300 years of tea distilled into one afternoon at Ippodo
A solitary cube of ice swirls in the middle of my blue-green matcha frothed to perfection. I’m sitting on a table facing a thatched window in the Kaboku Tearoom at Ippodo. A light breeze slips in with the afternoon sun.…
Samovar Tea Lounge in San Francisco
Samovar tea lounge in San Francisco is exactly how you’d expect Silicon Valley would do tea. Not with fancy tech and gadgets. Oh no, that would be too on the nose. But, with precisely catalogued organic offerings, and almost scientifically…
A visit to Takayama, Japan to see how matcha tea whisks are made
When it comes to making matcha tea, using a proper bamboo whisk is key. It’s the only way to get that frothy, smooth, clump-free, delicious matcha. These unique bamboo tools were created in a small Japanese mountain village almost 500…
25 Photos That Will Inspire You to Visit Japan’s Tea Country
Japan’s tea farms are one of a kind—relentlessly manicured and groomed, tea bushes kept exactly 40 years at which point their diminishing yields require replanting by newer, younger bushes. The easy waves and rows of bushes, rounded by cutting machines,…
The Misty Mystery of Wales in 25 Photos
Once in the late spring I took a train trip to the misty environs of Wales in the United Kingdom. Shooting away from the London train station and into the outer countryside, I found myself transported back in time to a place…
Enjoying matcha at Kyoto’s Golden Temple
Kyoto’s famous golden temple is one of Japan’s most popular sites. the old Japanese capital’s most-visited sites. While it’s not hard to miss the sun-catching, gilt Zen Buddhist temple at the centre of things, what you don’t want to miss…
A City in Perpetual Sunset: Dubrovnik
The afternoon shadows were long when we arrived in Dubrovnik. The orange rooftops of the Croatian city add to the continuous glow. Even during the day, the rustic stone walls and adobe colours lend an air of nostalgia to the…
Travel Adventures of a Tea Sommelier
