Issue 12

Some teas carry entire mythologies. Some cross over into unexpected territory. Issue 12 moves between both.

The Tieguanyin wulong — named for the Iron Goddess of Mercy — is one of the most storied teas in China. We trace its lore as carefully as its flavour. In Hong Kong, Nana Chan runs a tea bar where tradition and cocktail culture meet without apology; her craft is precise, and the results are surprising. Chamomile, meanwhile, turns out to have a history far stranger and richer than its reputation as a bedtime drink.

Marta Grespan reflects on tea as a vehicle for personal and cultural change — how a beverage becomes a way of thinking about transformation. And we travel: Seoul, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and into the peculiar Japanese concept of death by tea, which is exactly as fascinating as it sounds.