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Cinzia Merlin

@teatripper

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Brussels-based Italian, a life of tea and travel
The Tea Circle - Tea sommelier
Tea instructor
@theteacirclebrussels
www.theteacirclebrussels.com

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Work break with a delicious high mountain oolong by @formosabrew. Light yellow in the cup and extremely floral in the nose, this low-oxidation ball oolong has floral notes with delicate hints of mandarine and pine resin. 🥰
Get some at her stand at the upcoming Brussels Tea Festival on Sunday if you can.

#teafestival #oolongtea #taiwaneseoolong #tealover taken in Brussels, Belgium by @teatripper

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23 days ago

Sunday morning gongfu with a Ruanzhi hongcha from @lafinestrasulte_nicolettatul
This taiwanese tea is produced from the Qingxin cultivar, mostly used for oolong. When used for hongcha, it yields an exceptionally sweet and smooth amber-coloured liquor with no astringency. Notes of honey and caramelised fruit with a subtle woodiness and hints of chocolate. My personal brewing parameters: 5g in 120ml water at 95 degrees, short steeping of about 15 seconds. Multiple steeps.
(Water bowl from @l_heure_bleue_brussels ; under it a wooden stand beautifully carved by @gentleholz; gongdaobei @bolzoni_arredamenti ; my hongcha teapot @i.n.clay; teatowel @eastern.leaves; chaxi cloth gifted by @_me.mar_ and teapet by @vivianzhang._ ) taken in Brussels, Belgium by @teatripper

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4 months ago

A little overdue—our apologies! May turned out to be a busy month, with one of us traveling across China and the other preparing for a Tea Sommelier exam. 🍃 But we’re finally back and excited to share some highlights from our latest April events.

On April 19th, we had the pleasure of hosting @t_del_te Liu of @xin.an.chu for two fascinating sessions. The first was a Lao Cong Shui Xian tasting workshop, where participants explored the depth, texture, mineral character, and layered aromatics that make these old-bush Wuyi oolongs so captivating.

The second event was a masterclass on tea aging principles, offering valuable insights into how different teas evolve over time, the factors that influence aging, and what should we look for when evaluating aged teas.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make these events such a memorable experience. More tea adventures and content are on the way!

#teaeducation #wuyitea#chinesetea#teacommunity
#agedtea taken in Brussels, Belgium by @teatripper

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4 months ago

I know, I should be posting about my trip in China🥰. It will come, I promise. In the meanwhile, a morning 2019 Lunan single-tree Shengpu (@eastern.leaves) that I am brewing endlessly gong-fu style in a dedicated teapot by @andrzejbero and savouring from a teacup by @davidlouveau. Tea boat and gong dao bei from @l_heure_bleue_brussels

#tealove #puerhtea #shengpuerh #chinesetea #morningteavibes by @teatripper

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4 months ago

A little journey to Taiwan, one cup at a time 🍵✨

One of our latest workshops with Yi Chun of @formosabrew was all about discovering the richness and diversity of Taiwanese teas — and what a beautiful experience it was.

Among the highlights, a remarkable red oolong and a beautifully roasted Dong Ding stood out, both offering unexpected depth and character. Not to mention Yi Chun’s Oriental Beauty that we were longing to taste from the very beginning!

Thank you to everyone who joined and made it so special. More tea stories coming soon…

#taiwanesetea #oolongtea #teaeducation #tealovers taken in Brussels, Belgium by @teatripper

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6 months ago

Still thinking about the magic we shared on March 15th ✨🍃

We had the pleasure of hosting @lafinestrasulte_nicolettatul for an incredible masterclass on tea biochemistry. We explored the depth and complexity of tea, through 30 unique teas — each one telling its own story.

From beautifully crafted classics to truly rare treasures (including a 90-year-old aged roasted oolong from Fujian… yes, really 🤯), every sip was a journey.

Moments like these are why we love bringing people together around tea — to learn, to taste, and to connect.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and made this day so special 💚
More to come soon…

#teaeducation #specialitytea #teacommunity taken in Brussels, Belgium by @teatripper

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7 months ago

Last Saturday was quality time at the Lan Se with two tea friends : Cinzia (@teatripper) and Marjolein (@_me.mar_ ) 💕

Tea festivals are always pretty intens and highly frustrating as you get nearly no time to discuss with the other exhibitors… So that finally being able to spend 2 hours discussing and drinking tea was just pure bliss 🙏

Marjolein : have a safe trip back to Japan 💕
Cinzia : see you soon 😉

#lanseteahouse #teafriends #gongfucha #oliviernuttens #teahouse taken in L'Heure Bleue - Maison de Thé et de Bijou by @teatripper

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7 months ago

At last weekend’s workshops, Marjolein of @ikedokitea spoiled us with some innovative tea gems, including six different powdered teas and a surprising selection of greens and wakōchas from Nagasaki Prefecture. Our tasting was accompanied by Japanese sweets that Marjolein had kindly brought for us. #japanesetea #brusselsteacommunity #teaevent #teaeducation taken in Brussels, Belgium by @teatripper

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7 months ago

Today is Taiwan’s 228 Peace Memorial Day. I am joining an online campaign by wearing all black today to honor and remember this day, which serves as a powerful reminder of how hard-won Taiwan’s democracy and freedom truly are.
Due to upcoming schedule changes, today also marks our last regular Tea Experience at Ecole Sun Yat-Sen for the time being. Moving forward, our tea sessions will take place as irregular pop-ups in various new spaces.
A heartfelt thank you to Ecole Sun Yat-Sen for the beautiful venue, to everyone who has ever joined our tasting sessions, and a special thanks to @teatripper for making the trip to see us today.
I look forward to sharing tea with you all in new and exciting formats in the future.

Aujourd’hui est le Jour du Souvenir du 228 à Taïwan (228 Peace Memorial Day). Je me joins à une campagne en ligne en portant du noir aujourd’hui pour honorer et commémorer cette journée, qui nous rappelle à quel point la démocratie et la liberté de Taïwan ont été durement acquises.
En raison de futurs changements d’emploi du temps, aujourd’hui marque également notre dernière “Tea Experience” régulière à l’École Sun Yat-Sen pour le moment. À l’avenir, nos dégustations de thé se tiendront de manière ponctuelle (pop-up) dans de nouveaux espaces.
Un grand merci à l’École Sun Yat-Sen pour ce lieu magnifique, à toutes les personnes qui ont participé à nos sessions, et un merci tout particulier à Cinzia pour sa visite d’aujourd’hui.
J’ai hâte de vous retrouver autour d’un thé sous de nouveaux formats à l’avenir.

今天是台灣的 228 和平紀念日。我響應網路上的串連活動，特地著一身素黑，以悼念並銘記這個彰顯台灣民主與自由得來不易的日子。
同時，由於未來行程的規劃，今天也是近期最後一次在 Ecole Sun Yat-Sen（中山學校）舉辦常態性的 Tea Experience。未來，我們的茶席將會以不定期、快閃的形式，在不同的空間與大家見面。
衷心感謝 Ecole Sun Yat-Sen 提供的美好場地，感謝每一位曾蒞臨參與的茶友，也特別謝謝 Cinzia 今天特地撥冗前來。
期待未來能以更多元的型態，再次與大家以茶相會。

今天是台灣的 228 和平紀念日。我響應網路上的串連活動，特地著一身素黑，以悼念並銘記這個彰顯台灣民主與自由得來不易的日子。
同時，由於未來行程的規劃，今天也是近期最後一次在 Ecole Sun Yat-Sen（中山學校）舉辦常態性的 Tea Experience。未來，我們的茶席將會以不定期、快閃的形式，在不同的空間與大家見面。
衷心感謝 Ecole Sun Yat-Sen 提供的美好場地，感謝每一位曾蒞臨參與的茶友，也特別謝謝 Cinzia 今天特地撥冗前來。
期待未來能以更多元的型態，再次與大家以茶相會。 taken in 旅比華僑中山學校 École Sun Yat-sen de Belgique by @teatripper

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8 months ago

A long walk around Brussels with wonderful open-air tea brewing to warm up before the snow.
Thank you @xin.an.chu for this wonderfully floral pressed white from Xishuangbanna, which pared really well witn light roasted almonds.
#chinesetea #brusselslife #teafriends #weekendwalks #whitetea taken in Moulin de Lindekemale by @teatripper

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8 months ago

One of the highlights of my three weeks in Berlin was getting to know @giselasmartertea and exploring the local tea scene together.
One of the first things we did was to go all Japanese at @cafe_mamecha for tea and tea-based sweet treats followed by a visit to their next-door tea shop. We checked out @paperandtea and went to the opening of a multi-artist art exhibition.
#berlintealover #walkingaroundberlin #teafriends by @teatripper

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8 months ago

Peaceful and gemütlich afternoon with @inno__kenty (@zen_tea_space ), just back from Asia, for a private red tea tasting. 🙏
#teacommunity #hongcha #berlintea #teafriendships taken in Berlin, Germany by @teatripper

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9 months ago