Tag Archives: tea culture
Seiji Ito’s Clay – A Tokoname Blue
First day in Japan and already a day ‘late’. A day late in meeting a man who has been crafting clay from Tokoname into tea vessels for decades. Upon arrival to Tokyo and dealing with the restless charm of jet-lag … Continue reading
Time with Tseten – Tea Horse Road Trader
We sat in the dark gloom of his home, with a bit of lukewarm butter tea roaming around our hands. Another of the remaining legends of the days of trade and odyssey journey-making along the Tea Horse Road, Tseten was … Continue reading
Interview with Tea Biz – Tea’s Precious Informality
A few thoughts shared in a recent interview with Tea Biz here. In the great rush of tea paraphernalia and in the increasingly creative marketing and usage of fantastical descriptions and flavour wheels; in a time when the ‘names’ of … Continue reading
Tea Horse Road Chronicles – A lusty bit of Leaf Tribute
One of the most exquisite pieces of tea porn I’ve come ever across was this compressed mass of large leaf material, formed into seven gourds, sized in ever-descending size to form a large pyramid of vegetal fuel. It was also … Continue reading
Tea Horse Chronicles – Tea’s Value
“Tea is our everything. I don’t know where it comes from but we take it every day in the morning, afternoon, and night. Our children learn to make it when they are young but we must help them get the … Continue reading
The Teahouse – Japan Flows Forward
The first concept that is immediately put on the shelf about a teahouse here in Japan is that there will be no fun. The second concept is that there must be a kind of rigid adherence to structure and form. … Continue reading
Puerh and its Other Worlds – Still There
Puerh and its spaces and people Continue reading
The Tea Boss Arrives…Without Warning
Wang Ling has arrived giving me only a couple of hours warning, and she is no conventional guest. She is a tea master with a personality that frequently ranges from the absurdly giggly to the mute tones of a … Continue reading
My latest article for UNESCO on tea
Goes without say that the article (titled “Ancient Green Wisdom“) is best read with a cup of tea and perhaps a good deal more than simply “a” cup
Up a Classic with a Classic – Xishuangbanna Continued
Teashops and tea cups have to at some point make way for the tea forests and fields. Fluid must give way to its ‘source’. As much as my entire being loves to be shoved into a tight little shop sipping … Continue reading