Caffeine is a naturally occuring substance. It does not exist as some magical stand-alone-molecule. It is found in the seeds, nuts and leaves of various plants, including tea. Serving a living tea, or a sustainable tea does not mean that it does not contain caffeine, but it does means that these teas contain a myriad of other molecules and chemicals, including the essences of how it was grown, harvested, treated, how it lived and how it interacts with its environment. The leaf is the expression of the tree’s relationship to its environment. In short, Tea contains the essence of nature. The water, the molecules and chemicals, the frequencies of the environment are all also found in Tea. Tea relaxes us, which makes listening easier, which helps us begin to be able to hear the voices of the earth, and of spirit.

I am not here to negate the experience you have with caffeine in your everyday life, but I would offer that this type of ceremony is one in which the plant is revered, treated with respect from seed to leaf, and then consumed as medicine. This is very different from the everyday beverage of tea. While I do not serve any caffeine-free Teas, you are always welcome to simply drink less tea during the ceremony. This is a lovely way to titrate between receiving the essence of the experience while also honouring your body.

Today, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world (next to water), and is largely consumed without ceremony or fanfare; this is the tea that you are most likely familiar with, as this is the tea that’s most widely available. However, Tea has been consumed for almost 6000 years (probably longer) and for most of that time it was consumed as a tribal shamanic plant medicine and shared as part of a spiritual practice. When I serve Tea Ceremony, this is the medicine I am serving. I am always serving the plant Tea (Camellia sinensis and some other Camelia varietals) in an effort to connect with her medicine specifically, and I want that medicine to be as healthy as possible. Since the leaf is the trees expression of the tree’s relationship to its environment, if the medicine is not a healthy medicine (meaning that is is full of chemicals and the growing of it negatively impacts the environment) then we cannot expect it to heal us.

That means that I source my tea very consciously, aiming for something called Living Tea, which has very specific qualities. These qualities are not found in the kinds of tea that you can buy at just any grocery store or tea shop. There are six qualities that constitute a Living Tea:

1. The tea trees are seed propagated - planted from seeds, not clones or cuttings.

2. Tea needs room to grow up and out - the plants are not pollarded or crowding one another, they have space to grow freely.

3. There is biodiversity in the environment - bugs, birds, other plants can be found in and around the tee trees.

4. No irrigation is used - the trees get all their water from the environment in which they grows.

5. No agro chemicals (fertilizers or pesticides) are used - at all.

6. There is a healthy relationship with the farmers - the intention is to make the best quality tea they can, or even better, to make the best medicine they can.

This is what we aim for, but of course not all teas can be living teas, some has to come from plantations. So at the very least, I drink and serve tea that is sustainable. Tea as a ceremonial plant medicine should not harm nature, should not harm the farmers, and not harm our bodies. At the very least, the tea that I serve will be free of agrochemicals. If you are wanting to source your own high-quality tea, Global Tea Hut has been my favourite source for a long time. I also love the Selection at O5 Tea in Vancouver, if you’re looking for a closer-to-home shipping option and are in North America. Not all of their products are grown in the ways described above however, so please do your own research and ask questions.

Ceremonies turn our attention into intention, which is a natural doorway through which we can find connection - with self, with source, and with community. When paired with a plant medicine like Tea, which has a relationship with humans dating back beyond recorded history, ceremonies become opportunities for deep connection and potent healing. This is the difference between simply drinking tea as a beverage, and Tea Ceremony; an intention to cultivate the Sacred in the Ordinary.

I have learned to serve Tea through practice, studying with teachers and by listening to Tea herself. Tea brings a new lesson with every experience, every bowl; she is my constant teacher. I have human teachers whose other human teachers say they are learning new things about Tea every day, and they have been practicing for decades upon decades. I can say without question that this kind of relationship and conversation with Tea can only come through deep and patient practice, humility, and surrender over time.

Tea is quintessential to all four of the religions of China - the indigenous, tribal peoples (who lived alongside tea trees wild in the forests long before Tea came to the Han Chinese peoples), Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. These traditions go back through the ages. but it is important to note that there are no unbroken lineages in China. There have been many cultural upheavals in China’s past - many of which were horrific and violent - and many cultural treasures, including methodology, traditions and lineages, have been lost forever. That being said, each of the human teachers today, in every lineage, has specific ways and methods of brewing and serving Tea, and they are all beautiful.

Each of these methods is based on ancient (and maybe some not so ancient) traditions pulled forward through time, weaving together new and old in a way that honours both. I believe that these living lineages or living traditions are a beautiful constellation of what remains, and what we yearn to remember. This is how I aim to serve Tea; honouring the past, honouring nature, and honouring Tea.

While my hope is that my offerings will encourage you to dive into a relationship with Tea, the intention is not to teach you how to serve yourself or others. While I do have human teachers, I truly believe that the depth and meaning of this kind of practice has to come from forming a relationship with Tea herself. This is the practice, and it takes time. It is also not something I believe any human can truly teach you how to do. Tea will always be the best and greatest teacher of Tea.

Often, in sharing “how” to serve Tea, people get excited and share their practice and experiences too soon. I was one of those people, and have had many years of practice now to make up for that. These offerings took shape as a means to help you to remember to remember; to allow for a deeper connection to Tea, to Nature, to the Mystery and ultimately to yourself. That is an intimate, often deeply moving experience, and I believe in holding those close. 

If you are wanting to start your own Tea practice, please visit my human teacher Wu De's website Global Tea Hut (linked below). There are many back-issues of the Global Tea Hut magazine available for free, as well as several online courses and books available that can give you a wonderful foundation to start from.

I share Tea and Tea Ceremony free of charge. I ask that if you find value in the experience (and are able to) that you consider a donation that reflects that value. Donations allow me to share Tea with anyone and everyone who feels called, and to not create barriers to the transformational healing that the practice can offer.

All Deep Listening sessions are offered beyond the practice of Tea Ceremony and are priced based on the length of the appointment. Currently that price is $111 CAD, to be paid in advance at time of booking. Due to the time-consuming preparations for the nature of these sessions, no refunds will be given without 72 hours notice of cancellation.