Step into the traditions and rituals where tea brings people together.
The British are famously obsessed with tea. It was described by the author, George Orwell, as “one of the mainstays of civilisation in this country.” During World War I, tea was one of the few items that escaped rationing as the British government feared that a lack of tea would lower national morale. During World War II, they stockpiled tea in warehouses located away from potential bombing targets.
Read More
When the tips of leaves start to turn yellow and fallen chestnuts scatter on the sidewalks, it’s time to bake pumpkin cookies—because Thanksgiving is coming. Jessica Natale Woolard writes about Canadian Thanksgiving, Elizeth van der Vorst writes about Christmas in Brazil, Poorvi Chordia writes about Diwali in the United States, and John Smagula writes about the winter solstice in China.
Read More
Badaga food from the tea-growing Nilgiri mountains is distinctive from all other Indian tea-inspired cuisines. Tourists drawn to South India are fascinated by the stories of this indigenous tribe that has lived in the Blue Mountains for centuries.
Read More
“The indentured migrant laborer community of the tea plantations in Assam and North Bengal in India, has always intrigued,” writes Dr. Sunayana Sarkar. “Their history has also appalled, at times,” adds Sarkar, a professor of structural geology and geotechnics and a gifted musician. Sarkar, the daughter of a tea researcher […]
Read More
The currents of Japanese tea culture are flowing outward to Europe. In the past 50 years, Europeans have been diving and delving into the green waters. What is it about Japanese tea that attracts Europeans, and how is it pouring into European culture?
Read More
Bonsai master Bob Langholm offers these instructions for caring for a miniature C. sinensis plant in your own home. Leaves from the beautiful little tree on your table also make a fine cup of tea.
Read More
Just as in the world of tea, there is a gulf between mass-produced and master-produced bonsai. A true artist’s worth is measured by how well he manipulates a plant to make it a thing of enduring value, a work of living art that evolves and changes over time.
Read More
The English, says author and tea historian Jane Pettigrew, “have forgotten a lot of the importance, significance, and history of our tea drinking habits.”
Read More
