Jan's Chanoma 茶の間

Stepping behind the teacher’s table, sharing Senchadō as a practice rather than simply a tea gathering, brought both delight and anxiety.

While the outward details were captured in my last post, lately my mind has been lingering on the "back of house" shifts that happened behind the tea table.

Planning a gathering sounds simple, but there is so much to consider.

Last year, after I returned from participating in the Tsukimi Senchadō (月見の煎茶会), I decided to pursue the Junshihan (準師範) license with my school, Oubakubaisa-ryu (黄檗売茶流).

Dear Tea Lovers, What happens when you bring together cheese lovers and tea enthusiasts in one room?

Did you know that chasen used to be a single-use item?

Dear Tea Lovers, Have you ever been to a food pairing or tasting event and had trouble finding the exact flavours or interactions in the food and/or beverage described to you?

Growing up, I was taught to clean everything we use for food and drinks with soap/detergent.

Dear Tea Lovers, I wrapped up the first month of 2025 with another tea workshop at Nikkei Centre.

Studying Chanoyu (茶の湯) or sadō/chadō (茶道) was not something I had planned or that I had always been interested in.

Dear tea lovers, Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of visiting tea farms across Japan, meeting master artisans, and tasting teas that reflect the land and hands that crafted them.

Japanese tea culture has a rich and fascinating history that spans over a thousand years, shaping the way tea is grown, prepared, and enjoyed today.