About Sascha Matuszak

Author Archive | Sascha Matuszak

A Pseudo-Scientific Tea Brewing and Tasting Method

By on October 16, 2009 in brewing, Green Tea, Oolong, Tea

Brewing a fine pot of tea takes practice and patience. Brewing teas is nothing short of an art. About a week ago, I pulled out my favorite oolong and brewed it for my friends in a clay pot. I was really excited about the tea and eager to hear my friends’ murmurs of delight. Instead, [...]

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The Key to Health is a Good Routine

By on September 29, 2009 in Green Tea, Oolong, Pu'erh, Tea

One of the most important parts of a healthy lifestyle is a proper routine. A set of actions and habits that form your daily routine will enable you to manage and maintain your health and also give you the structure around which you expand and further your goals and dreams. I find that the biggest [...]

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The Great China Tea Run

By on September 23, 2009 in Tea, Tea History

There were other brave and dedicated men who spent their lives smuggling tea from China to their home markets. The Ma Bang (Horse Caravans) of Tibet traveled over mountains and across barren plateaus to reach their destinations. For the West, the most stories smugglers are the clippers of the the mid 19th century: the fastest [...]

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Close-Up on Yak Butter Tea

By on September 15, 2009 in Tea, Yak butter tea

Much of the tea that crossed the border from China into Tibet over the centuries was destined for the cups of nobles and lords. The locals Tibetans in the highlands learned that although the tea from China was nice, the best tea was their own and the best way to brew tea was to infuse [...]

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The Horse and Tea Trade Route

By on September 9, 2009 in Brick tea, Green Tea, Jasmine Tea, Oolong, Pu'erh, Tea, White Tea

For scholars, the trade routes that linked southwest China with southeast Asia and India are a matter of fact and, for some, a lifelong work. The route is probably one of the most fascinating zones of cultural, economic and political contact between Tibet, China, India and the dozens of different peoples that call these regions [...]

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Tea Potions: Heal Yourself with Tea

By on September 1, 2009 in Green Tea, HEALTH, Tea

The good thing about tea – especially a hearty green tea – is that it provides a healthy and stable base for different potions that help to ease different ills. The best tea to use as a base for tonics is definitely a mid grade green, like a Maofeng. If this seems confusing, think of [...]

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Tea As Medicine

By on August 26, 2009 in HEALTH, Tea

Tea is medicine for the new age, just as it was medicine for the ancient humans of ages long past. Tea is the type of medicine that integrates itself silently into your morning while you read your paper before work. It works to keep your body strong and safe in the afternoon as you struggle [...]

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Close-Up on Brick Tea (Tuo Cha)

By on August 18, 2009 in Brick tea, Pu'erh, Tea

When it comes to tea, only recently has the common man gained access to fresh greens and whites, aromatic oolongs and delicate yellows. For centuries, the best teas went to the rich and powerful and the common man drank what he could when he could. So what did he drink? He drank brick tea. Brick [...]

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Bitter Tea: Bittersweet Medicine

By on August 13, 2009 in Kuding Cha, Tea

Yesterday I drank several cups of Hainan Kuding Cha just to remember why I loved the tea so much. Since being back in the US, I have shied away from the bitter teas, because I assumed that most of my friends would find it hard to swallow (both literally and figuratively). But then I poured [...]

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The Breadth and Depth of Oolong Teas

By on August 5, 2009 in Oolong, Tea, yellow tea

The breadth and depth of oolong teas often leads to confusion over what exactly an oolong tea is. Last week we talked about Yellow Teas and how they are allowed to oxidize or “stew” for a while, which gives them a darker color and a more complex collection of flavors and aromas than that of [...]

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Close-Up on Yellow: The “In-Between” Tea

By on July 28, 2009 in Tea, yellow tea

The next tea on our list is a little known “in between tea”, the Yellow Tea. Yellow Tea is hard to produce and is only found in a few places in China and sold in even fewer places around the world.

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Close-up on Green Tea

By on July 20, 2009 in Green Tea, Tea

In China, the most commonly enjoyed tea is definitely green tea. Greens are easy to process, easy to store, and easy to brew – and they have the added benefits of tasting good and improving your health. Green tea is grown all across southern China, from the foothills of the Himalayas to the coastal mountains [...]

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