TeaForum.org

I thought of this earlier today (when having some Sencha) and wanted to mention it here.

For me, the type of tea I drink and how I like to prepare it often reflects my personality...not the personality one may associate with me 'on the surface', but those deeper traits that drive me. However, this ebbs and flows, and not just based on shifts in personality but also tea discovery and where I am on my tea journey.

Take pu'er for example. I first tried pu'er very early in my tea journey, from a local tea shop. It was the first real tea shop that I had ever been in, and I was trying pretty much all of the tea to see what I like. Now that I look back, the tea they stocked was a smidge better than David's tea or Teavana. Oh, and the pu'er was atrocious, so I never tried it again. I frequent the tea-based YouTube channels and there is a lot about pu'er...so I figured I have to try pu'er again. These same Youtubers like the oolong I enjoy, or the green tea, so maybe I had a bad experience. I was travelling to NYC and planned to visit a few shops and sample some pu'er. And of course now I'm hooked!

With the pu'er story above, why I was so happy to be hooked is that I knew this was a great tea to geek out on! It's like discovering an author for the first time and learning that they have many published books to read in your favorite genre. So my personality (being inquisitive and learning, enjoying a little context with my tea so to speak) is a perfect match for pu'er. I've been drinking sencha for a long time, and have been learning as much as I can about it...and while there is still lots to learn I did feel that I hit a ceiling where I had learned about as much as I wanted to about sencha. That's not to say I'm no longer enjoying sencha, because I am--almost daily--rather now I have a new tea to explore on my spare time, and to sample and purchase over the years.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on your tea discovery and any relationship to your personality, or what you think in general on this topic. Cheers!

That’s awesome. I guess what got me into tea was realizing there was “top shelf” tea available. Always been a huge coffee head so naturally gravitated towards black tea, got into a lot of green tea then ultimately found puerh. I feel like I can get everything I like about black and green teas in a puerh....but with more character. It’s just more interesting.

I feel like personality is much more related to how one brews a particular tea and with what equipment and technique. The tea itself just is.

One example:

One might like Black tea.
– can be consumed low quality, low tech in a teabag.
– can be consumed loose leaf in a European style large tea vessel
– can be consumed loose leaf in a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, classic, modern, rustic teaware etc.
– can be consumed in low-mid-high-premium rare unique grades
– can be Tea from China, India, Taiwan, Kenya, you name it...
– can be consumed alone, or in varying group sizes

One tea, so many interpretations and connected personalities...

I think the brewing set-up and habit is the key to the personality, not the tea.

@BokInteresting thoughts! And how would you characterize these into some sort of taxonomy?

Noonie wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 16, 2019 10:35 am

...I frequent the tea-based YouTube channels...

I am curious what YouTube channels you watch. I haven't looked for tea channels In a while, and the ones I found a year or so ago do not ever have any new content.

Noonie wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 16, 2019 10:35 am

...I've been drinking sencha for a long time, and have been learning as much as I can about it...and while there is still lots to learn I did feel that I hit a ceiling where I had learned about as much as I wanted to about sencha...

I also feel like I have hit a ceiling with sencha this year. Instead of focusing on another type of tea, I gravitated to focusing on different pots and clays. I really enjoy the meditative effects Japanese steamed teas seem to have on me, so it's hard for me to venture too far beyond those. There is a side of me that would enjoy being a hermit, and I guess that's why I like sencha, some teaware that adds to the experience, and my sessions alone with nature in my backyard.

Great responses, thanks.

I agree with you @Bok that brewing ‘style’ and teaware is reflective of our personalities. And sometimes we switch personalities based on situations (like how much time we have, or where we’re brewing tea).

As to YouTube channels, Yunnan Sourcing, Crimson Lotus, Farmer Leaf and Tea Ghost (I think that’s the name...shop front Austin TX). I’ve been on others and learned a lot about other teas, but that’s where I’ve went for Pu’er.

Tillerman wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 20, 2019 6:28 am

BokInteresting thoughts! And how would you characterize these into some sort of taxonomy?

Ha! That’s a challenge! Give me some time to pen down something...

It's an interesting theme. I first ran across this question awhile back and reviewed a few sources of websites claiming to tell you what tea you should drink based on taking a short personality test (kind of the opposite of what seems to be considered here).

It's funny looking back on posts from early in blogging given my natural perspective shift since, but that one doesn't get far past listing four such web pages and framing the rest a little:

http://teaintheancientworld.blogspot.co ... uited.html

It doesn't seem to connect, to me, that you can tell a lot about your personality by the tea you drink, or select what tea you should prefer based on your personality. Probably some of the other positioning of the interest would relate to personal character, eg. an emphasis on collecting teaware related to collecting things in general, potentially traced back to some underlying personality theme.

It might work better to map aspects only related to tea besides tea itself to personality. I've been considering the idea that people might prefer special clothes to drink tea in lately. To me that's a little silly, but at the same time it kind of makes sense. One starting point that comes up is tea themed t-shirts, but Chinese martial arts oriented or Zen related uniforms are closer to what I mean. From there one might want to wear flowing clothes made of natural fibers dyed from natural source coloring. It really seems to be about group-association as much or more than self-identification, or at least where the two overlap. Maybe people do also drink certain teas to fit into certain groups, to some extent.

Related to my own tea preference, I shifted through the standard early starting points (jasmine green tea, rolled oolongs) into preferring Wuyi Yancha, and I've been doing more with sheng pu'er lately, crossing lots of types and source areas along the way. Maybe the tea-type generalist versus specialization theme relates to personality, by way of how focus on a narrow theme (getting it right) verus trying lots of things (exploring what's out there) relates to a take on the general context. A realist-perfectionist might seek out a best type, and focus in, and a relativist-experiential oriented type might not see that as a good goal, and would tend to drift. Just speculating here, of course.

It also seems worth considering if simple preference for food types might not map back onto what someone would like initially for tea, and where preferences might drift from there. I'm not sure that really connects to personality either, but maybe. A Singaporean vendor explored this direction in trying to suggest promising tea types related to food preferences using an aspects mapping application, which may or may not have worked for different people, described here:

http://teaintheancientworld.blogspot.co ... lavor.html

Sorry about the "I wrote a blog about that" self-promotion, but those did seem like interesting and closely related sub-themes in this case.

After some deliberation and at the request of @Tillerman, inspired by this topic, my completely subjective attempt at a tea drinkers taxonomy.

Feel free to feel offended if you recognise yourself in one of them. I was indeed talking about you.

I am excluding Asian tea drinkers, as due to cultural differences, it seems to me that different parameters apply, which would be of little interest to the major audience of this forum as they would be alien to the references I would be making.

In no particular order and in nature often encountered as a combination


Tea people taxonomy – a caricature

THE HIPSTER
Was previously, like totally immersed in coffee/micro brewing/small batch whisky/gin whatever. Just recently turned tea into his/her latest obsession. Approaches the new subject with the entitlement of already knowing a lot (although unrelated). Does in the end not care that much about tea itself as much as the perceived accompanying lifestyle-tag.

THE SPIRITUAL BEING
Feels the urge to share a bowl and become one with nature more than actually drinking tea. Uses mainly tea ware that reflects a certain earthiness, wood-fired, crackled, broken, otherwise unique. Served in – yes big bowls. Not really drinking it, but meditating over it (hopefully having a sip before it cools down). Of course tea needs to be single tree, single origin, organic, from ancient trees in mystical valleys, harvested by kindred souls to share with the world. Bowl by bowl making the world a better place… Likes to wear Asian-style cotton cloths and shawls, guys spotting long Chinese style beards, or long hair with top knot.

THE CONTROL FREAK
Needs to measure anything, temperature, grammar of leaves used, infusion times etc. Can be subdivided in two groups, those who need to control everything due to inexperience and insecurity about the outcome of the cup. The second is the real control freak, who just is like that in general. Minimalistic design choices for his/her tea ware. Usually picky about what they brew, but also willing to spend the money for it. Every item has its place and function, tea is made according to plan.

THE EXUBERANT
The opposite of the Control Freak. Loves to have her/his tea place clustered with all sorts of non-essential things, like tea pets or rarely used utensils. Often placed on a large tea tray/table. A whole table will be covered with things. Likes tea ware in weird shapes and ornamented, colourful glazes. Has other collections of things useful and -less in shelves and cupboards. Not impartial to flower tea blends and roiboos/herbal teas.

THE TEA MERCHANT
Has a professional mind set, cares only about the essence of things. The taste of the tea. Does use the most neutral brewing methods and vessel to secure a correct judgment. No fuzz-tea ware and set up. Beautiful tea ware she/he can maybe appreciate but feels no need to purchase.

THE EXPLORER
Likes to travel and is proficient in a few languages. Alongside discovering new shores, she/he also discovers lesser known teas and visits the farms and people around it. Open-minded as all frequent travellers inevitably become. Open to share. Used tea ware is eclectic, a mirror of travelled places and people met along the way, same goes for brewing methods.

THE SPECIALIST
Only cares about one or two kinds of tea. Tunes tea ware collection according to chosen tea. In consequence becomes expert at preparing them. A confident character, as they know what they want and do not feel like they miss out on something.

THE RESTLESS
Wants to try everything, but also gets easily bored by what they have, ever wanting to find new teas to try. Usually keeps notes. Gets excited about special, rare tea descriptions, first victim of any tea/tea ware hype. Always wondering “what if there is another, better tea out there?”

THE HISTORIAN
Likes to replicate traditional methods in tea preparation, trying to get as close as possible to a perceived authenticity. Uses antique/vintage tea wares and brewing methods. Longing for times past, also interested in other traditional or historical topics. Prefers a slower life style, often quality over quantity, things that last. Occasionally mimicking Chinese style clothing to show off her/his affinity.

THE MESSY
Can’t be bothered with complicated setups, uses a gaiwan or other random brewing vessel. Breaks lots of tea ware. Forgets what tea was in which bag. Some turn stale or sour or get forgotten. Doesn’t overthink how to prepare tea.

THE TRADITONALIST
These come in a lot of variations. They do not like change or new things, they are conservative people. Tea is consumed as it (perceivably) always has been. According to their background: As an English Tea in a mug, milk first or last, according to social class. As an iced tea according to handed down recipes in parts of the US, Black tea with lemon for some regions in Northern Germany, In a Samowar for the Russian influenced cultures etc. … Will not try any other kind of tea than what he is used to, more than he would ever consider changing her/his ways in general.

THE SHARER
Needs to urgently tell everyone what she/he thinks about a certain tea/ware. Often accumulates a certain perceived (sometimes justified, sometimes not) reputation due to high volume and frequency of participation. Participates in communities, commenting often, even if not having anything of value to contribute. Similar traits as fitness-app-goal sharers.

THE NON-LOCAL LOCAL
Tea-producing-area-born(or ancestral), but now lives in the West long enough to not be considered local anymore by his/her lands of ancestry. In Taiwan the call them ABC(American born Chinese), or BBC(British born Chinese) for example. Wants to reconnect with lost heritage, aided by transmitted knowledge of elders, holiday visits and the like. Yet not so keen to be more Asian than the Asians as the spiritual or historian (see above) sometimes try to be.

Thanks if you read until here!

To quote Tillerman, “that’s my take, what’s yours?”

@Bok; well played! I'd only add 1 to your list. You have the Non-local Local to which I'd add the Local Non-local: those not born in a tea producing area who now live in the east. Don't worry; I'm not thinking of anyone in particular said the specialist tea merchant (hybrids are possible, yes?).

Tillerman wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 22, 2019 10:07 am

Bok; well played! I'd only add 1 to your list. You have the Non-local Local to which I'd add the Local Non-local: those not born in a tea producing area who now live in the east. Don't worry; I'm not thinking of anyone in particular said the specialist tea merchant (hybrids are possible, yes?).

I guess we are all hybrids of sorts of the specimens above.

Bok wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 22, 2019 10:11 pm

I guess we are all hybrids of sorts of the specimens above.

Nice list @Bok. I’m definitely a hybrid lol

I’m definately “specialist” on that list. Went through a lot to find what I like, and now I perfect the best of the best.

Nice types list. Of course I tried to find myself, and a variation related to sharing a lot works.

The spiritual theme comes up a lot in discussions lately, the overlap between yoga and tea, and wearing natural-fabric naturally-dyed loose clothing. The odd part is that I was more on that page when I was younger. It was the 90s; I would've had some crystals around, or whatever. I was really into tisanes then; so close but not quite there.

This list assumes that people really are actively pursuing a tea interest. There seems to be an "eternal newbie" type as well, that never moves off interest in Harney and Sons versions, but likes to talk about that online.

John_B wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2019 10:53 pm

The spiritual theme comes up a lot in discussions lately, the overlap between yoga and tea, and wearing natural-fabric naturally-dyed loose clothing. The odd part is that I was more on that page when I was younger. It was the 90s; I would've had some crystals around, or whatever.

Another local anecdote from Taiwan: This spiritual type seems to be off-putting in particular to tea aficionados in Asia proper. Maybe feelings of cultural appropriation – although that term itself or the concept is an US phenomenon and a non-issue in Asia – asking themselves why do white people (mostly they are), feel the need to dress up like old Chinese men?

So I met a few tea people here, who say that they actively avoid Western-tea people or forums as there is a perception that many of them are weird... putting stones around the tea table for ? was mentioned

Kind of holds true for martial arts circles in Asia as well, many odd characters about, making it more difficult for normal(whatever that is) people not to be put in the same box.