tea preparation, as important as the leaves or water source even. I have myself ruined countless teas, and been to so many tea shops and tea houses here in Asia where nice tea [...]

(with added comments by T Ching in parentheses and italicized)
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
“How old are you?” “I’m four and a half!” [...]

I recently read several interesting articles on Puerh in “The Art of Tea” magazine which you read a review about here many weeks ago by Phyll Sheng. I am quite familiar with the growing popularity and demand for vintage Puerh (not to mention the soaring prices), but admittedly still a novice in the intricacies and [...]

Portland, Oregon is home to many tea start ups that have made it BIG nationally, from Tazo to Stash and more recently Oregon Chai. When I saw the New York Times article about tea in Portland, I was delighted to see yet another good tea article, especially in my neck of the woods, but [...]