Brewing
Learning the Gaiwan: Three Months of Fumbling
I burned my fingers a dozen times before it clicked. A practical guide for the impatient beginner who doesn't want to read the entire history of Chinese ceramics first.
April 14, 2026
All posts
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2026
Technique
Why Water Temperature Is the One Thing You Can't Ignore
Boiling water ruined more of my teas than anything else did in the first year. The numbers, the reasoning, and a simple habit that fixed most of my problems.
March 22, 2026
Tea types
Six Months Inside the Oolong Rabbit Hole
From Taiwanese High Mountain to Wuyi Rock — what I ordered, what surprised me, what I'd skip if starting over, and a few importers worth knowing about.
February 28, 2026
Culture
The Dutch Afternoon Tea Habit (And How It Changed Mine)
The Netherlands doesn't have a formal tea ceremony. What it has instead is stubbornness about breaks, and I've come to appreciate it.
January 31, 2026
2025
Culture
My First Chado Session in Rotterdam: What I Got Wrong
I showed up expecting meditative calm. What I found was a discipline about paying attention that I wasn't remotely prepared for.
December 5, 2025
Matcha
Matcha in a Delft-Blue Bowl: An Unlikely Pairing
Delft earthenware pottery meets Japanese powder tea. It works better than it sounds, and it started a longer conversation about material, ritual, and place.
November 12, 2025
Reflections
A Year in Tea: 2025
What I drank, what I learned, what I'd do differently. Ending the year with more questions than I started with — which feels right.
December 29, 2025