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 it pleasant, and there was little reason to question the habit.
But eventually I began wondering what I was missing.
Tea has a remarkable range of flavours. Some are naturally sweet. Others are floral, roasted, earthy, fruity, or slightly astringent. These qualities can be subtle, particularly when we are accustomed to sweetness.
If sugar arrives first, those details become harder to notice.
This does not mean sugar has no place in tea. It certainly does. Milk tea, sweet tea, and many traditional preparations around the world have been enjoyed with sweetness for generations.
The problem is not adding sugar.
It is adding it before deciding whether the tea needs it.
There is a difference.
I have found that drinking tea without sweetener, at least initially, changes the way I experience it. A tea that once seemed bitter may reveal a gentle sweetness after a few sips. A roasted oolong may show more depth. A green tea may reveal a fresh, almost vegetal character that sweetness would have hidden.
The palate adjusts.
Perhaps this is what we mean when we talk about developing a taste for tea. It is not necessarily about becoming more sophisticated. It is simply about becoming more attentive.
We train ourselves to notice what is already there.
Modern tea culture sometimes encourages us to chase stronger flavours, sweeter drinks, and immediate pleasure. There is nothing wrong with enjoying those things.
But if every cup begins with sugar, we may never discover what the leaves were trying to say.
So I have adopted a small rule for myself.
Taste first.
Sweeten later, if necessary.
Sometimes the tea is better without sugar.
Sometimes it is better with it.
The important part is knowing the difference.
With quiet regard,
N. P. Lim
Matcha Hype Has Gone Too Far (But I Still Drink It)
I have a confession. I am slightly tired of seeing matcha everywhere. Not because I dislike matcha. In fact, I drink it quite often. But there is something amusing about watching a humble tea become the centre of every café menu, wellness conversation, and social media trend. Matcha has gone from a traditional Japanese tea…
-
Hortus Afternoon Tea Review: When the Garden Becomes the Occasion in the Flower Dome
I forgot, for a moment, that I was indoors at Hortus, the Mediterranean restaurant nestled within the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay. There were trees above me, real ones, and the air held that cool, green stillness you usually find early in the morning somewhere far from the city. A leaf drifted down…
-
The Real Reason Your Tea at Cafés Tastes Flat
There is a particular disappointment that comes with ordering tea at a café. You see the menu. You notice the carefully written descriptions. Perhaps there is a mention of fragrant jasmine, roasted oolong, or a carefully selected blend. The presentation arrives beautifully arranged, and for a moment, there is anticipation. Then you take the first…
-
Herbal Tea in Chinese: A Cup Shaped by Heat, Balance, and Belief
The first sip was bitter. I was maybe seven, and my grandmother had pressed a small ceramic cup into my hands, dark liquid inside, steam curling up between us. She didn’t explain. She just said, “Drink. You’ve been too heaty.“ I made a face. She didn’t smile. She just waited until I finished. Years later,…
-
Maybe Your Favourite Tea Is Not Your Best Tea
I have a tea sitting in my cupboard that I would never call my “best” tea. It is not the rarest. It is not the most expensive. It does not come with an impressive story about ancient tea trees, remote mountains, or a limited harvest. And yet, I drink it more often than almost anything…
-
Clipper Tea Review: Does the Packaging Match the Pour?
There’s a box of Clipper Tea that’s lived in my cupboard longer than most of my mugs. I didn’t plan to buy it. I was standing in the tea aisle, tired, half-decided on something familiar, when the colour caught me. Bright, cheerful, a little hand-drawn looking. So I brought it home. And I’ve been drinking…
-
Hear Me Out, Tea Does Not Need to Be Serious All the Time
There is something I have noticed about tea culture. We take tea very seriously. Perhaps too seriously. We discuss origins, processing methods, brewing temperatures, and the history behind every leaf. We debate whether a tea should be enjoyed in a certain way. We carefully consider the correct vessel, the right water, and the ideal environment….
-
Red Bush Tea: The Tea That Does Not Need to Shout
There is a red pot in my mother’s kitchen that only comes out in the evening. By then the coffee has done its work and gone quiet. The day has loosened. She fills the kettle, drops in a spoonful of something the colour of dried autumn, and lets it sit while she tidies the last…
-
Hear Me Out: High Tea Is Overrated
Hear me out: high tea is one of the most convincing ways we have found to make snacking feel important. I understand the appeal. The room is polished, the cups are delicate, and everything arrives in miniature. There is something satisfying about sitting down in the middle of the afternoon and behaving as though time…
-
Where Tea Is Given Time to Speak: Anteasocial Review
I almost walked past it. Owen Road Singapore doesn’t announce much. A quiet stretch, low buildings, the kind of road you pass through on the way to somewhere louder. Then there it was, unassuming, just numbers on a wall: 117. Anteasocial is a contemporary Oriental specialty teahouse in Singapore, and if you’re looking for a…
