How to Shop for a Tea-Lover

Tea makes a fantastic gift for birthdays and holidays for just about anybody, but if you're shopping for a self-proclaimed tea-lover (teaist, tea connoisseur, tea hobbyist, tea master, etc.)  then the choice to buy them tea can be a bit risky, especially if you know less about tea than they do.  The last thing you want to do is buy a gift that remains tucked away in a cupboard, unused and growing stale.

As a tea vendor, some of my 'favourite' questions gift-shopping customers have asked me include, "What's a really good tea?" and "What should I get someone who likes tea?"  Even if the person you're shopping for 'loves' tea it doesn't mean that they like the same tea as I do.  Don't let this dissuade you, one of the reasons why we love the ceremony of gift-giving is to see our loved ones smile when they get something that they really, really like.  With just a little bit of effort (and some help from our guide) you can get the perfect tea gift.  Here's how.

Breaking the Rules

Preparing your tea with the right amount of leaf, temperature and time is paramount to making a good pot of tea.  Using appropriate teaware can also help shape the tea's flavour to perfection.  But this post isn't about following established traditions and etiquette, it's about breaking them.  Below are four methods of making your tea that your sensei or shifu won't teach you. 

My Apologies for the Instagrams

I keep forgetting to bring my DSLR to the tea room with me.  As a result, the only pics I have are ones taken with Instagram on my ipod or Daphne's iphone.  I have to admit, it's an addictive app for taking pictures.

Our menu and catalogue (as you can see, I can't agree on which spelling I prefer) posing with a cup of Wild Purple tea:

You can't quite see here, but there is a little boy squatting in front of our fish pond and stealing our goldfish with a plastic cup.  There's plenty of fish in there, so I think we can let this slide:

Daphne, editing and translating a big project while sipping on a pot of Gyokuro Hoshino.  The Instagram filter doesn't do either of them justice:

Precariously balancing glass teaware filled with Yunnan Gold Buds on rocks for the sake of good photography:

I'll try to get over my Instagram addiction and bring my DSLR next time.  I'll try.

Sweat and Steam - Yoga and Tea at YMC

Last Saturday my partner, Daphne Chua, and I co-hosted a yoga and tea event at YMC.  Daphne teaching the yoga portion and I, of course, leading the tea tasting after.  It was a beautiful session and both the yoga studio and tearoom were packed.  Check out the pics from the tea tasting below.

Also, a special thanks to Vincent Mourou for providing delicious chocolates from his company MAROU, which makes single origin chocolate from Vietnam.  It was a welcome and tasty edition to our event.

 

 

[The many toys of a tea infusionist]

 

[Making Matcha]

 

[I love ending the day with matcha]

Tea Room Coming Soon

Saigon is a city on the go and on the grow.  With so much to do and not enough time to do it, it surprises few that coffee is the #1 beverage consumed here.  And while the dentists may be thrilled by all the condensed milk related cavities they get to bill every month, there are some people here looking for a break from it all.  A break from the noise and a break from the go, go, go.

On Water In Tea

Water, it's more important to making a good cup of tea than the tea leaf itself.  Water makes up well over 90% of a cup of tea and choosing your source of water is just as important as choosing your source of tea.  Good water with mediocre tea leaf makes a better cup than mediocre water with good tea leaf.

Photos from our Tasting at Lam Boutique

 It took a new year to get these photos up but here they are!  Lam Boutique was a gorgeous place to do this this tasting and everyone had great energy.  Loved it!