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Latest blog posts from Ya-Ya's Tea Board

‘Many a mickle makes a muckle’ or The importance of small decisions
What a curious title, you might think. It might have even piqued your interest. Well, that’s the purpose of titles, isn’t it? It is the title I chose for a talk I will be presenting this weekend at the Kakariki Sustainability Conference at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. I think... Read more...
Published 2 weeks ago

How to prime, season and maintain your Yixing teapot
A recent post from Nikki at her blog ‘Tea Escapade’ was the inspiration for today’s post. I’ve put it off long enough to write about how to correctly treat your Yixing teapots. Yixing pots are one of the most beautiful vessels for brewing tea. At the same time, they represent one of the... Read more...
Published a month ago

The Leaf - Issue 3 just published
I was honoured again to help my friend Aaron Fisher and his amazing group of writers preparing the third installment of his free online tea magazine The Leaf. There are many aspects that set this magazine apart from regular publications (online and offline) about the subject of tea, but one of... Read more...
Published 2 months ago

Wabi Sabi for businesses
The term wabi sabi describes a philosophical concept essential to Japanese art. The term is often used in its original Japanese form since there is no adequate English translation. In an aesthetic sense, the concept of wabi sabi generally refers to the beauty of simplicity, imperfection,... Read more...
Published 2 months ago

Everyday tea
When I woke up this morning, I was greeted by a beautiful white blanket of snow covering our garden. It is always amazing to me, how much something as simple as snow can transform our familiar surroundings into something so peaceful and wondrous. After returning from a beautiful, but ultimately... Read more...
Published 2 months ago

Bi Luo Chun - astounding aroma and a green snail in the spring
In the list of the 10 most famous Chinese teas, Bi Luo Chun (sometimes spelled Pi Lo Chun, or 碧螺春 in Chinese) is listed on the second position. While it is one of the most highly regarded green teas in China, very few Kiwis have ever even heard of it. Unfortunately so, since this is a green... Read more...
Published 2 months ago

Ritualizing the habit, Part One - Teapots: Yixing, gaiwan, kyusu and co.
With this mini-series Ritualizing the habit, I intend to give a brief and practical overview of some of the basic utensils used in tea preparation. In part one, I will focus on the most important accessory for tea preparation: the teapot. Without delving too deep into the specifics of materials,... Read more...
Published 3 months ago

Arya Ruby - crown jewel of Darjeeling
After posting about a majestic tea from China, I thought it would be appropriate to write about one of my personal favourite teas in the world: Arya Ruby. Those of you who have met me will know about my love for Darjeeling tea, specifically for first flush Darjeelings (those teas produced during... Read more...
Published 3 months ago

Did you ever want to own a memento from one of your favourite businesses without stealing it? Here’s your chance!
Hi all, after Diane’s post yesterday announcing the closing of the teahouse, we’ve received a large amount of emails with your best wishes, expression of sadness, etc. Thank you so much for all your compassion and condolences, it helps to ease our pain. Unfortunately, life goes on and we have... Read more...
Published 3 months ago

Ode to a Dream - Ya-Ya teahouse has closed down
I’ve had a dream unformed for a very long time. Many circumstances came together and the dream began to take meaning, shape & form. Through much struggle, hard efforts and determination, what manifested two years ago was Ya-Ya teahouse. As I walk along and time goes by, I notice more clearly... Read more...
Published 3 months ago