People always say that college is the time to explore your interests. At Hopkins, this is true for ALL your interests, whether they are academic or oddly specific hobbies. A big part of my childhood was sitting with family for tea. Tea is a very important thing for my family, because it gives us time (or multiple times a day) to sit together, discuss our day, and slow down. Through a friend at Hopkins, I came to know that we actually have a thriving tea club on campus!
Tea Club is a space for students to come together to taste and discuss various types of teas. It is a calm space for people who love to appreciate everything about tea, from its origins to oxidation levels and processing. This club is a cross-campus club including students who study at the Homewood campus (which consists of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, and the Whiting School of Engineering) as well as the Peabody Institute (our conservatory).
At their weekly Friday general body meeting (GBM), the members of tea club convene either at Homewood or Peabody for events like tea tastings and workshops. The first tea club event I ever went to was a tea game night. We played many games like guess the tea, pouring out just the right amount of tea, and tea jeopardy. Other events include tasting teas from around the world like chrysanthemum tea, aged white tea with rose water, and Dan Cong Oolong. The club’s board also organizes a series of tea brewing workshops. After successfully attending these, members can become brewers for their annual tea formal.
The Tea Formal is truly one of the most mesmerizing events I have been to at Hopkins. It is hosted annually at the gorgeous George Peabody Library at the Peabody Institute. This library has found a place on Time Magazine’s list of the world’s most beautiful libraries, and I can attest that it is just as breathtaking in person. My friends and I decided to go to the tea formal as a means of trying something new, but what we found there was a community of people who loved tea just as much as we did.
This club really goes above and beyond to help their members immerse themselves in tea culture. Previously, they organized an intersession (a two-week period during January when students can take optional fun classes or go on short study abroad trips) trip to China to learn about tea. They even made a beautiful documentary that you can watch here. The trip involved going to places to learn more about tea. I feel like this really demonstrates the beautiful things a group of passionate and committed individuals can achieve.
When I first came to Hopkins, I never realized that there were so many people here who were incredibly passionate about tea (and I find that beautiful!). No matter what your interests are, you’ll always find people at Hopkins ready to embrace and celebrate them with you.
Tea means so many things for different people. For some, it is a way to find a community. For others, it is meditative and calming therapy. On a more personal note, I remember not really drinking tea at all when I was at home. However, once I came to college, through the tea club but also just at my dorm, I began drinking more tea. Every time I came into my dorm after braving the snow or rain or after just about any day, I’d find myself reaching for tea bags and my green vintage kettle. As I sit down to write this article, I’m reflecting on why that is. What I realized is I was subconsciously considering tea as something that coalesced my two worlds: home and Hopkins.
