Often, people set out on the path of tea because they see others finding peace in tea time and the tea lifestyle. I mean, it looks simple, doesn’t it? Their social media posts make it look all zen and trouble-free.

When one is new to tea, they might be overwhelmed at the many parameters to consider in the brewing of the most basic of beverages. Amount of leaf, water temperatures, steeping times and a myriad of tea gear all seem like too much information in the beginning and there is a temptation to get rigid in our ways, thinking that there is a right and a wrong way to make it happen.

My advice? Play with your tea. Yes, there are some basic guidelines that can help in the beginning to assist in upping the odds that you’ll get a more satisfactory cup of tea but please know that there really isn’t a wrong way to pursue this drink.

I may tell you in the beginning to brew a green tea with a water temp of 160 to 175ºF and keep the steeps short, increasing the time as you go. Perhaps one day you make the water for your green tea much hotter than that and then steep it much longer than usual and you find that much more appealing to your palate. That is dandy! You’ve made something into YOUR cup of tea and that’s vital. You don’t need to think “I know I’m not supposed to do it this way.” What I want you to do is make it the way you enjoy it most.

Tweak the variables, check the outcomes. Tea, like life, is one big experiment and we aren’t here to do it how everyone else does. Make it all your cup of tea. Relax into it, have fun and practice joy. If we get out of the mind and into the heart in tea time, we will always make the perfect cup. Tea wants us to be free, not bound to rules.

Bright blessings and gratitude,

Garret