This post is a CommuniTEA Spotlight Retrospective: January – June 2023.
It compiles members of the tea community featured in my monthly newsletter, Tea Infusiast News, during the first half of 2023. And, this post provides updates, too!
Category: Blog
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What Does It Mean to Waste Tea?
This post shares my experience radically reducing my tea consumption and an unexpected question that arose: what does it mean to waste tea?
Radically Reducing My Tea Consumption
I spent a good chunk of September weaning myself off tea to see if it would help some health issues I’m having.
I went from having two tea sessions per day and consuming 7-8g of tea a day, to zero. In October, I went a few weeks without any tea, then added one light tea session per week.
It probably goes without saying for someone that runs a tea-related blog, Instagram, and events: this radical reduction in tea has been a big change. I am grateful for some lovely herbal teas, but I still deeply miss drinking tea more regularly.
Some challenges I anticipated: missing the flavor, removing one of my daily mindfulness practices, and the initial caffeine withdrawal. But, the many tealess days have also brought some unexpected questions. I’ll focus on one here: what does it mean to “waste” tea?
Join one, two, or all three sessions of November’s Virtual Tea Table. This series creates a welcoming weekday space to rest in community with other tea lovers.
What Is The Virtual Tea Table?
Hello Tea Friend! If steeping tea together, resting in communiTEA, and exploring other ways you might live a more restful life sound good to you, then I warmly invite you to gather around the Virtual Tea Table in November.
Read on for details and how to sign up for one, two, or all three sessions of November’s Virtual Tea Table gatherings.
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The Flowering of Chilean Tea Culture
This post overviews the flowering of Chilean tea culture. Specifically, it shares how tea displaced mate, and how Chile became the country with the highest per capita tea consumption in Latin America and the only one that drinks more tea than coffee.
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Afternoon Tea at The Parlour in Park Slope
This post shares my experience enjoying afternoon tea at The Parlour in Park Slope. This New York City tearoom is one of two run by Brooklyn High Low. (BKHL also has a location in Prospect Heights.)
The Parlour’s Address: 69 7th Avenue, (under the stoop) Brooklyn NY 11217
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Review of Té Company Tearoom in Manhattan
Té Company has tearooms in the West Village and (more recently in the) East Village areas of Manhattan in New York City. It specializes in Taiwanese tea and their own handmade and delicious tea snacks. You can also buy tea and snacks on their website. (Té is pronounced “tay.”) [Post last updated 3/2/25.]
I can’t believe I haven’t written a review of Té Company before! I have visited Té’s West Village location (the original location) more than any other teahouse in Manhattan. The calm and cozy space, thoughtfully curated tea choices, excellent service, and delicious snacks keep me coming back.
(Photo: Traci at Té Company, West Village location in Manhattan, NYC, with her friend’s plushie bison AKA a “luff”. Photo taken by Taniya Gupta.)
This post explains the relationship between my tea and rest practices, the journey they took me on, and how to register for the events they inspired me to create. My August and September 2023 events center on rest!
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Supporting My Tea Work
Summer updates and information about a new way to support my tea work
Hello Tea Friend! Thanks for stopping by the blog. I have been focusing on several projects. This summer, I’ve held two tea meet-ups: weather and summer meant they were tiny, but lovely. I am about 60% through the online, 12-module meditation course I have been taking. (I mentioned it in my post, “Enticements to Speed Through a Mindfulness Course.”) Also, I’ve been at work planning August-through-December tea events. These projects have left me less time for posting on the blog lately. Thankfully, that is about to change!
Besides posting more on the blog, I am so excited to share my plans soon! You’ll usually find out first–and get exclusive discounts–if you subscribe to my monthly newsletter, Tea Infusiast News. Now for that new “support” part…
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Tea that Evokes a Non-Tea Memory
Have you ever sipped a tea that evokes a non-tea memory? It’s not uncommon for a specific tea to evoke a memory of a previous time or occasion when I have enjoyed it. Lipton, for example, will always remind me of growing up and having tea with my family. Black currant tea immediately takes me back to my bridal shower and that exciting time in my life. But, that’s not the kind of memory I’m exploring here.
In this post, I reflect on several enticements to speed through a mindfulness course.
My ever-evolving relationship with tea has been one of the main paths through which I have deepened my mindfulness practice. I am also expanding my practice in new ways. Notably, I recently began an online mindfulness training program. The materials recommend we aim to complete the course in about three months, although we have flexibility. So far, I’m really enjoying the training program’s mix of information, stories, guided meditations, and journal prompts.
