You heard of it, but really, what was it? The Ancient Tea Horse Road was not a single road, and it was hardly a road at all! It was a vast, ever-changing network of mountain trails, caravan routes, market towns, and passes connecting Yunnan and Sichuan in China, passing through Tibet, Nepal, India, and other parts of South Asia. Even the name Tea Horse Road is a modern construct, because the different sections and routes had different names. Tea and horses, and many other goo

First you drink the water, Then you drink the tea 🌊💙🫖 Maybe too obvious to be worth mentioning, tea is ca. 99% water. But perhaps that is precisely the point.

The tradition of one people: Kirat oolong 🫖🌱🇳🇵 The craft behind the cup, the people behind the craft, and the deeper appreciation that comes from knowing what actually goes into a fine cuppa! This is the kind of journey I love sharing through my International Tea Sommelier Diploma Course – Professional Level I, created in collaboration with International Tea Academy in Kunming, China, since 2016. Welcome to read more in today´s blog post! 👏🏻👀😊👇🏻

We are multilayered beings, and nothing is fixed Perhaps this is ultimately what I love about these systems of thought. They do not ask us to reduce ourselves to one definition. The Wu Xing reminds us that life moves through cycles of transformation. The koshas remind us that our experience of being human has many layers. The seasons remind us that nothing remains still. And tea gives us a way to experience these ideas rather than merely think about them.

In Chinese tradition, peach stands for long life and good health. There is a beautiful story here because the peach itself has travelled almost exactly like the fine teas: from an ancient Chinese landscape, through Central Asia and Persia, carrying with it not only flavour but stories, symbolism and dreams of longevity.

Every great tea carries stories: of the land where it was born, stories that unfold when you brew and enjoy each sip of it. This tea is called Amam - mother. Bibeck’s mother is highly involved in the whole creation of this tea and other teas produced on the family farm. The name also fits so well with the harvesting season we are in right now, where Mother Earth provides us with all her gifts, a reminder of how we are directly linked to her; she is the foundation for our live

Not all tea is created equal. Every cup of specialty tea reflects the people, the landscape, and generations of knowledge that have refined and mastered the skills necessary to transform these mighty leaves into something truly extraordinary.

Summer in a Glass: Althaus Sparkling Tea with Cucumber and Elderflowers! Cucumber has long been associated with summer refreshment. Together with this new Sparkling Tea from Althaus, mixologist Mariusz has created a naturally cooling drink, low in sugar and completely alcohol-free!

"Every beautiful tea begins in someone's hands."

Tara is known throughout Asia as the embodiment of compassion, wisdom, and fearless action. She reminds us that true strength often is quiet and silent. She teaches us to meet life with an open heart, to act with kindness, and to find calm even in moments of uncertainty.

The best tea for your World Cup cuppa! And what tea personality are you?

The exact astronomical summer solstice can fall on June 20, 21, or 22, depending on the year and time zone.

Cold-brewed tea is one of the easiest ways to create a refreshing drink bursting with flavour. By steeping tea leaves in cold water rather than hot, you get a smoother, naturally sweeter tea with less bitterness and fewer tannins.

This summer, celebration doesn’t have to come with side effects. More and more people are choosing alternatives that let them enjoy the moment fully—not because they “have to,” but because it simply feels better.

To Who We Truly Are The only "zen" you bring with you to a mountaintop is the zen you already have inside of you. The original quote is from Robert M. Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The feeling of having lost ourselves Today's world is lost in the endless activities "out there." We are blessed with so much convenience, knowledge, and information. But we still feel empty, as if something is missing. When we get that next thing, promotion, house, car,

India’s tea landscape spans dramatically different terroirs and elevations. From the misty, subtropical Himalayas to the humid tropical plains. These differences in climate shape not just flavor but also the type of tea that is produced. Some regions focus on rare, high-end orthodox teas; others are built around large-scale CTC production for everyday drinking. India is colourful also in the area of tea!

A huge mango tree at the Glen Nevis, sustainable, biodiverse tea plantation in the Kandy Region, Sri Lanka. April 2026. The liver becomes more active during the springtime; it is a yin, i.e., a compact organ (zang). The liver works in tandem with the gallbladder, which is a yang, hollow organ (fu). Together they form the paired organs of the wood element, linked via the liver and gallbladder meridians, where the liver stores blood/essence, and the gallbladder distributes bile

My daily yoga practice, an essential, foundational aspect of my life. For a long time, in my life and through my yoga practice, I've had to reflect on and learn the simple but easy-to-overlook aspect of how much the foundation matters. To the extent we are able to root ourselves down, that will define our ability to manifest positively and sustainably in this life. Planting a cutting of the cultivar Tri2043 at the Glen Nevis Tea Plantation with its red porous, acidic soil. T

A place to come and stay, it will imprint itself deeply on you. The awarded Aratenna Silver Tips is produced from the cultivar TRI 2043 that was developed in 1958 from open-pollinated seeds. At Glen Nevis Tea Plantation , nestled within the hills of Sri Lanka’s Kandy region and experienced through the quiet elegance of Jade Villas , you will find a living expression of terroir—a concept often reserved for wine, but just as vital, if not more so, in tea. TRI 2043 (in the middl

The logo of the Monastery of Tea represents wholeness by the circle and forward movement through the person in the boat. When I visited the Monastery of Tea in Sri Lanka the other day, it impressed me deeply. I felt I was experiencing something rare but urgently needed: a shift in how we live. Set quietly among lush nature in the hilly Kandy region, the Monastery of Tea is not just a place where specialty teas are produced. It is a living philosophy. Everything they do is ro