It has been twenty years since I first became obsessed with Chinese tea and it has not lost any of its magic pull for me throughout the years. In fact, I am probably even more obsessed today than I was twenty years… Continue reading
When you think of Burma (now known as Myanmar), you think of Aung San Suu Kyi and the lack of democracy or human rights. You don’t usually associate the country with tea, even though teatime in Burma… Continue reading
If there were ever an occasion that would get people more interested in Chinese tea, it would be the Mid-Autumn Festival, an annual event that falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar (this year, it will take… Continue reading
One axiom that is typically taught to new tea students is that “all tea comes from the same plant.” If these students continue to learn about tea and study Chinese tea in any depth, they will discover that this statement is almost as wrong as the old belief that black … Continue reading
This exotic “Champagne of Teas” – also known as Formosa oolong, Champagne oolong, White Tip Oolong, Eastern Beauty, Bai Hao Oolong, Dong Fang Mei Ren, Pong Fong Cha, and Wu Se Cha – is probably the most fascinating of all oolong teas. It has been said that Longjing (Dragon Well) … Continue reading
On my recent trip to southern Italy, where coffee was the drink of choice everywhere and tea an afterthought at best, I got to thinking about the splendid citrus fruits now in season there, orchards of which rolled as far as the eye could see, hugging the soil on the … Continue reading