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

Loaded Drinks

Matthew Stedman -
We can never borrow each other’s mouths. I will never know what it means to taste the way you do, nor you me. Then again, perhaps if we could try that, we would no longer be the sufficiently the same...
Strainer

Coffee Cherry Tea

Matthew Stedman -
There are those who love dogs and those who love cats. It’s common to meet fans of either, rarer to find people fond of both. With drinks, there’s a similar polarization; few people enjoy coffee and tea equally. I’ve written...
Strainer

Red or Dead; Teas with a Swagger

Matthew Stedman -
I’ve used this column in the past to vent my criticism of the tea sold in China’s supermarkets. Today’s Strainer marks no retreat. There are usually two locations for tea in the supermarket. There’s the loose tea; often located next...
Strainer

Lu’An Gua Pian

Matthew Stedman -
瓜子 (guazi) or “Melon Seed” is the name of an online used-car selling platform. It’s an example of how brand conventions have evolved in China beyond fruits (Apple, Blackberry) to the names of dried food commodities (Xiaomi, Sesame, etc.) It’s...
Strainer

The Cultural Cringe

Matthew Stedman -
No matter how much we enjoy a thing, it’s not enough; our enjoyment seeks validation. Imagine a friend gave us a new DVD, but without introducing it. It’s blown us away. What a film! We’ve lingered over the credits, and,...
Strainer

From Green to Red; Tea’s Good & Bad Times

Matthew Stedman -
Every tea region in China has seen good times and bad times. Lost decades are not unusual in this business. The tea fields of Xinyang City (信阳市) in Guangshan County (光山县), Henan, are no exception. One dynasty was particularly unkind....
Strainer

Green Tea B****; A Gigilo’s Unaffected Innocence

Matthew Stedman -
There’s an English word that begins with “b”. It literally means “female dog”. Don’t pretend you don’t know it. The word has retained its full force during the many years since I first learnt it, while other “b” words, such...
Strainer

Bamboo Salt; the New Green Tea?

Matthew Stedman -
In a previous entry for Strainer, we explored the use of green tea as an additive in various processed goods; from skin creams to air fresheners to slimming pills to ice cream. We explored how seldom it is the flavour...

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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