Author: The Tea Stylist

Tea Culture, Tea Knowledge

Monkey Time!

Year of the Monkey The Monkey appears ninth (out of twelve) in the Chinese Lunar calendar’s Zodiacal line up. New Year celebrations run from Sunday February 7th (New Year’s Eve) to Saturday February 13th. People born under the sign of the Monkey are said to be quick-witted, charming, lucky, adaptable, bright, lively, smart. A year of the Monkey is said to be unlucky, so precautions must be taken e.g. making sure the rice jar is not empty and avoiding sharp […]

Globe-trotting, Tea and Travel

New York City: Some Book Signing, Some Tea Drinking

This was my second trip to New York City with a theme of tea in mind. My 2011 visit was a leisurely ramble seeking out tea experiences in museums and other non-tea venues. That trip was a great adventure full of visual surprises. This most recent trip could not be characterised as restful, since it was made for the purpose of launching The Tea Book at two shops at opposite ends of Manhattan Island, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday afternoons. […]

The Tea Book

The Tea Book Update: Book signings in New York City

Thrilled to announce that I’ll be visiting                    New York City November 13th – 15th Monkey Cup: Saturday November 14th, book signing, 3.30pm – 6.30pm, 1730 Amsterdam Ave. (Harlem) NYC T Shop, Sunday November 15th, book signing, 1pm – 5pm, 247 Elizabeth Street, (Soho) NYC Hope to meet you there!  

Tea Culture, The Tea Book

The Tea Book update: Book signing at Majesteas, Toronto

The Tea Book, DK publishers On Saturday, September 19th, 1pm, I will be at Majesteas, a tea shop at 950 Queen St. E. near Carlaw Ave. in the Leslieville neighbourhood of Toronto. This will be my first book signing event since the release of The Tea Book in July. Owned by fellow tea colleagues Robert Gignac and Ian Macdonald, Majesteas is celebrating 5 years in business! They have a great selection of good quality tea, especially excelling in black teas, […]

Globe-trotting, Tea and Travel, Tea Culture, Tea Knowledge

The Scent of Jasmine: Making Tea in the Heat of the Night

In mid-August 3 years ago, I was fortunate to be in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province during Jasmine harvest season. My host, Chris West, formerly of Min River Tea, arranged for us to visit the old factory of Master Yu on the outskirts of town. We would be accompanied by the provincial Minister of Agriculture. He was to be present during the filming of CCTV’s beautiful documentary series, 茶,一片树叶的故事 06 一碗茶汤见人情, which roughly translates as “Tea, the Human Story”. […]

Social History of Tea

Fannie Farmer advises on Tea

The Boston Cooking School Cookbook I was hunting for a corn bread recipe recently and found myself leafing through a decrepit copy of Fannie Farmer’s Boston Cooking School Cookbook. I don’t use it often, but keep it in my collection because of its venerable age and the dear departed friend who owned it before me. The pages of this 1906, 2nd edition, “cutting edge” cookbook are yellowed and brittle as you might expect of a 109 year old book. As […]

Tea and Travel, Tea Cuisine, Tea Knowledge, World Tea Expo

World Tea Expo: The Matcha Effect

Matcha seems to fit the mood of the moment. It’s electric greenness reflecting the colour that we associate with health and nature. It was seen everywhere at World Tea Expo, 2015 or was it just that I was experiencing The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon! Matcha’s Origins Matcha’s use has strayed somewhat from its original ceremonial origins. Ceremonial matcha grades of Usucha (thin) and Koicha (thick) have been available in select tea shops for many years. Matcha was originally a throw back to […]

Tea and Travel, Tea Culture, Tea Knowledge, World Tea Expo

World Tea Expo 2015: Random reports, Pt. 1

Like a dream it arrived and then was over and now I’m home. I wish I could reconstruct the experience of World Tea Expo in order to give you a picture of what actually happened and when. At moments it was elating, challenging, fascinating, funny and puzzling. Every time I try to reassemble the days chronologically, however, my brain resists. This year, my reports will be based on random observations, capricious interludes and impressions. Quite unlike me really not to […]

Tea Knowledge, The Tea Book

Announcing: The Tea Book

The Tea Book, DK Publishers This year has been devoted to research and inspiration for The Tea Book, a collaboration with DK publishing (a division of Penguin Random House). Famous for their Eye Witness Travel books and many and varied guides to culinary pursuits, DK chose to publish a book on tea at a time when the world’s favourite hot beverage is poised to gain even more ground in markets around the world. This comprehensive primer for tea lovers will […]

Tea and Travel, World Tea Expo

Gathering of the Tea Clans 2015

World Tea Expo is in its thirteenth year – this will be my sixth. When I first attended in 2010, I promised my calendar that the dates would be secured for attendance every year thereafter. Although it doesn’t compare to a trip to a tea country of origin, it is a chance to taste spring teas from tea regions and meet those closely connected to the source. I mostly go to learn more and build on what I’ve been pursuing […]