Hong Kong tea appreciation society offers escape from fast-paced city life
Group of Hongkongers explores the power of tea, one cup at a time
Like many Hongkongers, May Chan drank tea during yum cha as a child, but it was only later in life that she came to really enjoy it.
Drawing on her lifelong interest and using her knowledge of Chinese medicine, she began researching the health benefits of tea.
Today, as a tea consultant, she spends much of her time advocating and teaching others not only how to drink it, but also how to cook with it and match it with certain food. Her favourite combinations include green tea for cooking seafood and oolong tea for preparing meats such as duck.
“There is a long tradition of trying to cook with tea here [in Hong Kong],” Chan said. “Using tea as an ingredient is part of the Chinese approach to health.”
Her passion for it prompted her to start the Tea Appreciation & Tasting Meetup group a few months ago, which now has almost 400 members. Meetup is a social networking website which helps people with similar interests connect in real life.
“I think her teaching material is different from others. She teaches you how to use the tea to preserve your health. Others seem to just focus on how much you pay for it,” Patrick Hui, manager of a manufacturing business in Tai Po, said.