Strainer

Matthew Stedman has spent years living and working in China. He has sold Chinese tea in the UK, and loves discussing the miraculous leaf with new (and suspicious) audiences. He however never feels happier than when researching the product here in beautiful South China.

Strainer

Frozen 2.1; Only for Teas & Human Heads

Matthew Stedman -
“It’s just like sending gifts to myself!” It’s often said that the charm of Taobao is in the 4-day-long narrative it establishes. You order the products distractedly on your phone, return your full attention to work or family… and then,...
Strainer

Organ Grinder; Sucking on Notes of Jasmine & Souchong

Matthew Stedman -
Des Esseintes is a man with sick fancies. He is the dissipated aristocrat at the centre of Joris-Karl Huysmans’ novel, “À Rebours” . He is the collector of house plants which somehow look fake but aren’t. He owns a tortoise shell...
Strainer

Projectile Hurling; An Apology to My Neighbour

Matthew Stedman -
I’m going to stop doing it. And not only because the law has changed. I’m going to put this filthy habit to bed… if I can.  Like that petty criminal in that O. Henry story, I will reform. My vice is tea-leaf chucking.  I’ve...
Strainer

Chasing the Black Dragon; Orientation by Oolong

Matthew Stedman -
I take the glass out of the fridge and sip on the dark, ice-cold liquid. The coldness is a comfort in this fast-tracked summer. And the flavour is transportational. It takes me back to Japan and my first brush with Asia;...
Strainer

My Hipster Tea Glass; Confessions of a Tea Opinion Leader

Matthew Stedman -
There are things I might perhaps do differently if I were starting the Strainer column for the first time in 2021. I’m not saying I would be right to do them differently; I’m not saying the results would be better....
Strainer

Long Before the Water-Boarding; The True Agony of the Leaf

Matthew Stedman -
Take a trip to a tea plantation. Nanjing is surrounded by mountains where tea grows. You’ll bump into one soon enough if your eyes are open to it. If you already know one, go to that one. Steal a handful...
Strainer

Arcade Perfect; The Pac-Man Tea Connection

Matthew Stedman -
I love games consoles. I own more than I care to admit. But (Marie Kondo, since you’re asking) every one of them sparks joy. The console is a well-named invention, providing solace that sometimes even tea can’t provide. I’m not...
Strainer

The Unbearable Lightness of Bing

Matthew Stedman -
This frisbee-full of dried packed leaves cost me ¥260 . Buying a whole cake of tea (茶饼) is a bigger commitment than some buyers are willing to make. But, in the case of some varieties of tea, it’s the form...

Latest News

Frank Hossack -

Car-Bed Campers Turn Hotel Car Parks into Free Showers and Toilets

Chinese road trippers are swapping hotel rooms for the back seats of their own cars, folding them flat into...
Frank Hossack -

China’s Metro Map Grows by Almost 65km Ahead of National Day

China’s National Day holiday has arrived with three cities adding new metro links. Nanjing, Qingdao and Changchun have opened...
Frank Hossack -

Shanghai’s Railway Map Shifts East; Cross City to Hongqiao soon but a Memory

For years, Shanghai’s high-speed rail map has pulled passengers towards Hongqiao. That balance is beginning to change. New stations...

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