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In the affiliate community, hobbies often become not just entertainment, but a source of inspiration, inner peace, and even a whole philosophy. Lead Panda continues to introduce you to the hobbies of people who develop the industry every day.
Today, an unexpected hobby is tea ceremonies.
My first tea ceremony took place in 2023. I was first “dragged” into tea by my girlfriend, who is now my wife. It was our relationship anniversary, and we decided to celebrate it in an interesting way: we went to a Chinese tea ceremony. We drank high-mountain oolong from Taiwan, listened to an extremely interesting lecture, and drank 6 liters of tea together with the master in the evening. I liked it so much that this topic stayed with me.
I was immediately hooked on tea ceremonies: it was interesting, atmospheric, the tea tasted great, and after the ceremony I felt a very special state. But most importantly, I was hooked on the topic of health. Chinese tea is incredibly healthy. All my friends who have been drinking it for 15-30 years look incredible.
So now I’m constantly on this topic. Even in the office, I have my own tea set, so I don’t have to go out and can invite my colleagues. In general, inviting colleagues for tea is a great format even for wang tu wangs. Just like holding ceremonies for the team is really cool.
Speaking of alternatives, to be honest, I’m a coffee hater. It is addictive and harmful to health. A coffee shop is just a meeting. And tea is about mood, calmness, depth. It’s about the atmosphere that stays with you.
In addition, during the ceremony, your thoughts go deeper, and you seem to let them absorb you. In this state, I often come up with great solutions, and I write them down right away so I don’t lose them.
So, it’s a pity that I haven’t met any real tea communities yet. But to be honest, it seems that to get into the real thing, you need to drink 4.5 liters of puerh in one gulp, jump 15 times on one leg, and pray to the tea god. So I’m looking for a shorter way)
As for advice, I would recommend a format rather than a specific variety. Recently, for the first time, I brewed tea on fire, not just poured boiling water over it. It was Shu Pu-erh, and it turned out to be the softest and most delicious tea I’ve ever had. So I advise you to try brewing it. It’s a completely different experience.
Anton is a lover of tea ceremonies and training who discovered the special world of Shu Puer. It has become a tradition for him in Warsaw.
It was there that Anton first attended a tea ceremony. He was struck by the idea of a ritual that does not harm health (unlike alcohol or marijuana), but rather helps to calm down and gather in the company of like-minded people. His acquaintance with this world happened thanks to a friend – it was Anton’s bathhouse friend who “dragged” him into the topic of tea, showing him that it is not just a drink, but a whole ritual where the tea master prepares tea with respect for everyone, and everyone in the company is looking forward to their cup.
Anton now periodically goes to Shu training (as part of the Warsaw Boxing Team), where he combines tea and physical activity. He says that it’s a great way to get you going, creates a special buzz and helps you get in the mood. For Anton, tea is not just a drink, but a space for positive thinking and close meetings. After all, meeting in a coffee shop is a quick small talk, and inviting someone for tea means inviting them into your personal space.
He likes both tea and coffee, but in different moods. Tea is about solitude, and he drinks coffee less often, because the idea of giving up coffee because of its “overclocking” is still just an idea.
And your favorite tea? The same one that Winston Churchill drank – a symbol of strength, calmness and character.
Shu-banda, Shu-trenya, tea ceremonies – all this has become not just a hobby for Anton, but a part of life that helps him find balance and be filled with energy.
Oleg discovered tea houses not long ago. The first tea ceremony happened quite recently – in the Berserker Club. What caught his fancy? The atmosphere, which was the complete opposite of the usual affiliate rhythm. What used to seem “out of time” suddenly found a place in his life. He saw others practicing tea rituals, put it off for a long time, but realized that a pause is also part of efficiency.
Now he periodically goes to ceremonies with colleagues. It’s not just a meeting, but a combination of deep topics and the power of the community – a special format with fewer words but more meaning. And this is a completely different contact than a quick conversation in a coffee shop.”
Tea is not a substitute for coffee, he says. Coffee helps you focus and plan your day, while tea brings you back to yourself and helps you rethink your direction.
Yes, interesting ideas came up during tea rituals. But even more valuable is the state itself, in which it is easier to make the right decisions.
So far, he drinks tea only in the Berserk Club, but he already sees that this format is catching on with leaders. What advice would he give to others? He is still in the process, but he knows for sure: the main thing is not the variety, but the context.