tea happiness: sara shacket

We had the wonderful opportunity to interview Sara Shacket, the author of Tea Happiness. I am very excited to share this interview with you! I spoke to Sara a few months back, and since the blog has been on hiatus I finally got around to sharing her story with you. 

In this interview, we learn more about Sara and how her love for tea began and evolved.  She gives us great, strong points for each question (just how she loves her tea, too!). We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

1. How & when did you first notice your love for tea?

My love of tea developed early in childhood. Both my parents and grandparents drink tea on a daily basis. Every day, we’d take a tea break in the early afternoon when my father came home from work (he was a teacher), to relax and re-charge. I have many fond memories of sitting with my family as they sipped an afternoon cup of tea in their glass mugs. As a curious child I naturally wanted to try some. I don’t remember when I first started drinking tea, but I was definitely quite young. My family drinks very basic black tea, and even to this day a plain old teabag gives me nostalgic feelings.

2. Tell me about your blog. What/who inspired you to create a blog dedicated to tea? and are there any bigger plans in the future for it? 

I love writing, and drinking tea, so I decided that I should combine the two. Most of the tea blogs I had read were focused on reviews, and I wanted to focus mine on just the overall culture, feelings, and joy of tea. There are so many different types of teas and cultures surrounding it, I am fascinated by the enormity of it and how it brings people together. I also do reviews and think they are important, but I like to have a place to express feelings on tea, and see how others feel as well. I try to focus on ‘pure’ teas and not flavored blends or herbals just as a my personal preference. I’d like to expand my blog to be a real resource for NYC area tea drinkers- where to go for a relaxed cup, where to go for a quick one, where to purchase tea, etc. It is a larger project that I’d love to work on.

3. What is one of your earliest and favourite tea related memory? 

My earliest tea related memories are not of drinking the tea (since I was so young), but sitting with my family and watching them enjoy it. We used glass tea mugs, and I remember just looking at the tea through the mugs and enjoying the color. It all seemed very grown up and fancy to me, even though we just had generic glass mugs and plain bagged tea. My grandmother would keep a sugar cube in her mouth as she drank, to sweeten the tea. That trick always seemed magical to me. I prefer mine plain, but every time I see sugar cubes it reminds me of our time drinking tea and sharing stories. Having tea was always a special time of day for me.

4. If you had to choose, what would you say is your favourite cup of tea?
It is very hard to choose! But since I was raised on black tea, my favorite is a strong, bold Yunnan blend. It tastes much better than those childhood cups of bagged tea, but has a strength and boldness that can bring me back. I love the tea because it has so many nuanced flavors. And depending on how you prepare it, it will taste slightly different. I usually use a tea tumbler for commuting, but when I use a gaiwan it brings out amazing flavors in this tea. But that can be said for many teas!

5. If there was one place in this world you could travel to experience their tea culture, where would it be?
This is such a hard question! There are so many places I’d like to go! One of my favorite types of tea is from Yunnan, so I’ll say I’d like to visit plantations there, and learn how the various teas are processed. I’d also love to learn more about Gong Fu tea from masters in China. I have so much to learn, and there are so many places to see! I would also love to learn more about yixing teaware, and how it is made.

6. What does tea mean to you?
Tea is a time for me to relax and take a step back from my day. I work full time and have two children, so things get quite hectic. My morning tea wakes my body and mind, but also gives me a moment to reflect before diving into the day. My afternoon cups also give me a change to pause, and recharge. Tea is a huge part of my life, and when I discovered tea blogs I realized that it is a way to meet new people, and learn new things. It has given me the opportunity to express myself through the blog, and broaden my palate. I love meeting new people through tea adventures. It is a special feeling to meet fellow tea drinkers and share our experiences.

7. Any last words you would like to say about your life and tea?
Before I started the blog, I never realized how important tea was to my life. It helps my body and mind, but also has introduced me to new people and cultures. No matter how long you’ve been drinking tea, there is a new tea adventure to be had every day!

Thank you again Sara! Best wishes and we just know that your blog will soon be a huge resource for tea drinkers in NYC!

** You can follow Tea Happiness: Sara Shacket on Twitter