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Embrace Your Tea Path

This post is for anyone who keeps thinking they have to “do” or “be” with tea in a certain way. Are you surprised by the direction your journey into tea is taking? Is there anything you could acknowledge and release to better embrace your tea path?

Path of Tea
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Tea Soundscapes and Mindfulness

If you follow me on Instagram @teainfusiast or have been reading this blog for a while (and previous posts like this one), you may have already noticed that I credit tea for helping me bring more mindfulness into my life. I don’t want to misrepresent myself. Sometimes, I am quickly splashing tea into a mug and running to a meeting or the next thing. But, most days, at least once a day, I slow down and have a mindful cup of tea.

This image shows an image of tea sliding down a tea scoop into a teapot that might evoke the tea soundscape for some viewers.
Can you imagine the sound of the tea pearls cascading down the tea scoop and hitting the bottom of the teapot?
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Blog Tasting Notes

Master’s Collection from Naoki

I have been delighted to spend some quality time with the high-grade matcha included in the Master’s Collection Matcha Set from Naoki Matcha. Part of the name of each tea in the collection reflects its region—NISHIO Bloom, UJI Harmony, and WAZUKA Hilltop. In this post, I share my reflections on each matcha, which I preferred straight, and which as a latte.

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What Kind of Tea Guest Are You?

We all want to be good tea guests, right? Let’s consider why serious tea enthusiasts (and sometimes even intermediate tea lovers) can, despite our good intentions, be intimidating guests. And, let’s try to fix that. This post is Part Two in a two-part series. You may want to read Part One, What Kind of Tea Drinker Are You?, and take the handy quiz in that post, before reading on.

Two cups of tea
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What Kind of Tea Drinker Are You?

What kind of tea drinker are you? Why is it important to know, you wonder? Serious tea enthusiasts, I’m sorry to report, intimidate the general public. What’s worse, we also make our friends nervous.

This post is Part One in a two-part series. It shares a handy quiz to help you diagnose the extent to which your relationship to tea is likely to intimidate your friends. Part Two, What Kind of Tea Guest Are You?, shares advice on what to do about it.

These items are a clue to what kind of tea drinker you are
Do you have lots of teas, teaware, tea-shirts, and/or accessories?
Your answers provide some clues to what kind of tea drinker you are.
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How to Make Sparkling Tea from Concentrate or Cold Brewed in Seltzer

I *love* sparkling tea. By that, I mean Camellia sinensis prepared with seltzer. (Depending on where you live, you might call it carbonated water, soda water, or something else.) This post shares some tips for making sparkling tea at home.

Darjeeling Sparkling Tea
Sparkling Darjeeling tea at 29B Teahouse in August of 2019
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Lessons about Authenticity from the Online Tea Community

I have been learning a lot about myself lately–particularly lessons about authenticity. I am a long-time tea lover who has been doing extensive work around personal growth and building a deeper mindfulness practice in 2021. Tea and, now, meditation are daily practices for me. Lately, I have been doing a lot of thinking around issues of authenticity.

Authenticity mantra inside a teacup: "Don't aim to please. Don't try to hide. Honor the truth inside."
My summer 2021 authenticity mantra.
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The Problem with Afternoon Tea

Afternoon teas are full of sensory delights–delicate porcelain, fragrant tea, fine tablecloths, tasty sandwiches, buttery scones, and dainty desserts. Still–I have a confession. Despite being a tea lover, I have a problem with afternoon tea.

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Blog Tasting Notes

Tisane Recommendations to Match Your Tea Mood

When I say I love tea, I emphatically mean the beverage made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. I don’t mean herbal teas (AKA tisanes). My desire to drink tasty beverages, however, is greater than my ability to tolerate caffeine (sadly), so I am constantly searching for caffeine-free tisanes that I enjoy. I have been experimenting with tisane recommendations to match tea moods or preferred flavor profiles.

tisane recommendations to match your tea mood match tea p
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Learn More about Korean Tea

A delicious Boseong Hwangcha was my first intentional–and very delicious–encounter with Korean tea. It inspired me to make a resolution to learn more about Korean tea. At first, I wasn’t sure how to begin.  

Cup of Korean Balhyocha tea
Bookmark featuring a special knot and Korean hanbok next to a cup of Balhyocha tea