Talking Tea

Today at Talking Tea we’re in Montreal beginning our exploration of this city’s vibrant tea scene. Our first stop is Cha Do Raku, a new tea house and shop in Montreal’s Plateau district. Cha Do Raku (it means “decadence of tea” in Japanese) and its owner and founder, Shiho Kanamaru, have already made a name for themselves through the highly regarded teas offered through Cha Do Raku’s online store....

On today's episode we have two guests speaking to us from  Oxalis Tea and Coffee in the Czech Republic. First up is Petr Zelik, owner and founder of Oxalis. Petr chats with us about tea culture in the Czech Republic, and especially about the challenges and successes of building a tea company after the fall of Communism. We also explore Oxalis’ offerings of Korean teas, which are not easy to come b...

One of the things we hear over and over again from people in the tea world is how so many great relationships have been created and nurtured through tea. But what is it in tea culture that's so good at bringing us together? In this week's episode we get philosophical about tea and relationships with Benjamin Olshin and Alex Schein,  two men whose own friendship was forged over tea and who have hel...

This week on Talking Tea we’re back in Philadelphia at Shofuso, an authentic, and quite amazing, Japanese house and garden with a  fully  functioning tea house and roji, or tea garden. We’re joined by Derek Finn, Shofuso’s site and program manager, and Morgan Beard of Urasenke Philadelphia,   an organization dedicated to practicing and teaching the Japanese way of tea.  Morgan is returning to Talk...

This week on Talking Tea we chat via Skype with Chris Olsen of Teatulia, an organic tea producer based in Bangladesh founded on principles of social responsibilty and sustainability. You may be familiar with the unique flavor profiles of Teatulia's teas and blends, and Chris and I discuss the influence of the Bangladeshi terroir on the complex flavors and aromas of some of Teatulia's award-winning...

You might think we're having an identity crisis this week on Talking Tea, since our host and guest on this week's podcast share the same name. In this week's show our host and producer Ken Cohen chats with renowned qigong master and author Ken Cohen, who also writes and lectures extensively about the health benefits of tea.  Ken shares his personal tea journey with us, talks about both the health...

Have you been wondering how to make a bowl of matcha without the ritual of a formal tea ceremony? How to get a smooth, frothy lime-green foam that looks and tastes great? Talking Tea is here to help. In Part 2 of Talkin' Matcha, tea blogger Tyas Huybrechts explains how to make a fine bowl of matcha in a few easy steps.   Tyas also recommends this YouTube link demonstrating a good whisking techniqu...

This week Talking Tea talks matcha with Tyas Huybrechts, founder and blogger at Tea Talk, a blog devoted entirely to Japanese green teas. Matcha, a powdered green tea that's whisked into a frothy brew, is fast becoming the caffeinated drink of choice among many in the West, and Tyas tells us about matcha's history and cultural background in Japan, how it's grown and processed, and what to look for...

This week Talking Tea is back in Philadelphia to chat with Rebecca Goldschmidt of Philly's Random Tea Room & Curiosity Shop, one of the most eclectic tea shops we've encountered on our tea journeys to date. Rebecca talks with us about her own path of tea and her aim of providing a space for health and well-being, which come together to create the unique tea environment that is the Random Tea Room....

On our pre-holiday episode of Talking Tea we chat with Andy Hayes, founder and tea maker at Plum Deluxe, a tea blender based in Portland, Oregon. Andy talks with us about his mission to help people slow down and craft a life they really enjoy, and how this goal, combined with Andy's views on the importance of organic teas and his experiences of European tea traditions, influences his blending proc...

This week on Talking Tea we chat with Morgan Beard of Urasenke Philadelphia, an organization dedicated to practicing and teaching the Japanese way of tea.  We recorded our podcast inside the amazing Japanese galleries at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which include a complete tea house and garden as well as centuries-old tea utensils and masterpieces of Japanese art.  Morgan talks with us about s...

Everything you always wanted to know about pu erh but were afraid to ask...and more. In Part 2 of "Drunk on Tea", Shunan Teng of New York City's Tea Drunk shatters some myths about pu erh tea, contrasts cooked vs. raw pu erh, and talks in-depth about pu erh regions and fermentation. Shunan also chats with us about her ongoing tea classes and events at Tea Drunk.   Tea Drunk's website is at  www.t-...

This week on Talking Tea we get "drunk" on tea at Tea Drunk, a teahouse in New York City serving traditional Chinese tea. Shunan Teng, who founded and owns Tea Drunk (and knows just about everything there is to know about Chinese tea), talks with us about wild tea, Chan Cha or "monk's tea", tea picking seasons, and why tea requires a dedicated palate and a dedicated mind. In our next episode, Part...

For our first episode of Talking Tea, we chat   via Skype with Linda Hewitt, author of The Japanese Tea Ceremony And The Shoguns and other works on tea history and customs. Linda shares her reflections on how tea, and the rituals surrounding it, create much-needed space for relationship-building and contemplation.  The Japanese Tea Ceremony And The Shoguns by Linda Hewitt is available as an audiob...