It is fun and exciting as a novice to dive into the world of tea drinking and appreciation. In the beginner phase after you’ve had an introduction to tea, it can feel like the possibilities of different tea types and vendors is limitless. Drinking comes easy with a strong sense of purpose in tea drinking and exploration. (spoilers) This feeling does not last. You are only a new tea drinker once and while the tea world is vast there is a limit to the high of exploration. Only so many teas to explore that truly bring a higher or new experience and at a certain point you may start to feel burnt out. With the exception of tea drinkers that completely peter out, most tea drinkers settle into some sort of rhythm of tea drinking devoid of that initial sense of purpose.

Drinking With a Purpose

The understanding that the initial exploration high is transient can be a bit depressing. Drinking with intent and a purpose feels good. But… it does not necessarily permanently have to end. Now settling into a regular rotation of teas you enjoy that pass the speed test isn’t a bad thing and is enjoyable in its own right. The trick is finding the right context or angles to explore to keep things interesting.

I’m about 15 years into more serious tea drinking and still find plenty of interesting new teas to try and discover. Part of this is due to the depth of tea to explore. But a lot of it is being creative, purposeful and varied in the context of drinking the same teas. I drink more or less the same types of teas I drank a decade ago, but I can still find different angles for exploration.

Finding the Angles That Interest You

One type of episode I’ve done quite a bit in the past year is a side by side comparison with another tea. The SbS (side by side) comparison helps distinguish more up front notes like flavor, texture, body, etc. When I drink tea with others we rarely drink this way, instead drinking a tea for several infusions and then moving on to another. This is a bit better for determining differences in aftertaste and seeing how a tea develops because teas are not put into such a direct contrast. I see all these methods as approaching the same tea from a different angle that can help in more fully understanding teas. Mixing up the way you are trying the tea can help you focus and concentrate on different aspects while keeping tea drinking fresh.

It can sometimes be helpful for me to dictate the purpose of a session, whether it is to evaluate a certain tea, learn more about how its storage presents, or even if I outright say that a session is sheerly for enjoyment. This focuses my attention better and helps to dictate my angle. I also find this statement of purpose can be clarifying and let’s me just end a session rather than trying to extract 100% of it.

Themes

Another angle is a themed tasting. A great way to learn about tea in both an enjoyable and deeper way is to undergo a themed sampling. It is far easier to learn drinking similar teas in close proximity than it is to drink them over the course of a lifetime. Perhaps it is a specific brand within a certain age range, Xiaguan 2005-2008 or a small-leaf varietal (Yibang/Xikong) or a specific Heicha. As followers of the blog would know, I love this approach. Tastings in 2025 featuring Xiaguan masochism and the massive Yiwu-ish report along with a few smaller ones. Drinking themed sessions allows me to really appreciate the teas that stand out amongst their peers in a way that I might not if I had them solely on their own. I feel it also helps encourage a more profound, deeper understanding of a specific tea type.

Drinking Tea With Others

Another great way to drink tea with a purpose is to have it with others. Drinking tea in the west is often a solo experience. Having people to talk about teas with is both enjoyable and a great learning opportunity. This can come in many forms.. If possible, sitting down for tea is always fun. I’ve had great sessions with people who are newer as well as old tea veterans. I’ve also had many fruitful conversations comparing notes on certain teas in online spaces, such as Discord.

Drinking with a purpose almost always beats drinking haphazardly. Think about what would make tea drinking interesting to you. Not everyone’s answer will be the same, but hopefully this post gives people some ideas on how to keep the flame burning.

As a soft recommendation, Listening to Leaves helps to combine themed tea drinking as well as drinking tea with others by coordinating tastings and creating a space for people to talk about the teas.