My Story

Hi there,

I am the Tea Wanderer.

Thanks for making it here.

Welcome to my tea studio - which is still very relatively humble and small. Not many people frequent here yet. Here serves as an atelier for my creative passions for all things tea related. This is a space where I can work on my creative pursuits and share the latest discoveries of teas from my trips with other like-minded individuals just like you.

From a very young age, growing up in a traditional Chinese household, tea was a part of my daily life since the very beginning. From my early childhood memories, my immigrant father would brew a cup of his favorite hometown black tea every morning before leaving for work and not returning until late into the night. Our fondest times were sharing a pot of tea with friends and family at the table, with small bites of dim sum, peanuts, and some sweet traditional Chinese confections. My father would go back to his hometown every year or two. My favorite memories were when he would return with a new year's worth of black tea. And probably, because of this first-generation experience and upbringing, I would, unknowingly, stumble into tea and have it be my unconventional career for the next and remaining chapters of my life.

Recently, after being constantly rejected and jobless for almost a year, with life deteriorating in all parts, at rock bottom, I started to slow down and really listen to my inner voice - a calling that became more apparent over time. I came to the realization, throughout the course of my life, that I never really had put much effort into school, my studies, or developing a career. During my college days, when my roommates and friends would work on projects and study at the library, I would stay in the dorm to read the latest blog posts about tea while brewing up a storm throughout the day with a small red clay teapot stuffed with tea leaves to the brim. Those brews were so strong I would be intoxicated and couldn't sleep until late into the night.

I would have done well in academics, if I tried. But all of it was just not very interesting to me; hence my failure of class after class and poor grades that lead to academic probation. Instead of learning a discipline in rigid structured courses of a 300 - 1000 student setting (couldn't breathe in those lecture halls), I would drift off daydreaming and longing for adventure in a faraway place, across ten thousand mountains and flowing waters, in the search for the finest teas - just for a sip of the divine.

At this point, you can tell I am a hopeless creative that is obsessed and can't stop romanticizing about tea.

As time went by, the people around me went on with their lives and got well-paying jobs, pursued lucrative careers, got married, had kids, bought a house, went on vacations, and etc., while my nagging mother increasingly complained about the realities of endless bills and living expenses, demanding my support in the form of securing a full-time job and putting an end to this unfruitful daydreaming.

Here I am, never really understood any of it all that much, asking myself, "What is the meaning of all of this?"

There has got to be an alternative to life. Right...?

Sadly, there was no answer from my subconscious or receiving a clear sign from the universe on how to go about.

And here, after finally taking up the courage, working multiple odd gigs, selling off my retirement account, exhausting all my life savings - just to get scammed by a unscrupulous tea farmer - and to further make the previous wrongs into a right (and yes, by committing another wrong) , I borrowed the little money my mom had and with a loan from a long time friend who had always believed in me, so that today, I may present you the Tea Wanderer.

I'm not sure where it would lead me, or if this venture will be successful or not, but it would definitely be nonetheless an epic journey. 

My aspiration is to learn the ancient art of tea crafting - a conjuring of miraculous flavors and aromatics by carefully selecting tea varietals and skillfully crafting them to capture and distill the essence of mountains and their unique microclimates. I will make it my life's work to travel to the various provinces and learn from the most experienced tea craftsmen and masters, honing my skills to bring into creation my very own masterpiece to share with this world. 

As you can see in my current curated collection, my fascination (having no bounds) with "Oolong Tea", which is in itself is the most complex in aromatics, flavors, and craft.

To meet this high calling, I will need all the support I can get. Your generosity, and every single bit of the proceeds from your purchases, will enable me to go further in our journey together to bring the finest teas into creation that the world has ever experienced.

It is my hope that I can also accompany you, every day, through the presence of my teas, bringing a palette of flavor, color, and warmth into your life, in whichever stage you are in and the pursuits that bring you meaning. Because life is worth it when we become our true selves; therefore making the world around us a better place for others.

痴人说梦，我在说茶.

“The hopeless romantic speaks of dreams; I speak only of tea."               

The Tea Wanderer

July 7, 2024