Imagining Tea

Here at Obubu, we often say: “Tea is freedom”. And while it usually denotes the flexibility of brewing parameters, and the subjective nature of how we perceive taste, I think this saying serves to remind us to explore the deeper potential of tea. Tea is more than a drink; it’s an invitation to pause, to be fully present, and to let our imaginations run free. For those of us who see tea as art, it opens a doorway to an experience where taste and aroma become an associative journey and a tool for creative expression. In other words, this freedom allows us to make our own connections between tea’s flavors and the memories, emotions, dreams or places in our lives.

The Freedom in Tea Tasting

The practice of tasting tea isn’t only about discerning flavors—it’s about creating meaning. When we engage with tea fully, from its aroma to the warmth of the cup in our hands, it can feel like revisiting a familiar memory or uncovering something new within ourselves. It’s fascinating how the simple act of tasting can evoke emotions or images, which, according to psychological studies, isn’t coincidental. For example, the Self-Memory System model by psychologist Conway highlights how sensory inputs are linked to long-term self-structures, essentially shaping how we view ourselves through both recent and distant memories. This model proposes that sensory memories contribute to our self-narratives, helping us maintain a coherent sense of identity by continually integrating new experiences into our life story (Conway, M. A., 2005) (Matthew D. Grilli, Lee Ryan, 2020).

Smells and tastes are particularly potent because they bypass certain cognitive filters, allowing the brain to store these sensory inputs with strong emotional associations, which often remain even years later. Moreover, sensory experiences are encoded alongside emotional responses, which is why a particular flavor or aroma can evoke a distinct moment from the past, transporting us back and helping us reconnect with past versions of ourselves (Matthew D. Grilli, Lee Ryan, 2020).

This associative freedom connects deeply with our sense of self and the world around us. And just as a certain scent or song can transport us to a different moment in our lives, so too can tea. Drinking a smoky Lapsang Souchong may remind us of sitting around a campfire; Ripe Puerh can evoke memories of art class and the smell of pencil shavings, while more conventionally, a floral Sencha can take us back to a spring morning in our childhood. These connections allow us to expand our understanding of ourselves, linking taste with personal history and sometimes even dreams. How exciting!

Of course, making these associations is also a practice – not just in the habit of taking note of the surrounding sensorial experiences, but also in a certain self-acceptance. On my first shift at my previous teashop I was taken away for a blind tasting, where my sense of taste would be assessed. It’s nerve-wracking at first, as it feels like a test with a right or wrong answer, but without you even realising it, suddenly it turns into an exciting conversation. I was told, “Just let yourself feel whatever comes up—don’t get stuck on typical flavours or usual ideas. Think back to childhood memories, dreams, or even those moments that never really happened. Whatever shows up is true for you. For me, this tea feels like a little girl running through a moonlit meadow”.

Tea as a Creative Exercise

In my own tea journey, I’ve embraced open associations and have recently started to explore how illustrations can become a map of sensations – sometimes abstractions that come through a mixture of patterns present in a cup of tea. Transfering them from a conceptional feeling to tangible image has been an exercise of clarification and discerning of the interplay of multiple imaginings and proved incredibly satisfying for my own creative practice.

Inspired by the recent trend of Puerh cake wrapper illustrations, I wanted to capture the characters of Obubu teas and see how they would transfer into a visual format through my own subjective lens – and just have fun with it – in both tasting and drawing.

My Obubu project

I started by tasting a number teas made within Obubu, ranging from light Senchas to bolder Wakouchas and jolting down scribbly notes of my first impressions.

Being used to drinking teas from different places, it almost immediately became apparent to me how much similarities these teas share – and how you can so easily credit it to the same Wazuka soil and terroir. And yet, the subtle differences soon transformed the teas into different associative pools which soon formed quite different visual imagery.

Some teas were harder to pin-point, while others immedately gave me a clear picture. And while the former was slightly frustrating and resulted in many discarded sketches, the exploration of the tea’s character itself was a fun journey to take.

Finally, I assembled the sketches within a digital format, namely using the Procreate app on my iPad. However, even though I already possesed the decided sketches, the digital approach took me on a whole new journey of exploring the teas through colour and texture. And of course, it kept me drinking the teas throughout the whole process to keep tapping in into my perceptions as they took their own course.

Together with the tasting notes and creative descriptions of the teas, the illustrations are below:

Thank you to everyone who joined me on this creative journey! I hope it’s sparked a sense of wonder and encouraged you to dive into the associative pools that can unfold from a single cup of tea. May each sip open up new worlds of color, memories, and emotions, inspiring you to explore tea’s story with curiosity!

With love,

Beatrice (intern #182)