From a Mild Interest to a Passion

When I was just a kid, I thought tea was something to drink when you were sick. We mostly had Lipton and Celestial Seasonings in the house. It was too bitter, too sour, and just not as delicious to me as hot cocoa. As I got older, I became interested in Japan. This was the start of a journey into the tea life.

In my high school Japanese class, we had an annual meditation and tea ceremony conducted by our teacher and the TA. We would sit in a circle and try (being high school kids, it was pretty hard for some) to meditate for a short time. It was a nice way to regroup and to prepare for a lovely abridged tea ceremony. We were taught the proper etiquette and terms to say to our neighbor before drinking. We even got our own traditional wagashi sweet to eat before drinking. The strong vibrant matcha was something I looked forward to each time. I gladly slurped every last frothy drop. I liked the idea of balancing the sweet and bitter. Sweets are after all my other favorite thing in life. Tea is the perfect foil for that.

I was lucky enough to visit Japan for two weeks on an exchange program in high school. My host family lived very close to Kyoto. As I’m sure many of you tea fanatics may know, Kyoto is home to Uji. Uji is one of the most famous areas in Japan for matcha and green tea in general. They took me to many exciting places. It was a blazing hot summer, so we enjoyed some matcha shaved ice. I fell in love with matcha even more. It was so versatile. It could be healthy, decadent, or Somewhere in between.

I also was in awe at how available vending machines and convenience stores were. I tried bottled sencha for the first time. Sure, by freshly brewed standards it isn’t the best out there. To someone who had little exposure to true tea, it was refreshing in a way that soda or coffee weren’t. From that point on, I would often buy matcha or sencha items in Japan and at home if I could find them.

My interest in Japan took me to bigger heights in college. I became a Japanese Studies major at a small liberal arts college. There was even a tea ceremony class. Strangely enough, I didn’t partake. Perhaps I was too preoccupied with other classes and interests. My true passion for tea didn’t fully develop until a little after college. It’s hard to really pinpoint a moment in time, but just a few years ago I went back to Japan. One of my main goals while there was to visit at least one tea farm. I finally did when I visited Obubu Tea Farms in Kyoto. I hope to do a separate post on that visit as it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

Since starting my tea sommelier education, I’ve really enjoyed expanding my tea knowledge to teas beyond Japan. I am lucky enough to live somewhere with several fantastic local tea businesses as well. I have taken full advantage and often do comparative tastings just for fun. I’ve become such a tea addict that I have to periodically put myself in an “enjoy the tea you already have” mindset 😛

Every tea person has a trajectory. How did you become interested in tea? Was it gradual? How do you honor your love of tea each day? I’m interested to hear your stories! Let me know a bit about you and the tea you enjoy.