One of the wiser voices in the tea blogging world is Jason Walker, who discovered tea while living in China. After returning home, Jason started Walker Tea Review, a website designed to help tea drinkers find good teas available online. He regularly posts video reviews of teas, which are a great learning tool because they show you how an experienced tea drinker prepares his tea.

I thought I’d catch up with Jason ? digitally, of course ? to learn more about his blog, the tea industry and more.

What are you drinking at the moment?

I’ve been trying more Korean greens lately. 

You originally got into tea while living in China. I don’t think there could be a better place to discover tea! What was it about tea that you fell in love with in China?

The taste. I was drinking teas of such rich flavor. The freshness and variety opened a new world to me.

Do you still have a soft spot for Chinese teas?

Yes, a warm, deeply-infused one. But I do appreciate teas from all over the world.

When did you start the Walker Tea Review?

WTR published its first video tea reviews at the end of 2008. In August 09, I moved on to create an online tea tasting program and reached over 100 tasting reviews.

Who or what inspired you to start the blog?

After returning to the US, I would visit tea shops and order teas, looking to find teas as good as those I had left in China. In the process, I found other people who wanted advice on choosing good teas and preparing them. The tea market was/is growing in the US, but I realized it could grow faster if people know how to properly appreciate tea. There are many who don’t like tea because they haven’t found the right mix of quality, taste, and successful preparation. 

Over the past few months I’ve seen a few articles suggesting that tea is the new coffee ? implying that it’s starting to develop a similarly fanatical base of followers who take their drink very seriously. Do you think we’re seeing a cultural shift in the West where drinking fine tea is becoming a trendy thing to do?

More like a cultural renaissance. From the early 1600′s tea was a dominant business and cultural force in the West. For Buddhist monks in Asia, tea was spiritual. From tea houses to our teapots at home, tea is communal. The only thing tea is waiting for in reaching its zenith is a cheap, quick, and hassle-free way to make delicious tea at work.

If you were to make one recommendation to a new tea drinker, what would it be?

Try lots of good tea. There are so many good teas out there that don’t need sugar or flavoring. Move past the teabag and savor the aromas of loose leaf tea. A good loose leaf (when properly served and re-steeped) can deliver more cups of delightful tea, usually for the same or lower cost per cup. And don’t try to cut corners by trying the cheapest loose leaf you can find. Too many people have already been put off of tea because they tried a lower quality (i.e. weak flavor and bitter) tea at a cheaper price. On my FAQ page, I’ve recommended 10 teas that I believe every person should try.

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | Tea Bloggers: Interview with Jason Walker | One comment |
Post categories: Interviews
Post tags: Jason Walker, tea blogs

When I first started blogging about tea, I was surprised to discover how many other people are out there doing the same thing. Seems I’m not the only one who’s overly obsessed with tea!

Today, I’m posting an interview I did with Lainie Petersen, who posts tea reviews, articles and other tea-related tidbits on her blog, Lainie Sips.

First of all, thanks for taking the time to do the interview! What led you to start blogging about tea?

In March of 2008 I discovered the book “The Ultimate Tea Diet” by Dr Mark Ukra, and as I needed to lose weight, swapped out other beverages for tea, and began using flavored teas to curb cravings.

I was drinking so much tea, and so many different varieties, that I began updating my social media statuses with the name of whatever tea I was drinking. Folks on Twitter and Facebook became interested in my tea-drinking, and started to ask questions about the teas. In self -defense, I began a blog and started to review tea.

Besides blogging about tea, what else do you do?

I am a bivocational priest (a bishop-elect, actually) in the American Apostolic Church (a tiny, independent denomination), and that keeps me pretty busy. (Bivocational means that I need to work a “secular” job to support myself, and I am, in fact, looking for a new job now.) I also love to read, cook, and take very long walks!

When did you first discover how much you like tea? Or did you grow up drinking it?

I liked tea as a kid, but like most Americans, thought of it as something you got when you were sick. I started drinking iced tea (unsweetened) when I got older, but didn’t really get into serious tea drinking until last year.

It’s interesting you mention how you started drinking unsweetened iced tea when you were older. Sweetened bottled iced tea is very popular these days. On the one hand, I guess it promotes tea; but it certainly doesn’t promote a healthy cup of tea. What do you think of the rise of bottled iced tea?

I think it is unfortunate: I don’t have objections to it as an occasional treat, but I do think that it reflects the sweetening of the national palate, which is a very bad thing. We eat, and drink, too much sugar as it is (and in the United States, we drink 20% of our daily calories).

The thing is, good tea often has its own sweetness, but because we are so used to oversweetened foods and drinks, we can’t appreciate it.

You review a pretty big variety of teas on Lainie Sips, from oolongs to black teas to bottle iced tea. Do you have any personal favourites?

I try to vary the teas I review because everyone has different tastes and budgets, though my personal favorites are oolongs, specifically Ti Kuan Yin. Also very fond of Yunnan Golds!

Are there any varieties of tea you just haven’t been able to get used to?

I just can’t get into Long Jing (Dragon Well). I’ve tried, and failed. Just not my thing.

I always love discovering new teas. There’s such an immense variety of teas out there. What’s a great new type of tea you’ve discovered recently?

Dream About Tea, a great Chinese tea shop and importer here where I live, just got an incredible Bao Zhong (aka pouchong) in: Sweet, nutty dry nose that develops into a gorgeous floral tea. Remarkable.

Sounds great! Do you get most of your tea from shops near you, or do you buy a lot of tea online?

I do a bit of shopping at local tea shops, plus many great companies send me samples to review. Sometimes I buy tea online, as well, if they have something I really like/want.

Now, confession time: Do you drink coffee?

I do, and I love the stuff. Unfortunately, I don’t deal with caffeine well, so it is really more of an occasional treat for me.

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | Tea Bloggers: Interview with Lainie Petersen | 4 comments |
Post categories: Interviews
Post tags: lainie petersen, tea blogs