I have a confession.
I don’t think every tea lover needs to love every tea.
That sounds obvious when written down, but spend enough time around tea enthusiasts and you may start to think otherwise.
Someone discovers that you enjoy tea.
The questions begin.
Do you drink green tea?
What about pu-erh?
Have you tried aged white tea?
Sometimes it feels as though tea appreciation comes with an invisible checklist. The more teas you enjoy, the more qualified you become to call yourself a tea lover.
But I’ve never been convinced that’s how it works.
After all, we don’t apply this logic to most other things. Nobody expects a music lover to enjoy every genre of music. Nobody questions whether someone loves books because they dislike a particular author.
Yet tea seems different.
For some reason, people feel strangely guilty admitting they dislike certain teas.
Matcha might be the best example.
Its popularity has exploded in recent years. Walk into almost any café and you’ll find matcha somewhere on the menu. Social media treats it as the unofficial symbol of modern tea culture.
And yet plenty of tea drinkers simply don’t enjoy it.
The earthy flavour can be intense. The texture can feel unusual. Some people never develop a taste for it no matter how many times they try.
And that’s perfectly reasonable.
The same is true for pu-erh. Or heavily roasted oolongs. Or delicate white teas.
Liking tea and liking every tea are not the same thing.
In fact, personal preference is probably what makes tea culture interesting in the first place.
Ask ten tea drinkers about their favourite tea and you’ll likely receive ten different answers. Those differences are not evidence that someone understands tea less than another person.
They are evidence that taste is personal.
Perhaps tea culture would feel more welcoming if we talked about preferences more openly.
Not every tea needs to become your favourite.
Not every famous tea needs to impress you.
And not every tea trend needs to win you over.
Sometimes being a tea lover simply means continuing to search for the teas that feel right to you.
Even if everyone else seems to prefer something different.
— Maria Tan
On tea, culture, and everyday rituals.
The Soul of Tea: Unveiling the Beauty of Traditional Tea Ceremonies
Tea is more than just a drink, isn’t it? It is a quiet moment in the middle of a busy day, a small ritual that grounds us. We are not just drinking tea; we are experiencing something far more profound, a glimpse into the centuries-old traditions of cultures that revere this simple beverage. Whether in…
The Matcha Latte and the Tea It Came From
The matcha latte drink has become one of the most recognizable tea-based beverages in modern cafés. From Starbucks menus to independent tea bars, it is served hot in ceramic mugs or as iced matcha lattes layered in a glass with cold milk and ice. It is marketed as a healthy drink. It is praised for…
We Are Drinking Tea Too Quickly
There is something ironic about rushing tea. We order it to relax. We call it calming. We describe it as grounding. And yet, more often than not, we drink it the same way we drink everything else — between emails, between meetings, between scrolling. Tea has become background noise. A mug beside the laptop. A…
-
Where Tea Meets Cuppage Plaza Food: Restaurants That Serve Both Well
Walk into Cuppage Plaza Singapore and you immediately feel the shift. Just a short walk from Somerset MRT Station, Cuppage Plaza is a go-to spot for anyone craving authentic Japanese cuisine. Sure, Orchard Road is just outside, all shiny and bustling, but once you step inside this older building, the vibe totally shifts. The hallways…
-
Milk Tea Is Not Tea
This is not an argument about preference. It is a question about naming. Milk tea is everywhere now. It travels in oversized cups, sealed with plastic film. It arrives layered with foam, syrup, pearls, jelly, whipped cream. It is photographed before it is tasted. It is queued for. It is branded. It is loved. But…
-
A Journey into Herbal Teas: Exploring Nature’s Finest Infusions
Imagine cupping your hands around a warm mug, inhaling the sweet, floral scent of chamomile tea or the invigorating peppermint tea aroma from the peppermint plant. As you take the first sip, you feel a sense of calm and comfort wash over you. This soothing experience is the magic of herbal teas, a diverse and…
-
Singapore Tea for Every Palate and Every Ritual
What draws us to seek something deeper in a simple cup of tea? In Singapore, where countless cultures have settled like leaves steeping in warm water, the answer unfolds quietly in the spaces between tradition and modernity. Good tea emerges from patient sourcing, from the steady hands of those who understand its language, from leaves…
-
Where to Find Private Room Singapore Spaces for Tea Rituals
In a city that never truly rests, quiet becomes something you have to choose. You feel it when you’re weaving through Orchard Road in the middle of the day, or squeezing past crowds in the Central Business District at lunch hour. The lights are bright, the notifications keep coming, and even when you sit down, your…
-
Tea Is Losing Its Ceremony — And We Let It Happen
No one announced it. There was no collective decision, no moment of cultural shift. And yet, the ceremony has quietly receded from everyday tea. What was once deliberate has become automatic. Tea used to require attention. Water temperature mattered. Leaves were measured with care. The cup was chosen, not grabbed. Even in the absence of…
The Art of Aging: Understanding Authentic Yunnan Pu-erh Tea
Among the world’s most revered fermented dark teas, few types evoke as much intrigue and respect as Yunnan pu erh tea (普洱). Crafted from ancient tea trees in Yunnan province, this tea produced by traditional methods is a living testament to China’s rich beverage heritage. Unlike most loose leaf tea or black teas, high-quality pu…
