TeaForum.org

There are certain things that are a part of my life that can be both a hobby/interest, as well as something that I just enjoy without getting very much into it.

Take tea for example, which for me is something of a chicken or egg paradox. In the beginning of my tea journey I would read a lot about tea (where it was becoming a hobby/interest...heck, a passion). The more I read the more tea I tried, my techniques evolved, and then there is teaware to make it really interesting (and possibly expensive). Though I didn't have to delve in far to try lots of tea, or buy teaware, or experiment with teaware. I could have just went to a shop (person or online) and acquired tea and teaware and followed the directions on the package so to speak. I would have enjoyed the tea just the same. But the interest--passion is expressed for me by coming to websites like this one and reading, learning, or contributing to dialogue about tea. I've spent time in other cities searching up tea shops, I read books about it, and for many they take it even further (teaching, group tea sessions, courses, etc.). At times, I read very little about tea, but I still enjoy it multiple times a day. Taking it as more of the hobby comes with time, competing priorities, or sparks of interest. I've never been 100% into tea as a hobby, meaning my level of interest doesn't sway. I know some people are 'full time' tea...and maybe other interests too, but I'm guessing you don't sway much?

So that's my story with tea...deep interest comes and goes but enjoy all the same.

With other interests (and I've had interests that I delve into since I can remember), it's really the same thing. Cycling (bike riding) has been around for me longer than tea. I can follow the tour de france on TV, watch YouTube videos, have read many books, on forums, trying different types of cycling...and then other times I pay zero attention to any of that, and just continue riding my bike on a somewhat frequent basis.

My other interests include music (got into vinyl records and a decent stereo system last year), golf, hiking/backpacking and a few other things. And it's the same with these...in and out from an interest perspective but always around.

What kills me is time! Or lack thereof...so many things I'm interested in but so little time (full time job and family).

Interested to hear your mix of hobbies/interests and how they ebb and flow with life. Cheers!

The advantage of tea being that no matter how busy the rest of my life and day was, there’s always time for tea!

Bok wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 25, 2020 6:33 pm

The advantage of tea being that no matter how busy the rest of my life and day was, there’s always time for tea!

@Bok would you say though, that when you're very busy, that while you may have tea, it's maybe not a tea session where you are not multi-tasking, but taking time to focus on the tea? Even when I'm extremely busy I make and drink tea, but it's either rather quick, or I'm multi-tasking. At other times I can give 30-60 minutes to a tea session where I'm doing little else.

I always, no matter when and how, try to focus at least on the first 2-3 infusions. That is where the magic usually happens. Before and after I might drift off...

The more I learn about tea, the easier it becomes to make practical adjustments.

What I mean is, let's say we're getting together for tea, and I offer up some tea with milk, the only tea I know, and it turns out you can't drink milk. We are stuck! Or let's say we're making tea at work, but the electric kettle is getting a little aggressive in its auto-shutoff in old age, so the water never really gets quite hot enough; well now what?

There are hundreds of minor forms of defeat in regards to tea that can be cleared away with some effort. This provides the grease that allows the wheels to turn, allowing people to bond over tea.

I think the big pitfall, especially for "internet tea drinkers", is to hyperfocus on these things and forget the point of tea. Maybe other ex-TeaChatters will know better, but I think the example of Mike Petro is worth considering. He was one of the first Americans to get into and popularize pu'er tea, and he went in deep; but then his spouse died, and he realized that just knowing a lot about pu'er didn't matter all that much in the larger scale of things, and he lost interest in tea. At least personally, I try to keep his story in mind.

I guess this is a way of saying that I am a fan of "applied tea", even though I an often seduced by "pure tea".