About Me

I’m Michael, and teahousegu is my open tea table from Hong Kong—a place to drink tea, notice what happens in the cup, and compare notes with other curious tea people.

I don’t sell tea. At least for now, the point is simpler: make tea less intimidating, share what I learn, and leave an open seat for anyone who wants to add their experience.

The Beginning

I started this journey wanting to improve my health and digestion. Inspired by recent findings about gut health, I decided to move away from drinking diet sodas and try tea and kombucha as alternatives.

I’ve always found tea affects me more positively than coffee—I get longer-lasting alertness without the coffee jitters, even after 3+ cups. Previously, I drank mostly green tea and matcha, but I wanted to take the time to discover new teas and expand my range.

Starting my tea journey, I was shocked by the price range. How come some tea costs $2-3 per box, while others cost $1500? Is this because some teas are REALLY that good? Or are there other factors like marketing and packaging at play?

Does a $1500 tea realistically taste that much better? And with teas costing over a thousand dollars, there must be enormous room for fraud—so can I even realistically buy nice tea without falling victim to scams?

Luckily, I live in Hong Kong. We already have a strong tea culture (although a bit antiquated) and ready access to China with no shipping restrictions. I chose raw Pu-erh as my starting point—mostly because I love the taste. Plus, Pu-erh can age, which means if I ever want to pause this hobby, I can do so without my tea spoiling.

After some initial research and purchases, I wanted to refine my direction. First, I wanted to find tea that was empirically good. I saw a lot of stories and history about tea, but while I appreciate a good story, I really just want something to drink while I work to make my day better.

I appreciate complexity so my mind can wander a bit, and most importantly, something that makes me feel good. I don’t want to pay for stories about emperors loving certain teas. I don’t believe there’s a perfect cup of tea like some holy grail everyone should aspire to—rather, there’s an (im)perfect cup for that imperfect moment in life.

This is why I’m making this website: to share a useful record of the tea, places, prices, sellers, and questions I encounter—and to hear what other people notice in return.

This isn’t about chasing perfection or ancient traditions. It’s about finding what works, what tastes good, and what makes ordinary moments a little better.

The name is intentionally plain. It is a house for tea people and tea notes—personal, curious, welcoming, and always unfinished.

Currently exploring: raw Pu-erh from Mengku and the wider tea regions of Yunnan.