For a long time, I thought I was looking for the perfect tea.
I imagined there would be a moment when I found the one. The tea that made every other tea feel unnecessary. The tea I would recommend to everyone. The tea that would finally make me understand what true appreciation was supposed to feel like.
So I kept searching.
I tried different origins. Different varieties. Different brewing methods. I read descriptions, listened to recommendations, and followed the advice of people who seemed to know far more about tea than I did.
And yet, something strange happened.
The closer I got to finding the “perfect” tea, the more I realised I was enjoying the search less.
Because perfection creates pressure.
A tea arrives with a beautiful story, a rare origin, and a reputation for being exceptional. Suddenly, you feel like you should love it. You look for the reasons it is special. You try to understand what everyone else seems to notice.
Sometimes, you forget to simply ask yourself a simpler question.
Do I actually enjoy this?
I think many tea lovers experience this at some point.
We become so interested in learning that we forget to listen to our own preferences.
There is nothing wrong with exploring tea. In fact, that is one of the most exciting parts of it. Every tea has a story, and every cup offers something new to discover.
But over time, I have started to appreciate something different.
The teas I return to are not always the most impressive ones.
They are the ones that fit into my life.
The tea I make when I wake up early.
The tea I drink while thinking through a difficult day.
The tea I share when someone comes over and we end up talking longer than expected.
These teas may not be perfect.
But they are familiar.
And perhaps familiarity is something we underestimate.
A perfect tea sounds like a destination. Something we find once and never need to search again.
But tea has never really worked that way.
Our tastes change. Our routines change. The moments we need tea for change.
The tea that feels perfect today may not be the tea we reach for next year.
And maybe that is not a problem.
Maybe the beauty of tea is that it grows with us.
So I no longer search for the perfect tea.
I look for the tea that feels right in that particular moment.
And honestly, that has been a much more enjoyable journey.
— Maria Tan
On tea, culture, and everyday rituals.
“Rare” Tea Is Often Manufactured Scarcity: Here’s How to Tell
There is a word in tea that carries unusual power. Rare. It immediately creates curiosity. A rare harvest. A rare batch. A rare tree. A tea that may never return. The suggestion is simple: if something is difficult to obtain, it must be more valuable. Sometimes, this is true. Some teas are genuinely limited because…
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LiHO Tea Singapore: A Greeting You Can Drink
Some words carry a whole childhood inside them. Li ho. I heard it at kopitiam tables, across corridors, from uncles who never waited for a real answer. It meant “how are you,” but it also meant I see you. So when I saw that name on a tea shop sign, somewhere in the middle of…
The Myth of “Perfect” Tea: What I Stopped Chasing
For a long time, I thought I was looking for the perfect tea. I imagined there would be a moment when I found the one. The tea that made every other tea feel unnecessary. The tea I would recommend to everyone. The tea that would finally make me understand what true appreciation was supposed to…
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Teh O: Understanding the Tea Order Behind the Name
There is a stall near where I grew up that has changed hands twice, but the tea has stayed the same. I still remember the first time I ordered teh o on my own, sometime in my early teens, mumbling the words at the counter and half-expecting to get them wrong. The uncle didn’t blink….
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Stop Buying Tea for the Aesthetic: How Packaging Hijacks Taste
There is something fascinating about the way we buy tea today. Before we taste the leaves, we have already formed an opinion. The box is elegant. The label is beautifully designed. The colours suggest calm, luxury, or tradition. The story feels carefully written. And before the first sip, we have already decided that the tea…
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A Tea Table in the Clouds: The Westin Singapore High Tea Review
It was one of those afternoons when the city felt too loud and too fast, and I wanted to sit somewhere quiet without really explaining why. So I went up. All the way up, to Level 32 of The Westin Singapore, where the Lobby Lounge sits above the noise like it knows something the rest…
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“Caffeine-Free Tea” Confuses Everyone—Let’s Fix the Language
I have noticed that tea conversations can become surprisingly confusing. Not because tea itself is complicated, but because we sometimes use the same words to mean completely different things. One phrase that always catches my attention is “caffeine-free tea.” It sounds simple enough. A tea without caffeine. But is that really what we mean? Because…
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The Pull, Pour, and Ritual Behind Singapore’s Favourite Milk Tea: Teh Tarik
It starts with a sound. A long ribbon of tea, arcing from one metal mug held high to another held low. The stream catches the light. Then the froth rises, pale and soft, and the whole thing gets poured back and lifted again. Nobody at the stall looks up. This happens a hundred times a…
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Stop Chasing Tasting Notes: Tea Isn’t Wine and That’s a Relief
I have a small confession to make. Sometimes I have absolutely no idea what I am supposed to be tasting. A tea description might promise orchid, honey, toasted nuts, stone fruit, and something wonderfully mysterious called a “long mineral finish.” I take a sip. I taste tea. And then I start wondering if everyone else…
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Chinese Tea Sets: Beautiful on the Table, But How Do They Brew?
There is a small arrangement on the table this evening, and I have not touched it yet. A pale bowl with a lid resting slightly askew. A round pitcher beside it, waiting to be filled. Cups no larger than a thumb and two fingers, lined up like a quiet sentence. The surfaces catch the last…
