Understanding Tea - Starting my Blog Journey

Tea Journey, understanding tea

The objective of this blog is to share what I am learning and finding out about tea. I consider myself an "oolong apprentice." As I mentioned in “About Me,” I grew up in Taiwan without "discovering" Taiwan’s premium tea until recent years. After my initial shock, I wondered – why did it take so long to find out about something wonderful that was so close to me?

I realized confusion and misperceptions about tea blocked my willingness to find out more. Tea always felt like a deep, unfathomable subject. Lasting impressions caused by free but poor-quality tea served everywhere in Taiwan eateries, combined with not very pleasant childhood memories, did not help either to foster an open-minded, eager-to-try attitude towards tea.

Based on this experience, I think to truly “connect” with tea (and most everything else), understanding is essential. When you can connect, it becomes much easier to enjoy tea. I don’t want to sound formulaic, but it is kind of like a three-step process:  

Understand - - >  Connect  - - > Enjoy!

So the focus of this blog is placed on “understanding” tea, in particular Taiwan tea. This understanding is multi-faceted. It includes practical information such as brewing and enjoying tea, basic facts and terminology, the science behind tea, as well as history, culture, travel, people, and stories. We will also address areas that tend to cause a lot of confusion. It seems like a lot to go through … It is, but that’s also why it can be really fun!

I invite you to join me in my adventures with tea …