by joanna on April 2, 2010
Friendly and knowledgeable family-run tea, spice and honey purveyors
I have gotten into tea since moving to Asia. No longer a die hard coffee drinker, I enjoy herbal teas, black teas…hot or iced. Something about it feels lighter to me in this climate. And when I travel, I am fascinated by the various tea cultures that exist in Asia and like to take part in as many as time allows whether in China or Japan or Nepal. On a recent trip to Nepal I was excited to try the local Nepalese Milk Tea, or “dudh chia.” It is something reminiscent of an Indian Chai but with a Nepalese twist. We had enjoyed some in out hotel in the morning over breakfast and thereafter I was on a mission to acquire said milk tea and learn how to make it. Lucky for me, I stumbled upon Sagarmatha Tea House where we spend a better part of the morning learning about Nepalese tea culture. [keep reading…]
by joanna on March 3, 2010
Experience a Chinese tea ceremony in this eclectic old teahouse
In the heart of historic Old Town in Shanghai and in close proximity to the famous Yuyuan Gardens lies the Old Shanghai Teahouse. In fact, Old Town was the first area of Shanghai to be settled – originally, a place for locals only and where foreigners never ventured. Today, with the Old Town Bazaar and nearby historic gardens this is hardly the case as a mix of foreigners and locals can both be found shopping and generally whiling away a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. And in the midst of the market frenzy, the Old Shanghai Teahouse provides a welcome, if slightly eclectic, respite. [keep reading…]
by Paul on December 9, 2009
The notion most people have of high teas is that they’re precious events… tables covered in doilies & groups of woman gathered round gossiping through the afternoon. Well I’m a tattooed, boot wearing, Texas-born male ( 
)and I’ll come out and say it – I love high teas! [keep reading…]
by Paul on November 5, 2009
Howdy Yall,
To commemorate my travels around Texas and the states I’ll be doing a short series of “Texan Epicurean Concepts” over the next few weeks. These concepts will hopefully help you more fully enjoy your next trip to Texas.
First up is a childhood favorite of mine – Sweet Tea. [keep reading…]
by joanna on October 29, 2009
Thai food favourites in a lovely and classic Thai setting overlooking the Erawan shrine
I discovered the Erawan Tea Room when a Thai friend suggested it. I had been in Thailand about 3 months and was still feeling my way around, everything was new to me. And over the months some places fell away as I discovered favourites and others, like the classic Erawan Tea House, stayed in my repertoire for as long as I was in Bangkok. And now it is one of my favourite places to visit when I return, particularly as a place to take visitors as it embodies that classic and elegant Thai style that is so distinctive…yet somehow fading in Bangkok as more international trendy, mod options proliferate. [keep reading…]
by joanna on September 14, 2009
A 140-year old white tea plantation, spice and rubber tree farm
If you visit Sri Lanka, you will certainly be tempted to visit a tea plantation. And there is probably none more famous than Handunugoda – the legendary tea plantation that used to produce the famous “virgin” white tea for the Chinese Emperor Tsong. Only virgins harvested the tea, never touching it with their own hands, but instead using golden scissors and bowls to collect the tea leaves. The emperor lips were the first to touch the tea. [keep reading…]
by joanna on September 8, 2009
From charming colonial hotels to lovely gift shops
Please don’t stay in Colombo if you go to Sri Lanka. Even 3 days is enough to explore historic Galle and the surrounding areas. Here’s our cheat sheet for how to spend 3 days in and around Galle. [keep reading…]
by joanna on July 21, 2009
The relaxing ritual of tea ceremony after a day of sightseeing
When you go to a place like Beijing where there are tourist attractions so historically important that they make their way onto the Unesco World Heritage site list, you figure you ought to go see them. The problem is…so does everyone else. Unfortunately this can make what is supposed to be a refined cultural undertaking a bit frustrating – jostling tourists, endless lines, and after all that work, you feel a bit beaten and battered…and maybe not even in the best state of mind to fully appreciate the significance of the attraction that brought you there. This is what happened to us on a recent visit to the Forbidden Palace in Beijing. After hand-to-hand combat with a sea of international tourists, we longed for an escape. And so after making a surreptitious exit out of the East gate of the Forbidden Palace, we stumbled upon the Terrace Tea House, a quiet retreat from the chaos. [keep reading…]
Hey all,
As we move along into healthy week, I thought I’d do a little roundup of drink information for you. A few years back when I was still living in Coppell, Texas I started trying to live a healthier life. I was running to the gym every other day and supplementing meals with smoothies. I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t losing weight. I was doing everything right…or so I thought. The smoothie was actually my problem….
[keep reading…]
by joanna on April 27, 2009
3 days in French colonial India by the sea
If any of you have read the Life of Pi, you will remember Pondicherry as the hometown of the main character, Pi, the zookeeper’s son. Well there is no longer a zoo in Pondicherry, there is still plenty to see and do in this quaint French colonial seaside village in South India. [keep reading…]
