Over 160 articles to celebrate tea in classic and contemporary literature
Throw Back Friday: no need for armor
You and I are great souls.
And we come together for a time.
We meet over a cup of tea here on earth.
Shall we leave our shell and join with each other?
Bowl Two: Mastered mind; meditation
Without mastery of the mind we shall never walk upright, no matter how wonderful our intentions. The mind is a strong and powerful elephant, able to serve or destroy the city equally. For that reason, our centers and schools will always be places of meditation,
Flashback: alphabet of teas
One of the most fascinating aspects of the marvelous world of tea is the vast opportunity to pun our favorite beverage. How many of you tea drinkers find your “creativi – tea” and your “generosi-tea” aided for the better by the “availabili- tea” of the good brew? Yep. Thought so.
Eight bowls of a life of tea – part 1
Our tradition is based on a life of tea, and whether as tea monks who are committed full time or householders who may only devote a portion of their energies to this Way of Tea, the goal is the same: awakening and presence through tea. This life and practice is to help cultivate our own inner wisdom, and to then share our inner peace with others in the true spirit of tea—leaves and water offered freely in recognition of the oneness of Being, and the healing power in commune with Nature and each other.
Throw back Friday: drink your tea slowly
Drink your tea slowly and reverently,
as if it is the axis
Birthdays
Wu De is fond of saying that with the medicine of one plant, it is possible to tap into the medicines of all plants. I wholeheartedly believe this to be true. I’ve also found that my interactions with various medicinal plants has fueled my dialogue with Tea and that, conversely, my interactions
The Seeker
There have always been seekers. People dissatisfied with the normal view. People searching for more meaningful vantage points. Wandering down the same worn paths looking for teachers, looking for answers. It was like that long ago too.
Teabags: the gateway brew
Whole leaf enthusiasts know the exquisite difference between a cup of carefully steeped whole leaf – part ritual, part alchemy, part spirituality – and half careful attention to detail. We also know how convenient tea bags are. In desperate circumstances, we will buy a
Tea and the art of being present
As a good friend of mine recently discovered, competing with the allure of a smartphone or tablet can be a losing proposition. She had looked forward to a friend’s visit only to find that friend hooked on one of the many addictive online games…
Back seven: green badge of courage
Some of the most neurotic people I know are regular tea drinkers (they also happen to be some of the greatest people I know.) So which came first: The “mentally-fit” tea drinkers, or the neurotics? Is tea-drinking becoming a badge of health, or an acknowledgment that you’re “medicating” or trying to lose weight?
Humble beginnings: my tea story, part one
My story begins where all good stories should, the beginning. My story begins with Hornepayne were I was born and raised. Hornepayne is a town of less than one thousand people located in northern Ontario. People in Hornepayne like to say that it snows eight months of year and rains the other four. One would think that good warm tea would
Turkish Delight
There are many perks associated with having a successful tea blog. I think my favorite is the often requested inquiry to review teas or tea related products. When I got the inquiry from Table Rose, I was delighted.
Mom, me, and tea
My mom passed away recently. She is on my mind every day. How does that relate to a tea blog? It’s an important part of my personal tea story. It was the end of a very long adventure the two of us lived together.
Hello kitty con 2014
During this past holiday season, a handful of my friends asked me if I was aware of certain facts about Hello Kitty: Hello Kitty is not a cat, but a girl. Hello Kitty was born in London and is 100% British.
The twists and turns of taking tea
Don’t you just love how our devotion to, and fascination for tea, amazingly seems to be never-ending? I sure do!
A day in Alishan – revisited
My friend and I arrive in the town of Shihzhuo, Taiwan by bus. The sky is clear and the mountain air tastes sweet on my lips. A small downtown commercial district is situated along the main highway. Across the street I see a western style mini-mart
Are you a PROBLEM tea drinker?
It’s not easy being a tea drinker. Most people think that all we ever do is tilt pretty little cups over pretty little saucers, with our pinkies poised like little ballerinas over the impossibly tiny cup handles. There exists a reverse discrimination of sorts . . . tea drinkers are banal, mild creatures. Yawn.
Back seven: tea set tickles tot
A coffee-drinking friend sent me this tea tale from a tea-drinking friend of his:
Back Seven: A tea song
Dan Chiu was an Immortal
Who cared nothing for rich foods.
But, after picking some tea & drinking it,
he sprouted wings,
And flew to the Abode of The Immortals,
Adding a Family Tradition of Tea!
“Is it time for tea?” Or better yet, “Isn’t it time for tea?” Sadly, in the United States neither of these phrases seems to be predominate in our culture.
Back Seven: times for drinking tea
In idle moments
When bored with poetry
Thought confused
Beating time to songs
When the music stops
Living in seclusion
Back Seven: Tea poem
Willow branches graze the grass,
As I sit in the shade drinking tea.
Back Seven: LuYu Visits a Tea Water Well
On a cold winter night
A friend dropped by.
We did not drink wine
But instead drank tea.
Happy New Year!
I am reminded of New Years’ 2013: I had resolved to lose fifteen pounds (just 18 to go)! And, I made a list of foods I would give up to achieve that goal: haggis, kimchi, and tripe topped my list.
Tea in Estonia
One thing I’ve learned about love is that it transcends time. When you meet someone that you’ve known from another incarnation, you also know that...
Happy Holiday – a T Ching toast!
May your tea be planted, propagated, plucked, and processed with love for the Earth and all her creatures. May the water for your brew remember its time among the airy clouds, falling as fresh rain, and rushing down a mountain as a merry babbling brook.
How oolong got its name
The old man sipped his tea. He had never grown weary of that flavor. His father had picked Oolong tea, as had his father’s father and grandfather. And his young grandsons would also one day pick tea just like his daughter did now. It all made sense in a
Tea
When the elephant’s-ear in the park
Shrivelled in frost,
And the leaves on the paths
Ran like rats,
Appreciating teacups – reprise
My earliest memory regarding the design of teaware comes from one of my chores as a young boy in the 1960’s. I don’t remember how old I was when Mom decided that my brother and I were going to help with housework (alas, no girls in the household).
Dongdasong
Dongdasong東茶頌 Translation and Analysis(1): Song頌, is a type of poem in praise of things such as nations, people or natural things. It might be translated as a Eulogy or Hymn. Thus, this title could be translated as Hymn in Praise of Eastern Tea.
on drinking tea alone: reprise
“In my own hands I hold a bowl of tea;
November gongfu tea-brewing tips
As your sensitivity increases, you will begin to recognize the smoothness, or lack thereof, not just in the teaware you use, but one degree further: in what your teaware rests upon. It actually matters quite a bit what kind of coaster a cup sits upon,
Back seven: not quite caught in the act
It was 6:00 A.M. on July 5. I was on my knees on the ground between a large RV (mine) and about eleven ceramic garden figurines. Including, but not limited to: a puppy; a voluptuous frog in a bathing
Voices from the hut: Water for tea
Dawn breaks foggy and chilly. I’m not up particularly early and it is mid-morning by the time I am at the entrance to Jesmond Dene with Lexi the collie.
Back seven: spilled milk rebellion
The following story is true, I swear. Those of you who like milk in your tea may appreciate it.
Back Seven: Tea Drunk!
drunking tea
until its me
how can I ever stop
Tea poetry: radio’s contribution
One long summer in Honolulu, Oahu, I spent the morning hours watching old movies on a local television channel. In addition to adaptations of literary works such as David Copperfield and The Count of Monte-Cristo,
Time for repose
To the Chinese, the heart is the central life image, and a source of thought and intelligence. A healthy life includes essential time-taking activities, such as repose.
Back seven: tea and tomlike
It was a crisp clear morning toward the end of September. All were properly attired in layered outerwear and with backpacks packed with food and beverage as well as the requisite all purpose knife, thermos, and traveling tea set.
Fire and water for tea
Fire is a masculine energy force and water is known as a feminine energy force. Much of our universe is either one or the other of these forces. When it comes to making tea – tea brings these forces together.
Back Seven: On tea
Venus her myrtle, Phoebus has her bays;
Tea both excels, which she vouchsafes to praise.
Back seven: the princess and the tea
Well, I have just about heard it all now. We all know that there has been growing research about the relaxing and soothing effects of tea, something those of us who drink tea have anecdotally known for a long time.
Back Seven: the ten commandments of tea
Thou shalt place no tea bags before me.
Global Tea Hut: Sketches of tea
This summer, I was privy to partake in more such beautiful tea moments than at any time previous, and most of these occurred outside.
The travelling teacup
Have tea — will travel. Or could it be — will travel for tea?
Back Seven: Are you, or aren’t you?
Come out, come out, wherever you are
All you bright tea nerds who fell from a star.”
Back seven: the cup
leaf opens and i drop out
Global Tea Hut: Taiwan state of mind
I would venture a guess that many T Ching readers would list personal growth pretty high up on their list of life priorities. Serious tea drinkers just tend to be ‘that way.’ The leafy path of Cha Dao has many resting places along its way for activities
Back seven: entertaining guests with tea
When my wife and I have guests at our home, serving tea is a part of our tradition and something that requires a bit of thinking ahead. As overzealous hosts we often prepare meals in courses (and always too much). It is usually right before desserts
Reprise: Teaching Tea
How would it be, us teaching tea,
To whomever presented themselves ready?