article on tea emoji and the history of tea for Smithsonian Magazine

All tea regardless of green or black tea (whatever the type) originates from the same tea plant: camellia sinensis. What makes a tea vs. an herbal leaf drink is whether or not the leaves came from the camellia sinensis plant.

Watch a video where I explain why herbal infusions, tisanes, and drinks are not actually technically tea.

The radicals that comprise the character 茶(cha) tell the elegantly simple story of how tea is a natural plant that we can enjoy as tea thanks to the people who help us harvest it.

The degree to which a tea leaf is oxidized, is the principal factor determining what category of tea the finished leaf will belong to.

Tea processing is the artful manipulation of heat and moisture to optimally control oxidation.

everything I’ve wanted to say and have been thinking for the last 10 years about regarding tea, its colonial history, and the legacy of that still today for Whetstone Magazine’s Online Journal.

View photos of ancient tea trees growing in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan in the region acknowledged as the indigenous root of the tea plant.

Read to learn what terroir means in relationship to tea and why it matters.

The three factors that to me, make Chinese tea special and distinctive from other tea cultures.

Watch a video where I discuss single origin teas vs. scented and blended teas while brewing a cup of Phoenix Honey Orchid oolong tea in a gaiwan.

Listen to me discussing the differences of tea-growing regions and especially how they manifest in Chinese vs. Japanese styles of green tea production on KCRW’s Good Food radio show and podcast.

View a photo gallery to see the differences in Japanese and Chinese tea growing and production styles of green tea.

Discover the taste of a tea’s natural flavors. I explain why this will give you a more exciting and more fun tea drinking experience.

Listen to the conversation I had with Evan Kleinman on her public radio show and podcast "Good Food” on KCRW.