I’ve recently spoken with several people about Oscar Wilde’s comedy of manners and mistaken identity, “The Importance of Being Earnest”, and posed the same question to each: “What in particular do you recall about the play?” The results were not unanimous, but the most frequently mentioned recollection was “cucumber sandwiches”. With the cuke season upon [...]
This is my last T Ching entry, so I wanted to leave a word of advice to all the tea industry entrepreneurs: Don’t ignore the young people!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into (and quickly out of) a natural health store or teashop and been outright ignored or just barely given a [...]
Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you drink more than two cups of tea a day. And if that is the case, I highly recommend the Micom hot water dispenser by Zojirushi. Although I, too, love the process of drawing fresh water and listening to the sound of gentle winds rustling through the pines [...]
During our recent trip to Japan, Anne and I visited one of our favorite museums, the Hatakeyama, which along with the Goto and Nezu Art Museums, contain wonderful collections of 16th–18th century teaware-related objects, assembled in the early 20th century by Japanese industrialists and housed in lovely buildings surrounded by beautiful gardens. Visiting these museums [...]
Fifth in a series on the teas of Sri Lanka.
These other important tea districts are affected by the Northeast Monsoon and produce their best from July to September during the Eastern Quality Season. Sir Thomas Lipton purchased his first tea estates in the Haputalle area, acquiring others elsewhere only afterwards. His role in the success [...]
Having had a couple weeks to mull over the recent World Tea Expo, May 2-4 in Las Vegas, I have identified the one thing that stood out for me there: progress.
I should note right up front that I am the editor of World Tea News (WTN), which is owned by the same company that produces [...]
Medicinal tea first drew my attention during a hike when the knowledgeable ranger pointed out some creosote bushes flourishing in the harsh environment of Tahquitz Canyon in Palm Springs, California. The lovely yellow blossoms and white wooly fruits beautified the region. The ranger encouraged us to sniff the foliage, which exuded a pungent scent. I [...]
Given that China and Japan, two of the world’s three most prestigious tea-growing nations, do not have long traditions of dairy consumption in their population’s diets (although that seems to be changing as Westernization is taking hold), I set out to be deliciously subversive and pair some of the teas from those countries with cheese, [...]
Recently, Diane Walden (DW) interviewed Chris Nguyen (CN) of Teapod, a Northern California tea retailer, who Diane found while doing her usual “tea googling”.
This is the first in Diane’s short series of posts on interesting new specialty tea concepts. For more on the very lovely, hip, and modern Teapod, visit them at their web site [...]
I have to be completely honest and admit that I did not and could not drink yerba mate for the first seven years I was in the tea business. Unlike my brother, who liked it from the very first sip, I could simply not wrap my palate around that smokey, earthy bitterness.
I tried my fair [...]
