Tea journal
Everything Asaya
has learned about tea.
Start with the beginner’s path, or dip in anywhere: techniques step by step, the science behind a good cup, recipes, and notes from the tea world.
New to loose-leaf tea? Begin with these.
Start here
Start here · 7 min read
A beginner’s path: four weeks, eight teas
You don’t need a cupboard of teaware to start. Here is a gentle route through the main families of tea, one week at a time.
Read
Start here · 8 min read
The families of tea, explained
White, green, yellow, oolong, black and dark tea all come from the same plant. What makes them different is what happens after picking.
Read
Start here · 3 min read
Water temperature & steeping chart
How hot, how much and how long, for every kind of tea. Western and gongfu measures side by side.
ReadStep by step, with the numbers that matter.
Brewing techniques
Brewing techniques · 6 min read
Slow tea: the hour-long ritual
Asaya often spends about an hour on a single tea. Here is one way an hour like that can unfold, and why taking the time is worth it.
Read
Brewing techniques · 8 min read
Gongfu brewing, step by step
Lots of leaf, a small pot and many short infusions. The Chinese way of brewing that shows how a tea changes from cup to cup.
Read
Brewing techniques · 5 min read
How to whisk matcha
Sift, pour, whisk: a smooth, foamy bowl of usucha in two minutes, and the thicker koicha when you are ready.
Read
Brewing techniques · 5 min read
Brewing Japanese sencha
Cooler water, a kyusu and the last golden drops: how to bring out sencha’s sweetness instead of its bitterness.
ReadWhy water, heat and vessels change the cup.
Science & tools
Science & tools · 8 min read
Water, heat and vessels: the science of a good cup
A cup of tea is about 99% water. Why the water you choose, how hot it is and what you brew in all change the taste.
Read
Science & tools · 7 min read
Why each tool matters
You can brew good tea with a mug and a kettle. These are the tools that make it easier to brew great tea, and why.
ReadChai, cold brew and other ways to enjoy tea.
Recipes
Learning to taste, and what the tea world is talking about.
Notes & tasting
Notes & tasting · 6 min read
How to taste tea like a professional
Tea buyers and judges taste in a particular way. You can borrow their habits at home to notice far more in every cup.
ReadNotes & tasting · 5 min read Sample
Notes from the tea conference circuit
Asaya goes to tea conferences to learn from growers, makers and fellow tea lovers. These are the kinds of big ideas that come up again and again.
ReadGlossary
Gaiwan? Hui gan? Tencha?
29 tea words, explained in a sentence or two.