It’s hard to believe that I have been writing about tea and pursuing it as a hobby for over a decade. Time flies when you are having fun! One of the things I love most about tea is that there is always something new to explore. I’m not even close to reaching the bottom of this rabbit hole.
That being said, keeping the blog going this year was a bit of a struggle. I have so many teas to share but such little free time! I’ve had to learn to forgive myself for not being able to publish posts as often as I used to. That was particularly true this holiday season since I work in customer service for my day job.
Attending the World Tea Expo was a definite highlight since I had to take a few years off. I was honored to judge the first-ever Tea Master’s Cup to be held in the United States. I also taught my first workshop at the Chicago International Tea Festival. It was definitely outside of my comfort zone but I had so much fun introducing everyone to dancong oolongs. That is something I would definitely like to do more of in the future.
Top 5 Blog Posts of 2019
- Homemade Matcha Whipped Cream
- Eighty Degrees Magazine
- The Difference Between Bitterness and Astringency
- How to Make Matcha Taste Better
- Why I Love #Tea4Tuesday
Goals for 2020
One big project I have on the horizon is a collaboration with World Tea Academy. I tested out of their Core.01 course years ago but I have finally decided to complete my tea specialist certification. I’m enrolling in two classes over the next few months and will be sharing my experience with you all here on the blog.
My main goal for the coming year is to travel. I plan to attend the World Tea Expo in its new Denver venue. After that, I hope to be able to visit some sort of tea origin-destination. That might be within the United States start but it is definitely about time that happens!
What are your tea goals for 2020? Tell me about them in the comments below!
I’ll be interested to hear about your experience with the World Tea Academy. I’ve considered it, but I don’t know if I’m far enough in my tea journey for that price tag yet.
I’m excited to get started with it. Part of the impetus is that I had an interview earlier this year to work for a fancy hotel’s afternoon tea program. I didn’t get the job but they actually said I’d be required to have some sort of certification.
Do you think you’ll make it to Japan?
I really hope so!