Tea feeds my soul.  A friend of mine who owns a small tea company recently challenged me to stop writing so much about the business of tea and wear my soul on my sleeve a little more.  So I’m taking this opportunity to describe why I’ve developed a passion for tea.
It’s true that much of [...]

My most recent visit to an Asian supermarket left me with this question: Have all the food products that can be flavored with matcha been flavored with matcha?  Besides cookies, ice cream, jelly, mochi, noodles, and countless types of beverages, I saw for the first time uncooked, green-colored tapioca pearls packaged in a bag that [...]

The day I found out I was pregnant, I put the teapot down.  After all, I did not want to do anything that could possibly harm my growing baby.  I put it down because most of what I read advised against it.  After what I read, I ultimately reasoned that pregnant women had been drinking [...]

Yes!  Tea is the most versatile and delicious beverage in the world.  Yes!  Tea has historical significance throughout many cultures.  And Yes!  Tea can be a simple remedy for many ailments. I was recently reminded of this when my niece, Megan, made me an extremely tasty tea that eased my tummy turmoil.
I had been suffering [...]

Taking a bowl of green tea in your hands and drinking it, you feel one with nature and there is peace.  This peace can be spread by offering a bowl of tea to another.  I hope you will drink and share this peace with me.
-Soshitsu Sen XV, Tea Life, Tea Mind

Many times, I have been [...]

On a recent trip to my boyfriend’s Ojibwa Indian reservation in Red Lake, Minnesota, I learned about the Ojibwa Indians and a special kind of tea they drink, called swamp tea.  As a tea lover, I was enthralled with it.  My boyfriend’s great-grandmother was a medicine woman and swore by the benefits and healing properties [...]

I had the luck in one of my anthropology classes to learn about doulas - birth attendants who provide support during a woman’s labor.  After listening to an enlightening presentation on how doulas can help alleviate labor pain, I became interested in learning more about a profession that uses natural remedies to help women have [...]

In the movies, romance and sex are often accompanied by wine and candles.  Let’s keep the candles, but consider changing the beverage.  First, however, let’s take a look at relationships.
For those of us in long-term committed relationships, it’s helpful to schedule some time for intimacy.  Our lives are so busy that it can easily fall [...]

I’ve been a bit under the weather lately, and when that happens, I think, “What kind of tea will make me feel better?”  As I felt a sinus infection coming on, I was craving a rich, spicy chai - although I usually steep it like tea instead of preparing it with milk in the traditional [...]

If you are a gardener and a tea fan, you can learn how to mix the two to benefit both.  I have been a tea fan for a long time and I have just started to garden.  In January, I began working at my college’s botanical garden and plant nursery and have been spending much [...]