People and tea come together in many different ways, from the physical acts of drinking it and brewing it, but also through the form of expressions like “storm in a teacup” to “not my cup of tea.” This multifaceted quality is inherent in tea itself—all it takes is variation in preparation for tea leaves to change their state, their flavor, and eventually be made into oolong tea, green tea, or black tea. These delicious beverages are a result of our many-millennia long relationship with tea. It was only recently, however, that I learned that tea can make you drunk. Inspired by this phenomenon, a community named Ochayoi—“tea drunk” in Japanese—have come together and hold tea parties in and around Tokyo. Not only that, they produce tea equipment, run a podcast, and even produce a zine, all with the desire to allow many people to experience what it means to get “drunk” on tea. Their tea parties can be found everywhere from cafes to offices to the riverbank.

Ochayoi’s tea parties are casual events. Upon the table is various tea equipment and everyone sits around it and waits until the water has boiled, the tea leaves infuse, and the tea is ready to drink. There are no difficult to understand commentaries and everyone can talk as much as they want or enjoy their tea in silence. I enjoy the prepared snacks and take in the smell of the leaves. My teacup is never empty and with each fresh refill I feel the warmth and the fragrance, which doesn’t overstay its welcome, of the tea gently seep through me. As I drink, I feel the line blurring between the tea that trickles down my throat and the blood that runs through me. Beforehand, the organizers told me that being drunk on tea is “Something you gradually notice as you relax and enjoy the tea created by the effects of the caffeine, minerals, and warmth of the liquid.” This must be what they meant, I think as I enjoy the feeling. While I watch the organizers prepare the tea with confident motions, time passes by. My mind is fresh, nothing like being drunk from alcohol, and I feel warm right to my core.

ochayoi

https://www.instagram.com/ochayoi