Tea meditation

By Joona Mäkinen

24/07/2026

Store Manager and self-proclaimed tea nerd Joona ponders the world of tea in the tea corner.

One of the cornerstones of my tea hobby is quieting down with tea and enjoying the present moment. In the midst of a hectic daily life, I often don't have time to drink my best tea varieties with the respect they deserve, so when there's an extended period of free time, I want to make the most of it.

Peaceful and prolonged tea moments are among the best things I know. At best, I can spend up to three hours enjoying a single tea, but even half an hour of stillness is enough to clear my mind of noise and confusion.

Enjoying tea in a truly elaborate way always starts with finding a suitable spot. On rainy days, I go to the balcony; on sunnier days, I like to set up a tea arrangement in a shaded spot in the living room. Essential to quieting down with tea is shutting out external stimuli, so I take my phone to another room entirely – after taking a few memorable photos, of course.

I usually brew my tea either with the traditional Chinese Gong Fu Cha method or with the simpler leaves-in-a-bowl principle. The first method extracts all the flavors of the tea into their purest forms, while with the second method, you don't have to concentrate on anything at all; just keep pouring more hot water over the leaves at the bottom of the bowl.

Quieting down with tea and respecting the moment makes me remember again and again how diverse and valuable a drink it is. I encourage all readers to dedicate a moment just to a cup of tea and their own thoughts!