Talking Tea

On today's episode we have two guests speaking to us from Oxalis Tea and Coffee in the Czech Republic. First up is Petr Zelik, owner and founder of Oxalis. Petr chats with us about tea culture in the Czech Republic, and especially about the challenges and successes of building a tea company after the fall of Communism. We also explore Oxalis’ offerings of Korean teas, which are not easy to come by among quality tea offerings in the US. Our second guest is Julian Overall, who coordinates Oxalis’s English-language social media flow. Julian's Twitter and Facebook feeds have become an invaluable source of news and connections for many of us in the tea world, and we talk with Julian about his views on the roles of social media and online information sharing for the tea community. Here's a brief break-down of today's show, with time marks: 1:00 Petr's vision: starting a tea company in a nation without a tea culture; initial challenges 9:14 Success! The growth of Czech tea culture and the phenomeon of the Czech tea house, the "cajovna" 18:38 Green teas from Korea: unique taste characteristics 27:08 Connecting tea drinkers through social media, blogging and podcasting You can find information about Oxalis' teas, as well as its comprehensive online catalogue, at its English language site, http://www.oxalis.cz/en. And you can follow Oxalis on Facebook under Oxalis Tea and Coffee, and on Twitter @julian_overall. Oxalis' videos on tea can be accessed through the "Videos" tab on its Facebook page. For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea. To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected]. Have something in mind you'd like to hear discussed on Talking Tea? Leave us a comment on Facebook or on our Libsyn episode page, or email us. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @Kensvoiceken. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original. Photo courtesy of Oxalis Tea And Coffee.

One of the things we hear over and over again from people in the tea world is how so many great relationships have been created and nurtured through tea. But what is it in tea culture that's so good at bringing us together? In this week's episode we get philosophical about tea and relationships with Benjamin Olshin and Alex Schein, two men whose own friendship was forged over tea and who have helped build community through tea in their professional and personal lives. Ben, a writer, teacher and consultant, teaches philosophy (among other things) at the University of the Arts, and has co-owned a Taiwanese-inspired teahouse in Philadelphia. Alex, a media producer, singer and songwriter, has run two teahouses in the U.S. and has produced and directed a documentary about Dobra Tea. Together we talk about why tea is not just a beverage but an experience, a practice, a way of being, a way of relating with each other and with the universe. You can watch Alex's film, "Dobra Tea: The Good Tearoom" at http://www.goodtearoom.com. More information about Alex's work is at skyhuntermedia.com, makingsensefilm.com and alexschein.com. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} You can find Ben's books on Amazon.com under Benjamin B. Olshin. For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea. To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected]. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @KensvoiceKen. This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The image "Tea is Served" (http://tinyurl.com/nrt7f6j) by ~Mers (https://www.flickr.com/people/barnkim/) is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/). The views, positions and opinions expressed by guests on Talking Tea are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions or opinions of Talking Tea, its host, producer or staff.

This week on Talking Tea we’re back in Philadelphia at Shofuso, an authentic, and quite amazing, Japanese house and garden with a fully functioning tea house and roji, or tea garden. We’re joined by Derek Finn, Shofuso’s site and program manager, and Morgan Beard of Urasenke Philadelphia, an organization dedicated to practicing and teaching the Japanese way of tea. Morgan is returning to Talking Tea after having been a guest on our “Artful Tea” episode. In this week’s podcast, Derek, Morgan and I hang out on Shofuso’s veranda, stroll through its roji and finally spend some time in its tea house, as we chat about how the way of tea, Zen Buddhism and traditional Japanese architecture and design come together at Shofuso to allow us to glimpse what Morgan calls the beauty of imperfection, and the beauty of life itself. More information on Shofuso, the Japanese House and Garden in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, including visiting hours, tours and events, is at www.japanesehouse.org and at its Twitter feed @Shofuso. You can learn about Urasenke Philadelphia's classes and upcoming events at its website, www.phillytea.org. For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea. To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected]. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @KensvoiceKen. This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original.

This week on Talking Tea we chat via Skype with Chris Olsen of Teatulia, an organic tea producer based in Bangladesh founded on principles of social responsibilty and sustainability. You may be familiar with the unique flavor profiles of Teatulia's teas and blends, and Chris and I discuss the influence of the Bangladeshi terroir on the complex flavors and aromas of some of Teatulia's award-winning teas. But what most impressed us at Talking Tea was the positive impact Teatulia has made on the environment and society surrounding its tea garden. Chris talks about Teatulia's transformation of a formerly desert terrain into a lush tea-growing region, and how Teatulia has not only created jobs but also fostered literacy programs. schools, and economic opportunity through better working conditions and its unique cattle lending and farm sharing programs. You can find Teatulia's teas and information about Teatulia's programs at www.teatulia.com. If you're interested in purchasing tea through Teatulia's website, be sure to listen for the discount code for Talking Tea listeners toward the end of the episode. You can also find Teatulia on Facebook at facebook.com/teatulia, on Instagram at instagram.com/teatuliateas, and on Twitter @teatulia. For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea. To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected]. Have something in mind you'd like to hear discussed on Talking Tea? Leave us a comment on Facebook or on our blog page, or email us. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @Kensvoiceken. This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original. Photo of Teatulia's tea garden courtesy of Teatulia.

You might think we're having an identity crisis this week on Talking Tea, since our host and guest on this week's podcast share the same name. In this week's show our host and producer Ken Cohen chats with renowned qigong master and author Ken Cohen, who also writes and lectures extensively about the health benefits of tea. Ken shares his personal tea journey with us, talks about both the health benefits and the spiritual benefits of tea from the perspectives of Western science and traditional Chinese medicine, discusses how our connection with nature and poetry influences our enjoyment of tea, and explains how the intention, heart and spirit we bring to the preparation and drinking of tea change not only our experience of tea, but also our relationship with the world. This week's episode is a bit longer than our usual shows on Talking Tea, since Ken was willing to share so much of his knowledge and wisdom with us, and we didn't want you to miss out on any of it. So make yourself some tea, relax and enjoy The Qi of Tea. And be sure to check back soon for details on our upcoming interactive Tea Poetry Project. Our guest Ken Cohen's books, articles, and other publications, as well as a calendar of his upcoming lectures and events and his own selection of teas, are available though his websites, www.qigonghealing.com and www.kennethcohen.com. You can find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CloudForestTea. For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea. To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected]. Have something in mind you'd like to hear discussed on Talking Tea? Leave us a comment on Facebook or on our blog page, or email us. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @Kensvoiceken. This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original.

Have you been wondering how to make a bowl of matcha without the ritual of a formal tea ceremony? How to get a smooth, frothy lime-green foam that looks and tastes great? Talking Tea is here to help. In Part 2 of Talkin' Matcha, tea blogger Tyas Huybrechts explains how to make a fine bowl of matcha in a few easy steps. Tyas also recommends this YouTube link demonstrating a good whisking technique for preparing matcha at home: http://youtu.be/HDS6cFKETnU Tyas' blog, Tea Talk, is at www.tea-talk.be, and is packed with information about Japanese green tea. You can also follow him on Twitter @TeaTalkBe and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeaTalkBe. For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea. To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected]. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @Kensvoiceken. This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original.

This week Talking Tea talks matcha with Tyas Huybrechts, founder and blogger at Tea Talk, a blog devoted entirely to Japanese green teas. Matcha, a powdered green tea that's whisked into a frothy brew, is fast becoming the caffeinated drink of choice among many in the West, and Tyas tells us about matcha's history and cultural background in Japan, how it's grown and processed, and what to look for in buying quality matcha. Tyas is also a long-time student (and soon-to-be tea master) of the Enshu school of Japanese tea, and he shares some of his insights and personal perspectives about matcha in the Enshu tradition. In our next episode, Part 2 of "Talkin' Matcha", Tyas gives us a detailed guide on how to prepare matcha at home. Stay tuned! Tyas' blog, Tea Talk, is at www.tea-talk.be, and is packed with information about Japanese green teas. You can also follow him on Twitter @TeaTalkBe and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeaTalkBe. For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea. To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected]. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @Kensvoiceken. This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original.

This week Talking Tea is back in Philadelphia to chat with Rebecca Goldschmidt of Philly's Random Tea Room & Curiosity Shop, one of the most eclectic tea shops we've encountered on our tea journeys to date. Rebecca talks with us about her own path of tea and her aim of providing a space for health and well-being, which come together to create the unique tea environment that is the Random Tea Room. Rebecca also gives us a short overview of gong fu cha, one of the various ways tea is prepared at Random. More on the Random Tea Room & Curiosity Shop, including a menu of teas, an online store and social media links, can be found at its website, http://therandomtearoom.com. For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea. To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected]. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @KensvoiceKen. This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original. Photo by Jesse Moore, courtesy of Rebecca Goldschmidt.

On our pre-holiday episode of Talking Tea we chat with Andy Hayes, founder and tea maker at Plum Deluxe, a tea blender based in Portland, Oregon. Andy talks with us about his mission to help people slow down and craft a life they really enjoy, and how this goal, combined with Andy's views on the importance of organic teas and his experiences of European tea traditions, influences his blending process. More on Plum Deluxe's teas can be found on its website, www.plumdeluxe.com, on Pinterest at pintertest.com/plumdeluxe and on Facebook at facebook.com/plumdeluxe. For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea. To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected]. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @KensvoiceKen. This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original. Photo of Plum Deluxe's Reading Nook tea courtesy of Plum Deluxe.

This week on Talking Tea we chat with Morgan Beard of Urasenke Philadelphia, an organization dedicated to practicing and teaching the Japanese way of tea. We recorded our podcast inside the amazing Japanese galleries at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which include a complete tea house and garden as well as centuries-old tea utensils and masterpieces of Japanese art. Morgan talks with us about some of the objects in the galleries (including the tea bowl shown here), and about how Japanese traditions of tea and aesthetics come together in the spirituality of the Way of Tea. For information on Urasenke Philadelphia's classes and events, go to its website at www.phillytea.org. More on the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Japanese collections and its extraordinary upcoming show on the art of the Kano period is at the Museum's website, www.philamuseum.org. Info about tea events at Shofuso, the Japanese House and Garden in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, is at www.japanesehouse.org For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea. To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected]. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @KensvoiceKen. This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original. Tea bowl photo courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Everything you always wanted to know about pu erh but were afraid to ask...and more. In Part 2 of "Drunk on Tea", Shunan Teng of New York City's Tea Drunk shatters some myths about pu erh tea, contrasts cooked vs. raw pu erh, and talks in-depth about pu erh regions and fermentation. Shunan also chats with us about her ongoing tea classes and events at Tea Drunk. Tea Drunk's website is at www.t-drunk.com. Its Twitter feed is @teadrunknyc. For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea. To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected]. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @KensvoiceKen. This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original. Photo of Tea Drunk courtesy of Shunan Teng

This week on Talking Tea we get "drunk" on tea at Tea Drunk, a teahouse in New York City serving traditional Chinese tea. Shunan Teng, who founded and owns Tea Drunk (and knows just about everything there is to know about Chinese tea), talks with us about wild tea, Chan Cha or "monk's tea", tea picking seasons, and why tea requires a dedicated palate and a dedicated mind. In our next episode, Part 2 of "Drunk on Tea", Shunan talks with us in depth about pu erh tea, as well as about ongoing events and classes at Tea Drunk. Stay tuned! Tea Drunk's website is at www.t-drunk.com and includes information about classes and events. For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea. To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected]. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @Kensvoiceken. This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original. Photo of Tea Drunk courtesy of Shunan Teng

For our first episode of Talking Tea, we chat via Skype with Linda Hewitt, author of The Japanese Tea Ceremony And The Shoguns and other works on tea history and customs. Linda shares her reflections on how tea, and the rituals surrounding it, create much-needed space for relationship-building and contemplation. The Japanese Tea Ceremony And The Shoguns by Linda Hewitt is available as an audiobook, ebook and trade paperback through Amazon.com. You can access Linda Hewitt's blog at http://www.lindahewitt.com/blog.htm For more information on Talking Tea, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea To inquire about being a guest on Talking Tea, please email us at [email protected]. Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @Kensvoiceken. This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original.