Author: Traci Levy

We need call out and push back against the cult of productivity. Too many spaces promote time scarcity and encourage us to behave as if we were robots. This cult is terrible for our minds, bodies, and creative energies. Two experiences recently underscored how relentlessly we can focus on productivity. This post identifies some pernicious aspects of the cult of productivity. It also shares ways to resist. Calling out inhumane elements of work culture (including those we have internalized) is important. Likewise, cultivating restorative personal practices like intentional tea sessions can help, too.

Would you like to learn two ways to make a tall glass of iced and sparkling matcha? A Matcha Fizz was the first sparkling tea I ever made at home. Now that spring is here and summer is approaching in New York, I’m making more iced teas again. I love sparkling teas in particular.

A Matcha Fizz is still one of my absolute favorites for a warm spring or hot summer day. And, it’s easy to make. This post will go over how to make sparkling matcha two ways. It will explain and compare the paste-concentrate method and the direct-powder method. The results actually surprised me!

What are the practical considerations to start using loose leaf tea? It’s relatively easy to use once you know a few basics! This post provide advice on how get started with loose leaf tea.

It explores: what to use to steep loose leaf tea, how much tea to use per serving, and how long to steep.

Have you noticed that some tea companies and organizations have “tea mascots?” I am using the term “mascot” loosely. By that, I mean an animal figure used as part of outreach, branding, or to engage people. Three examples immediately spring to mind—Waddy the Frog at the Charleston Tea Garden, Tippi the Tea Mouse at the East Frisian Tea Museum, and Luff (a bison) at Being Tea.