Hey, I'm Mel!
I'm a tea sommelier, an adventurer, a language lover, and a photographer! I love finding new ways of seeing the world. Chasing an unconventional life inspires me.
In my writing here I'm pursuing to be as raw and honest as possible. I'm goofy, sarcastic, and straightforward. I want to make you feel comfortable so you can sit down with a cup of tea and chat like we're family. Welcome to my corner of the internet.
Category: Travel
Japan
October 18, 2018
Firewalking, water, and whiskey: Three days of purification and celebration in Kyoto
Whenever you go to Japan, you should always check and see if there will be a festival where you are. I don’t mean the major holidays—golden week, and so on. I mean the niche festivals—or matsuri, as ...
Japan
October 16, 2018
Cold brew sencha at Byodoin temple in Uji, the heart of Japan’s historical tea territory
The city of Uji in Japan is famous for its green tea. The phrase “Uji tea” carries a unique history and promise of quality amongst Japanese tea lovers. Located half an hour south of Kyoto by car or t...
Iceland
October 11, 2018
How to Budget for an Iceland Honeymoon Road Trip
When planning a trip, it seems as soon as you’ve decided your destination, a grumpy budget troll climbs up on your shoulder and whispers into your ear with its icy cold breath, “how much?” Iceland in...
Iceland
October 9, 2018
Our Iceland Honeymoon Itinerary, 14 Days of Exploring the Ring Road in a Camper Van
It wasn’t long after Rob proposed to me that we threw around the idea of going to Iceland. We wanted to go for our wedding, or our honeymoon, or something. Iceland was somehow going to be involved. I...
Japan
July 3, 2018
How French entrepreneurs hope to save Japanese matcha blends
As I’m living in Japan and getting more and more acquainted with Japanese tea cultivars, and styles of matcha, I’m also sliding deeper and deeper down the Japanese tea rabbit hole.
Here in the ra...
Japan
June 22, 2018
This is what happens inside a Japanese tea factory
Most of us only see one phase of tea, the dried leaves that end up in our cup. If you’re drinking tea from a tea bag, you might actually never see your tea at all. Between the bush and cup tea takes a...
Japan
June 20, 2018
I’m living on a Japanese tea farm!
You might know by now that for the past month and a half I’ve been living on a Japanese tea farm in the Kyoto countryside. The place I’m staying at is called Obubu Tea Farms and is a really amazing m...
Stories on Instagram
