T Ching

Midwest Tea Festival returns with local tea sommelier as director Poke those pinkies out. Whether you're a tea enthusiastic, or just searching for a better brew, this fest has something for you.

Sharyn Johnston will make a rare appearance in the U.S. tea community, speaking at the Midwest Tea Festival - October 21-22 in Overland Park, KS. Meet her in person at the Festival Marketplace or register for one of her classes.
https://www.midwestteafest.com/copy-of-classes

Sharyn Johnston; USA Midwest Tea Teaching Tour [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default"

https://tching.com/2023/09/sharyn-johnston-usa-midwest-tea-teaching-tour/?swcfpc=1

Sharyn Johnston; USA Midwest Tea Teaching Tour [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default"

https://tching.com/2023/09/starting-a-tea-business-in-the-gig-economy/?swcfpc=1

Starting a Tea Business in the Gig Economy [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default"

For decades, and centuries even, tea has been anecdotally touted for its stress-relieving benefits. But now, science has actually proven that this is true and not just something people say. While some believe it is the ritual of making tea that is cathartic and helps calm people down, tea also contains an amino acid, L-theanine, which has been proven to aid in stress relief....

Sip Away Stress: How Nutritional Foods Enhance Tea's Benefits for a Calmer You [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_pr

Thai iced tea is getting a lot of hype these days thanks to its creamy, decadent taste. It is a culinary hybrid, intermixing a lowbrow Thai street tea with the Western preference for sweetened and brightly colored iced beverages. Japanese green tea, on the other hand, has solidified its reputation for its fantastic health benefits and flavorful taste. Let's find out if Thai iced tea also contains excellent health benefits, just like ...

Japanese Green Tea vs. Thai Iced Tea Japanese Green Tea vs. Thai Iced Tea

"Is There a Tea Business in Your Future?" - Introduction “Reading the Leaves: Learning the Ropes of Tea Entrepreneurship”Before you spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars creating your dream tea business,...

Are you thinking of turning your tea hobby into a new tea business? One of my favorite roles in the Specialty Tea Industry has been counseling tea lovers dreaming of launching their own new tea business. I meet them at every festival and am consistently amazed by the creativity of their (YOUR?) ideas to make your own tea busines unique. When I was at TeaFest PDX (Portland) in July, there were dozens of people who stopped by my booth to share their ideas....

Is There A Tea Business in your Future? Update the New Tea Business Seminar at Midwest Tea Festival 2023 [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.

Introducing Sophie Yuan from the Golden Oriental Ancient Tea Estate in Thailand with her first contribution to T Ching. Her article is the first we've published about the mysterious tea from Ancient Tea Trees. What is Ancient Tree Tea? Ancient Tree Tea, also known as "古樹茶" in Chinese, refers to a type of tea made from fresh leaves harvested from trees that are over 100 years old....

Rare Tea From Ancient Tea Trees [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_pr

T Ching is happy to introduce a new contributor, Shefali Upreti, from Kathmandu, Nepal. Her observations about this innovative new tea speak to the leading edge of artistic creativity in the specialty tea industry. The tea world comprises an incredible array of flavors and aromas, with a handful of extraordinary teas that embody rare skill and startling characteristics. Among these teas stands Nepal Tea Collective’s Rose Label Reserve....

The Rose Label Reserve: Unraveling the Charms of a $100 Nepali Tea [et_pb_row _builder_v

lWhat is Matcha? Matcha is a shade-grown green tea that originated in Japan and is now popular globally. There are additional steps in processing the green tea selected for Matcha that give it unique flavors and properties. Several weeks before harvest, tea plants are covered with tarps or bamboo mats to limit the amount of sunlight absorbed by the leaves. This allows tea leaves to increase the production of chlorophyll and makes the color a brighter green; a distinctive characteristic of Matcha tea....

Does the Amount of Caffeine in Matcha Decline as it Gets Older? [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_pr

The summer season is alive and well, so it’s time to host a tea party. Invite friends and family to sip some of the finest beverages and talk about the excitement of the season. If you want to make your tea party extra special, try making it as sustainable as possible. You’ll find that the party’s just as fun, and you and your friends will feel great knowing that you’re enjoying life while helping the planet....

Sustainable Sips: Throwing an Eco-Friendly Tea [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_preset="defa

Celebrate the 10-Year Anniversary of World Tea Academy WTATea10 and is good August 11-28 for $35 off. A recent article on Tea-Biz took me for a nostalgic trip down memory lane marking one of the meaningful moments in U.S. tea education. "World Tea Academy Celebrates First Decade"**. Publisher, Dan Bolton, interviewed World Tea Academy director Lisa Boalt Richardson on the program's anniversary....

World Tea Academy Celebrates Its First Decade [et_pb_row column_structure

The Meaning of "Punch" - The Beverage The origin of the name for punch may be somewhat in doubt - some say it comes from the Hindi for “five” since the drink consisted of five main ingredients, while others surmise it is a short version of the word “puncheon,” a cask for liquor or the tool used to stamp the name of the cask's contents. ...

A fruitful summer tea drink with some punch [et_pb_row _builder_version="3.25" background_size="initial" background_position="to

Tea Tasting Class Throughout the year, we host monthly tea-tasting events at our shop. During the summer, we lighten up the calendar of events to account for customers' summer outdoor activities, school breaks, vacations, and the annual migration out of Washington, DC by the political hoi polloi in August. Instead of formal tasting events, we add more in-store samplings and a monthly Tea 101 class for those new to tea....

A diplomat walks into a tea shop . . . (A Tea Tasting Story) [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_preset="default" column_structure="2_3,

What is Matcha? Matcha is a shade-grown green tea originated from Japan and now used globally. Several weeks before harvest, tea plants are covered with tarps or bamboo mats, limiting the amount of sunlight absorbed by the leaves. The shading stimulates the tea leaves to increase the production of chlorophyll, creating the bright green color, a distinctive characteristic of Matcha tea....

How is Matcha affected by age and exposure to moisture and light? [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_pr

In 2008, on one of my frequent trips to Japan, I had the fortunate opportunity to attend the Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony, an event that takes place once each year. (Read more about the annual Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony). Leading-edge technology, fashion, and consumerism are evolving at top speed. But even amidst today's pace and a popular culture that is sometimes closer to a pressure cooker than a zen garden, traditional culture is revered, respected, and practiced. ...

Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}

Tea consumption has been on the rise in the past few years. In 2020 alone, we consumed 6.3 billion kilograms of green, yellow, oolong, black, and herbal teas. This makes tea the second-most consumed beverage in the world. High consumer demand has been good for small tea businesses, too. Small shops are popping up around the world and serving up a myriad of steeped brews and sweet teas. ...

https://tching.com/2023/06/3-ways-small-tea-businesses-can-achieve-sustainable-growth/

3 Ways Small Tea Businesses Can Achieve Sustainable Growth [et_pb_row _builder_v

Guest Contributor, Julee Rosanoff The Inspiration For the Northwest Tea Festival Around 2005 Norwood Pratt came to Seattle to autograph his seminal tea book The Tea Lovers’ Treasury, during that visit we discussed the 400th anniversary of the arrival in tea in Amsterdam and ways to celebrate it. Over the next several months a group of like-minded tea businesses decided to do a festival and the following year we presented our first event. ...

https://tching.com/2023/06/the-2023-nw-tea-festival-is-alive-and-well/

THE 2023 NW TEA FESTIVAL IS ALIVE AND WELL [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_preset="defa

Matcha: The Pride of All Teas Basic Questions About Matcha Tea What is matcha green tea? How is matcha produced, and where does it come from? The manufacturing process of matcha green tea is complex and demanding for the tea manufacturing artists who bring it to us. For many tea lovers, it is difficult to imagine this complex process. So let me explain the steps from farming to producing the final product....

https://tching.com/2023/05/what-you-need-to-know-about-matcha-production/

What You Need to Know About Matcha Production [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_pr

It's that time of year again - the season for the first flush tea. This time, let me introduce you to the tea from Kagoshima Prefecture, one of the major tea-producing regions in Japan. About Kagoshima Kagoshima is located in Kyushu - one of the four main islands of Japan, located in the southwestern part of the country. The prefecture is long and narrow from north to south and includes several small islands such as Yakushima and Tanegashima in the southern part....

https://tching.com/2023/05/discover-kagoshima-japans-2nd-largest-tea-producing-region/

Discover Kagoshima, Japan's 2nd Largest Tea-producing Region [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_pr

International Day of Tea - Sunday, May 21, 2023 Support Women in Tea Celebrate with tea lovers around the world for a virtual tea-sipping event to increase awareness of women doing amazing things in the specialty tea industry by attending the largest-ever virtual tea event. Free Admission Donations Vital Here are three of the programs supporting women in tea that are featured on…...

https://tching.com/2023/05/what-will-you-do-to-celebrate-the-2023-international-day-of-tea/

What will you do to celebrate the 2023 International Day of Tea? [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_preset="defa

Have you ever dreamed of owning your own tea business? You imagine hosting friends and neighbors in your afternoon tearoom, serving your unique specialties. Or blending healing herbs and selling them at farmer's markets in colorful packaging. Even traveling to remote tea gardens around the world to buy rare teas directly from the farmers. But, where to begin? There are many tea education programs but few to mentor and guide you through the beginning stages of turning that knowledge into a business....

https://tching.com/2023/05/are-you-dreaming-of-creating-a-tea-business/

Are you dreaming of creating a tea business? [et_pb_row _builder_version="4

Last month, T Ching published an article on ways that you can expand your tea experience and education. Tea Tourism was one possibility that we discussed. Today's article details one possibility for tea tourism that can be appreciated by anyone who would love to immerse themselves in the world of tea. Read the T Ching article. Today's Guest Contributor is Nischal Banskota, son of the founder Kanchenjunga Tea Estate and organizer of Nepalese tea farmers, Deepak Banskota....

https://tching.com/2023/04/sipping-deeply-into-the-nepal-tea-experience/

Sipping Deeply into the Nepal Tea Experience [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_pr

The tea industry in Japan has particularly benefited from such global restructuring, with tea export value increasing to the US, UK, and Netherlands by 130%, 133%, and 142% respectively between 2019 and 2020, according to theJapanese Tea Export Council. Globally Japanese tea export value has increased by 111%. Trends and Opportunities in Japan’s Tea Sector 2021 By Maxim Tvorun-Dunn, …...

https://tching.com/2023/04/want-to-know-more-about-importing-japanese-tea/

Want to know more about importing Japanese tea? [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_preset="defa

At this year's Global Tea Initiative (January 19, 2023), we celebrated the return of opportunities for tea people to gather in person and compare notes about where we would meet again during the rest of the year. Inevitably, this fueled debates about choosing between so many excellent and valuable options. But this abundance comes with controversy and a challenge to make the best choice for yourself, your tea business, or your desire to create a tea business....

https://tching.com/2023/03/which-tea-event-will-you-attend-how-to-choose-the-best-tea-festival-expo-class-or-tea-tour/

Which tea event will you attend? How to choose the best tea Festival, Expo, Class or Tea Tour. [et_pb_row _builder_version=

What is Sencha? Sencha is a popular kind of Japanese green tea, grown in full sunlight and brewed by infusing whole loose leaves in 80°C warm water. It is dark green in color with an astringent taste and bitter afternotes, and fresh grassy aroma. It is also referred to as steeped tea and is widely grown and quite popular in Japan....

https://tching.com/2023/02/sencha-frequently-asked-questions/

Sencha; Frequently Asked Questions [et_pb_row _builder_version="4.14.7" _module_pr

The flavor of Zen and the flavor of tea is the same.- A Japanese proverb Siddhartha Gautama, The Buddha Buddha was a contempo­rary of Pythagoras, Zoroaster, and Confucius. He lived in India in the 500s BCE. After his death, his teachings continued to spread, and in subsequent centuries followed, the Silk Route to China. While there can be no single, simple explanation for China's nationwide adoption of the tea habit and then the spread of tea around the globe, it is clear that the Chinese associated it with the introduction and spread of the Buddha dharma. ...

https://tching.com/2023/02/in-the-beginning-tea-as-buddhist-communion/

Tea and Buddhism; Tea as a Spiritual Practice Spreads Tea to Many Countries Tea and Buddhism; Tea as a Spiritual Practice Spreads Tea to Many Countries