Tea, Sugar, and Slavery

Posted on September 21, 2020September 21, 2020 by Casey Cha

Our beloved tea, Camelia Sinensis, has a rich and complex history that spans elevations, continents, languages, and cultures. It is truly mind blowing to think about my own ease of accessibility to tea. I drink at least one cup every morning, in rural Vermont, a place where a tea plant would only grow if very […]

For the love of flushes! Part 1: Spring First Flush

Posted on August 5, 2020March 9, 2023 by Casey Cha

At our Teahouse in Middlebury VT, folks often sit down, look at the menu, read “Nepal 1st flush black tea” and ask “What does flush mean?” Well, we could (and have) devote an entire Tea Workshop to address this very question, and to indulge in tasting the special category of first flush teas from Nepal […]

Brewing Tea at Home: Japanese Matcha

Posted on June 19, 2020June 29, 2020 by Casey Cha

Japanese Matcha is one of those teas that may be intimidating to make at home for most daily drinkers, even for those of us who adore drinking loose leaf tea. But consider this, powdered tea was one of the original ways that humans drank tea! All you need to make this deliciously rich tea are […]

Brewing Tea at Home: Tea Strainers

Posted on June 3, 2020June 15, 2020 by Casey Cha

At home I use the simple metal tea strainer depicted above because it allows me to drink loose leaf and control the length of my brew. It also allows the loose leaf tea to expand and gives me the option of multiple infusions. Look how beautiful the leaves are when they are hydrated. This little […]

Brewing Tea at Home: Tea Trays

Posted on May 29, 2020June 22, 2020 by Casey Cha

There is more to brewing tea than mugs, thermoses, and tea bags. Please do not misunderstand me, I appreciate these conveniences, especially first thing in the morning on my way to work, or with my hands busy while I am working in the garden. But one of the most admirable things about the global diversity […]

Tea Travels to Xishuangbanna, 2018

Posted on May 26, 2020June 10, 2020 by sebastian

(As unfortunate as the current situation is, it has given us the opportunity to revive some old projects that had fallen by the wayside, like finishing our travel log from our 2018 visit to Yunnan, China!) This was my first experience visiting a tea-growing land. John and I flew into the city of Jinghong(景洪) early […]