Second flush, and why Darjeeling tastes like grapes
The famous muscatel note is not a flavouring, a marketing term or an accident. It is an insect. Here is the actual story.
The journal
Notes from the tea house
Where the leaf comes from, how to brew it better, and the small rituals worth keeping.
How to read a tea label
Premium, hand picked, garden fresh. Four words that mean nothing, and the four that actually tell you what is in the pack.
The five minutes after the kettle
Everyone talks about how to brew tea. Almost nobody talks about what happens next, which is the part that matters.
Why we pack tea small
A 250g pack looks like better value. For tea, it usually is not. Here is what actually happens to leaf sitting in a tin for four…