Aitana Gaudenzi

Coffee was actually my first love, but tea has always been by my side. My mom would make me tea when I was sick, I’d pretend to drink tea with my pinky sticking out at made-up tea parties, and I’d watch my mom drink tea multiple times a day. Tea waited patiently for me, gently inching closer, knowing I’d find my way to really love and appreciate it. And I have. It’s an integral part of my life. The first tea I can remember loving was Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion, as well as a hibiscus tea from Ikea, weirdly enough. From there, I started to explore new flavors, passing through phases. Starting with fruity, going to floral, then earl grey, black tea, and eventually becoming obsessed with green, oolong, white tea , genmaicha, and matcha. That’s where I am now.

I am starting to learn about Japanese and Chinese tea types, tea culture, and am constantly inspired by Japanese tea (& food) packaging. What I do know about tea is its ability to bring me to the present moment. It’s calming and it encourages self-reflection. As I take the first sip, I’m focused on whether the temperature will be okay. Between sips, I chat with my friends or take a bite of whatever snack I’ve paired with the specific tea I’m having. As I enjoy the warm drink, I concentrate on the flavors like the jasmine in the green tea or the rice in the genmaicha. To me, this zine is the blossoming of my love of tea and the beginning of my learning of all the culture that comes with this beverage. I hope viewing this zine serves as a moment to slow down. Let your intuition and mind move you to open this at any page.