I have a feeling green tea has become the tea we’re all supposed to love.
It’s everywhere. Wellness conversations, morning routines, skincare trends, and those beautiful matcha drinks that somehow make an ordinary afternoon look more interesting.
And honestly, I get it.
Green tea can be wonderful. Fresh, grassy, sometimes sweet. But I’ve started wondering why we talk about it as though it’s the obvious choice, while darker teas barely get a mention.
Because what about a rich black tea? Or a roasted oolong? Or a Pu-erh that develops an entirely different character with age?
I think we’re missing quite a lot.
Somewhere along the way, green tea became associated with being healthier and more refined. Its antioxidants receive plenty of attention, while darker teas sometimes get treated as though processing has made them less valuable.
But tea isn’t quite that simple.
Black tea undergoes extensive oxidation, while oolong can fall anywhere across a broad spectrum. These processes change the leaves’ chemistry and flavour, but they don’t automatically make one tea better than another.
And personally, I’d rather choose my tea based on what I enjoy drinking.
There’s something lovely about the malty richness of Assam, the roasted depth of certain oolongs, or the earthy character of ripe Pu-erh. They’re different experiences, and not everyone will enjoy them equally.
That’s perfectly fine.
What bothers me is how easily trends become rules. We discover something popular, convince ourselves it’s the best option, and forget there’s an entire world beyond it.
Maybe that’s why I think the green tea obsession deserves a little questioning.
Not because green tea is overrated in itself, but because no single tea should define what good tea looks like.
Some days, a light green tea might be exactly what I want. Other days, something darker and fuller sounds much more appealing.
I don’t think we need to choose sides.
Green tea can keep its popularity.
I’d just like us to remember that some of the most interesting cups aren’t green at all.
— Maria Tan
On tea, culture, and everyday rituals.
Stop Adding Sugar First: You’re Training Your Tongue Wrong
There is a habit I have noticed among tea drinkers. Sugar goes in before the first sip. Perhaps it is only a small spoonful. Perhaps two. But the tea is sweetened before it has been given a chance to introduce itself. I used to do this too. It seemed harmless. Tea was bitter, sugar made…
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Is Tea a Diuretic? What Your Daily Cup Really Does for Hydration
Picture a sticky afternoon in Singapore. The kind where the air sits heavy on your shoulders and the walk from the MRT feels longer than it should. You reach for something cold. Maybe a teh peng from the drinks stall, ice clinking in a plastic cup. Maybe a bottle of green tea from the convenience…
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Cold Brew Tea Isn’t Lazy, Hot Purists Just Don’t Like Being Wrong
I used to think cold brew tea was cheating. Not seriously, of course. But there was something about it that felt almost too easy. No kettle. No worrying about water temperature. No watching the clock while the leaves steep. Just tea, cold water, and a little patience. It seemed suspiciously effortless. Then I actually started…
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A Taste of Taiwan in Every Pour: Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea
There are drinks that catch your eye before you even take a sip. A tall cup, fruit pressed gently against the plastic, tea glowing amber underneath. Something about it feels right for a warm afternoon. Light. A little cheerful. Easy to carry. But if you slow down for a moment, some of those cups have…
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Your Tea Isn’t Bitter—You’re Overbrewing It (And It’s Not Your Fault)
There is a particular disappointment that comes from making a cup of tea that tastes bitter. You choose the leaves carefully. You heat the water. You wait. Then the first sip arrives, and something feels wrong. For a long time, I assumed bitterness meant the tea itself was not very good. Perhaps the leaves were…
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When Tea Meets Tropical: 5 Fruit Teas in Singapore to Try
There’s a specific kind of Singapore afternoon. The air feels thick, your shirt clings a little, and every mall entrance feels like a reward. On days like that, I don’t want anything heavy. I want something cold, bright, and full of fruit, but still recognizably tea. That’s where fruit teas come in. In Singapore, they’ve…
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Temperature Rules Are Overblown: The Real Brewing Variable Nobody Mentions
I used to think making tea required a thermometer. Not literally, perhaps, but almost. Every tea seemed to have a number attached to it. Green tea at this temperature. Oolong at another. Black tea a little hotter. Too hot and you had apparently ruined everything. For a while, I took these rules quite seriously. Then…
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Afternoon Tea at Prada Caffè ION Orchard: A Green Room, a Pale-Blue Cup
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…
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A Love Letter to Oolong: The In-Between That Changed My Mind
I did not understand oolong when I first encountered it. It seemed unnecessarily complicated. Green tea was green tea. Black tea was black tea. I understood where they stood. Oolong seemed determined to remain somewhere in between. Perhaps that was what initially kept me from appreciating it. Over time, however, I began to realise that…
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Tea from Assam: The Geography, Craft, and Character Behind the Brew
The colour arrives first. A deep amber that darkens towards red as the tea leaves give up their strength. Then comes the aroma. It is warm and rounded, often compared to malt or the crust of fresh bread. The first sip has weight. It fills the mouth with a rich body and leaves a slight,…
