Someone on the tea discord pointed out to me that my blog is now 15 years old. I started it on a whim sitting in the Quincy dining hall, waiting for some meeting. For the first 5 or 6 years of this blog, it was basically a diary of what tea I drank. Back then, everything was pretty new – at least new enough. There were a number of blogs out there each chattering in their own way. Most of them have fallen silent, while there are a handful of (relative) newcomers such as Cwyn’s blog or Wilson’s. Blogs, as we all know, has moved on.
After this blog moved to my own domain, I started writing less of the “daily tea” type of post and started writing more topical ones. I had felt that with enough time under my belt, I could start to say something interesting about things I’ve learned through the years of tea drinking. I don’t think very many people ever look at the old “daily tea” type of posts, but I know people still refer to some of the longer form pieces I’ve done since then.
Then of course, between work, kids, and a general lack of things that I feel I haven’t covered, posts trickled to a crawl. My main tea stash doesn’t live with me at the moment, so trying things from my own storage is difficult. I should, however, really work on cataloging my pots, even if just for my own use. I hope to work on that this year.
Online activity has now turned to other social media sites. There’s a vast array of content on Instagram, although I’ve always found that medium to be too superficial, more suited for marketing than anything else. Joining the tea discord recently (thanks to an invite from a kind soul) has rekindled that feeling that I talked about in 2007 of a “Constant Tea Meeting,” where people are, now in real time, sharing their tea escapades. Reading their comments, I feel old. On Sunday my time (Saturday night 9PM EST) I’ll be doing a livestream with Crimson Lotus Tea on their Youtube channel. I don’t know what we’ll talk about, but I’m guessing it might have to do with tea.
No, this isn’t the “I’m going to shut this down” post, even though every time I write something like this it sounds like that’s where it’s headed. If anything, seeing people refer to my random thoughts from the distant past tells me I should keep this up. I should probably spend a little more time to fix this place up and make sure I have a backup in case anything happens. In any case, maybe I’ll see a few of you on Youtube in a couple days.
5 responses so far ↓
Nathanael // January 29, 2021 at 5:45 am |
Your blog has been invaluable to me, from the early tasting posts to the longer form posts. I personally enjoy reading blogs and hope they will make a comeback! I especially appreciate that you’ve mentioned how being a parent has changed your tea habits. As a newish parent myself, I find it refreshing and encouraging. While I don’t think I’ll be able to join the Crimson Lotus stream live (see the parenting comment above) I do look forward to watching it later. Thanks for everything you have done to help me learn more about tea!
bushteacher1 // January 31, 2021 at 9:44 pm |
I’m not sure blogging has gone the way of the Dodo bird. I agree that Instagram and other similar types of social media are great for marketing and sharing brief thoughts, but they don’t replace long form writing. I’ve learned much more from your blog and similar ones like Tea in the Ancient World than I have from things like Youtube videos. I hope you do continue sharing your thoughts in this form.
Adrian Loder // February 7, 2021 at 5:07 pm |
As one of the people commenting on old posts (which must seem odd, like people are replying to someone who, in a sense, doesn’t exist anymore, i.e. your past self) I’m glad you aren’t shutting things down just yet. I don’t typically read Instagram or do much of the new-fangled social media stuff (though I did watch and enjoyed your livestream with Glen from Crimson Lotus). Your approach, even in those old posts, displays a skepticism or received wisdom and an empirical (even epistemological) approach that frequently seems to resonate.
Vojtech Timoteus Mistr // April 29, 2021 at 1:35 am |
This is the best tea blog ever! No doubt about it, thanks for your time
Casey Henry // March 9, 2023 at 7:44 pm |
I really enjoy your blog—have read a good number of the old posts. Even if you don’t post frequently I enjoy it when you do. And it was great seeing you talk in Hongmei’s class the other night. Thanks for doing that!