We don’t always notice the moment when something begins to change us. Sometimes awakening arrives quietly—through a book, a cup, a conversation—and only later do we realize that a door has opened. Tea has been that quiet doorway for me.

During my vacation I picked up a book about a young man who goes through a profound process of self-discovery. He enters university without a clear sense of direction and, almost by accident, stumbles into the world of literature. Something sparks. He falls in love with stories, language, and the written word—an art form he had never truly encountered before. That love reshapes him. He transforms his life, his studies, even his identity, eventually becoming a professor of literature.

Reading his journey got me thinking about awakening—how we come to recognize the things that move us, the things that were always there waiting to be discovered.

I’ve also been reflecting on the powerful effect that art has on people, how it reaches into the quiet places inside us and draws something forward. And all of that, inevitably, leads me back to tea.

Tea has always been intertwined with art in my mind, especially in Taiwan, where tea is not only one of life’s great pleasures, a digestive aid, and a wonderful conversation companion—it is art. Making tea, using handmade teaware, drinking from porcelain or clay cups, arranging a simple tea table: all of it becomes an expression of beauty. Craftsmanship. Intention. Presence.

The thoughtful presentation of tea elevates something simple and ordinary into something profound.
A leaf, some water, and heat become an experience that opens the senses.

As I sat with these thoughts over the past few days, I realized something: tea represents awakening.

Not just because the caffeine wakes us up—though it certainly does—but because tea invites us to wake up to ourselves. To slow down enough to notice. To pay attention. To let nuance and subtlety remind us of what we’re capable of feeling.

Tea awakens us to the discovery of art.
Tea awakens us to the discovery of beauty in the everyday.
Tea awakens us, ultimately, to the discovery of the self.