Tealosophy

On Tuesday this week my Tea School offered its first 'seriously' nerdy tea masterclass, a tea brewing bootcamp. It was such an enjoyable evening as we worked our way through a number of tea experiments, taking the opportunity to brew tea under the same conditions, adjusting one variable; and comparing the infusions side by side. Our experiments covered brewing vessel material, leaf quality, leaf weight, water, water temperature and steeping length. It was always my intention to cover water for tea. And I was lucky to have special guest Danny Andrade, Product Development Manager of Di Bella Coffee and Australian...

Before we get started I don't want you to believe that you can not make a respectable cup of tea in Brisbane. In the arena of taste there is a level of subjectivity that is unique to each individual. I personally have had some of the most satisfying brews as well as some of the most disappointing in this city. It has taken me a little while to stop the denial about the impact of the local tap water in the tea making process. After adjustments to brewing parameters and a really interesting experience bringing samples back from Japan and experiencing...

Water for tea. I am not going to lie this is a huge topic and one that I have been reluctant to make a start on due to a fear of heading down a rabbit hole that likely has no single end point. I am not an expert nor am I a scientist but I have a vested interest in water as a tea practitioner and as a tea retailer. The reason I have chosen to look more closely at this topic is not to make the tea making process more complex or scientific. But because as my tea practice...

Our next international tea guest on Tealosophy is Sofie Vercauteren also known as @tearistasofie on Instagram. In addition you can find her on Facebook and on her Tearista website. For those following this series you will know I met Sofie in 2018 whilst studying tea together in Japan. I can actually recall the very moment I started following Sofie on Instagram. She was in China and in her caption she shared that she was on a lengthy tea journey throughout a number of tea growing regions. I was intrigued about the type of person that would invest so heavily in...

I first encountered Marjolein Raijmakers via her beautifully curated Instagram feed all about her passion for tea. We love her images but you will understand (because we like our words) that we enjoy reading her captions equally as much. She takes the time to describe the moment, the intention, the experience so well that you feel as though you are right next to her on the journey. Whilst participating in the 2018 Japan Tea Export Council's tea study tour who did I happen to be sitting next to on the first day? You guessed it. The most kind-hearted and loveliest tea person...