Maria Tan
Afternoon tea has always been about the pause for me. Not the tiers or the silverware. Just the moment when the cup is set down, the steam rises, and everything outside seems to slow a little. So I wondered what a pause would feel like inside a fashion house. One floor above Orchard Road, past…
I used to think a good tea was supposed to be smooth. No bitterness. No sharp edges. Nothing that made me pause and wonder whether I was doing something wrong. It seemed logical. We naturally gravitate toward things that are easy to enjoy. A tea that is sweet, gentle, and immediately comforting feels like a…
There’s a small sound I’ve always liked. It’s the soft knock of a teapot lid settling back into place, just before the first pour. It happens at home. It happens in old shophouses and in bright mall boutiques like those in Suntec City. The setting changes, but the pause stays the same. This list is…
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…
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…
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…
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…
There is a curious assumption in tea culture that I have never quite understood. If you are new to tea, you begin with something floral. Jasmine. Rose. Osmanthus. Lightly scented blends. Then, supposedly, you move on. You discover roasted oolongs. Aged teas. More complex leaves. Stronger flavours. Eventually, you become a “serious” tea drinker. I…
I have noticed that few things can start an argument among tea drinkers quite as quickly as milk. Mention adding milk to a good tea and suddenly everyone has an opinion. Some insist that milk covers the flavour of the leaves. Others will tell you that certain teas were practically made for it. I have…
The afternoon rain had just eased when I climbed up to Level 4 of ION Orchard, home to the Marmalade Pantry Ion. Outside, Orchard Road was doing its usual thing: too many people, too much noise, everyone somewhere to be in the bustle of the city. Inside, at a corner table, someone was pouring tea…