Food & Drink
Tea
The same leaves change character with water temperature and time
Cheap to start: a lidded bowl, or just a mug and a pinch of leaf. Two things are worth remembering — green tea wants cooler water, and oolong and pu'er can be steeped many times, with the first and fifth infusions tasting nothing alike. Where a tea ceremony is about procedure, this is only about what ends up in the cup.
First stepGet a small bag of oolong and a gaiwan, a lidded cup, and steep the same leaves five times, tasting and noting how each infusion changes.
Barriers
Cost to start
Under $50
Going deep → $2k–10k
Alone or with people
On your own
Effort
Sitting
Without a teacher?
Self-taught
One session takes
Under 30 min
Where
At home
Why people take it up
Related guides
Keeping the spending in checkStarts at Under $50, going deep runs $2k–10kSkills
BuildsPutting taste and smell into words