Video: The True Tastes of Tea

Editor's Note: Welcome to a new episode of 1 Minute Meal, a series of video snapshots documenting the places, people, and foods that make New York a vibrant food community.

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

When Theresa Wong experienced a Chinese tea ceremony for the first time, she hadn't considered "the difference between drinking tea and tasting tea." Five years later, the former insurance saleswoman guides customers through tastings at a small gourmet tea shop for a living. In the process she's learned the ins and outs of water quality, tea leaf aging, and regional flavors, passing on her knowledge to anyone who cares to sit for a friendly tasting at Fang Gourmet Tea.

Wong still considers herself a student, but with every tea ceremony she becomes more the teacher of a tradition that reaches across the globe. You can join her and the Fang Gourmet tea staff for a special tasting at their annual tea expo in downtown Flushing (from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., ending January 14).

1 Minute Meal: "A New Old Leaf" from James Boo on Vimeo.

Previously on 1 Minute Meal

The Clay Pot Rice King of Chinatown »
Noodles by Hand in Manhattan's Chinatown »
Doughnuts and Coffee for Past and Present »
Life of a Slice Man and Sal and Carmine »
A Different Kind of Factory at Jomart Chocolates »
Appraising the Perfect Muffin at Blue Sky Bakery »
A League of Tortas at Tortas Neza in Corona »
One More Pupusa at El Olomega in Red Hook »
Lechonera La Piraña in Mott Haven »
The Arepa Lady of Jackson Heights »
The Indonesian Food Bazaar in Astoria, Queens »
The Lemon Ice King of Corona, a Queens Classic »
A Day in the Life of The Baoery, a Pop-Up Restaurant »
Khachapuri, a Georgian Bread Baked into South Brooklyn »
David's Brisket House, the Jewish Deli Run by Muslims in Brooklyn »

About the videographer: James Boo has been a Serious Eats contributor since 2010. Working as a multimedia journalist, he is also the founder of Real Cheap Eats and a documentarian. Check out his food-and-travel blog, The Eaten Path, for more journeys to the real meal.

About the Music: "Rowan Oak" by Tom Kitty Oliver.

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