theapiarist

[theapiarist]

Breaking my silence with a picdump! I’ve been focusing mostly on posting on Insta these days and you can follow me there (at)tsaa.ny. These days have been challenging, but more and more I see the importance of bonding over tea and taking time out to appreciate this most magnificent plant.

[theapiarist]

It’s been a while but I just HAD to share my new shiboridashi because I’m so excited about it! It’s by Japan-based ceramicist Chie Kobayashi and holds ~40ml. It’s the perfect size and shape for a thick, juicy gyokuro! I’m not such a huge fan of gyokuro, but I noticed how balanced and sweet the tea liquor became when I brewed it in the shiboridashi, and it helps that it’s just so pretty to look at!

[theapiarist]

Yunnan Menghai Cooked Puerh from 2010. Malty, woody, and thick!

[theapiarist]

Beautiful ancient bush Yunnan Hong Cha this evening! Pictures don’t do it justice...

[theapiarist]

Enjoying some Taiwanese organic shanlinxi oolong this evening as a treat. After a grueling day of work, slowing down and settling into my routine always helps! ☺️🍵

[theapiarist]

Celebrating love for all sentient beings with some milk oolong and mindful practice. ❤️🌱🍵

[theapiarist]

Last year, my mother received an orchid as a Mother’s Day gift and, convinced she wouldn’t be able to take care of it, she stopped watering it. After a few weeks, the flowers withered away and died. I felt compassion for the poor plant and decided to take care of it. I’ve been watering it with my tea wastewater (so as to practice more mindfully and produce less waste) and I awoke this morning to see it has bloomed! I’m filled with appreciative joy this morning.

May we all be compassionate. May we all bloom.

[theapiarist]

After spending a few days away from home and enjoying the blessing of a change of scenery, I find myself scrambling to catch up 😰.

Tonight I’m enjoying a 2018 gong-ting ripe pu’er in a new teacup that found me in Chicago. Savoring deep woody notes of matsutake mushroom and hickory with sweet notes of cacao. Hopefully I’ll find stillness at the bottom of my gaiwan this evening. Wish me luck!

[theapiarist]

Greetings from Chicago! Starting this morning off right with a visit to a local teahouse.

Today I’m relaxing with a Phoenix oolong. Mellow and full of creamy sweetness with a finish of pandan. Good cha qi with an even flavor.

DM me if you have any suggestions for tea and teaware in the Chicago area!

[theapiarist]

From yesterday: Guanyin and a cup of black tea for a frigid afternoon!

Beautiful notes of plum, burnt honey, and a hint of black olive on the finish. Smooth, silky mouthfeel and a taste that became more even with subsequent steeps. My companion agreed with me: wonderful cha qi. I had to take some home with me on my way out!

[theapiarist]

The other day, my colleague gifted me a rare cake of dianhong tea as a late Christmas gift. Full of pleasant plum tartness with a light golden syrup sweetness and a good amount of hickory woodiness, the flavor became more even as I continued to steep it.

We shared it with another colleague in the tea community and spent the afternoon talking terroir, cultivars, and tea practice. Always incredibly glad to share tea with friends over good conversation.

[theapiarist]

For chadō people out there, this time of year marks hatsugama! Hatsugama is a celebration of the new year observed by chadō practitioners through a formal tea gathering. I’ve been in class these past few days, but today I’ve been with my tea colleagues and I’m happy to be able to take a moment to engage mindfully with koicha and a traditional hatsugama sweet (although a bit informally).

May this new year hold good fortune and positivity and much, much tea!

[theapiarist]

Happy holidays!

I started this morning off with an usucha prepared using a koicha-grade matcha. Exceptionally smooth with pistachio-like nuttiness and almost no astringency. Looking forward to 2020!

[theapiarist]

Stepping away from tea in exchange for a gourd of mate! A good friend of mine from Argentina introduced me to traditional mate when I was studying in Japan, and ever since then I’ve associated mate with long winter nights spent studying and reading.

Before we parted ways, she gifted me this calabaza and bombilla from her hometown of Buenos Aires. I’m so grateful to have shared that tradition with her, and I hope I get to share it with others as well!

[theapiarist]

Tonight’s tea is a bancha genmaicha. I’ve showcased a sencha genmaicha here before, but this one is noticeably different in flavor—wonderful roasted rice flavor like fresh popcorn, balanced with a fair amount of astringency and a dash of umami similar to cooked kale. A tea perfect for rainy evenings spent indoors!

[theapiarist]

I spent yesterday’s snowfall doing a tea meditation at home.

I’ve been going through some hardships recently and I’ve taken a break from my practice. But it’s during these times that I see the importance of tea. Even when things are unpredictable, we find that water still boils. Tea still steeps. A masterfully crafted lapsang souchong will coat the throat and comfort us with its smoky warmth. And from the meeting of these elements, we can find stillness and delight in its predictability.

I am eternally grateful for this practice.

[theapiarist]

I offer this cup to the universe and all the opportunities it brings.

Humbly, warmly, with respect for all sentient life.