Last week, we spent the week in Berlin, Germany, and stayed at a wonderful boutique hotel in Charlottenburg – the Hotel Savoy. Each morning, we were treated to the traditional German breakfast buffet, which is one of my favorite meals – period. Much of the reason for this is that … Continue reading
Pouring hot water into my cup, I watch the long, sword-shaped leaves open. As the leaves unfurl, they look like a sparrow opening its beak to sing. The distinct, flat Dragon Well has inspired legends and imaginations. Chinese folklore loves to use animal imagery and legends when speaking about tea. … Continue reading
“Try softer,” my martial arts master said, as I fumbled through learning new steps in my form. My mind was jumbled and confused, trying to remember the movements, my body stiff and tense. Trying harder, I muscle up on steps with tension, apprehension, and fear; “trying softer” is a way … Continue reading
I’ve often experienced people as places, in which conversing is a kind of traveling. Often the place a person conjures is subtle, but occasionally someone enters the plane of existence as a prairie one unexpectedly encounters while walking along a street riddled with familiar chattering. So it was with one … Continue reading
We just completed our annual Tea Lovers Festival, which was held May 13-15 in Los Angeles. It was our biggest and best event to date – with over 1,200 tea lovers participating in tea tastings, studies, and labs, as well as visiting and purchasing tea products at our popular Tea … Continue reading
It was with some trepidation that I anticipated the task at hand. Many years had passed since my mother’s death and it had already been a year and a half since my father’s. Now, with the passing of my stepmother, the time had come to sort through what remained of … Continue reading