A Tangerine With a Secret
Aya spots a neat seam in a dried tangerine. She gently lifts its little lid and finds dark tea leaves inside. Her unusual travelling gift turns out to be a small home for ripe pu-erh.
Meet the character ↗Tea stories
Additional original stories with familiar characters.
Little Tea Stories
Original TEA.TOYS stories: familiar characters discover tea in unexpected forms.
Familiar Leaves, an Unexpected Home
Yanka turns a ridged slice of bitter melon and recognises the rolled oolong leaves within. A new shell, a familiar tea. Before brewing, he takes a closer look at every little curl.
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Where Did the Leaves Go?
Anczi holds his cup up to the light. A small piece of cha gao dissolves, leaving an amber trail in the water. There is tea in his cup, but no leaves: another quiet discovery for his collection.
Meet the character ↗Read the four-panel stories3 stories · 12 panels
A mandarin with a secret
- It looks like a little dried mandarin.
- Aya gently lifts the lid.
- Inside are dark tea leaves.
- The lid goes back on. Mystery solved.
Familiar leaves, a new home
- What is this ridged little slice?
- Yanka turns it around. Rolled oolong leaves are packed inside.
- Familiar curls. Almost like his own.
- A new home. The same familiar tea.
Where did the leaves go?
- Water and a tiny piece of tea extract share a cup.
- A ribbon of tea colour spreads through the water.
- Anczi holds it to the light. The piece has almost disappeared.
- There is tea. But no leaves.
The stories and the characters’ habits are fictional. The tea notes describe particular products, not a universal custom.
A First Whisk of Matcha
Anczi · E01
On a day away from the brief spring season, Anczi tries another green tea: Japanese matcha from Ippodo. In a wide bowl, he uses a bamboo whisk to raise a fine green foam. This is the personal experiment of an attentive tea lover; his main story remains rooted in Anji baicha.
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The Edge of One Leaf
Pusha · E01
Pusha cradles a dry leaf in both paws, studying the pale down along its edge. Held low in front of him, it invites a tiny pause to notice its curve.
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A Broken Edge Under the Lens
Ugolek · E01
Ugolek supports the paper with one paw and brings a short magnifier close to the broken Fu-brick tea with the other. Tiny golden specks appear among the dark folded leaves. He is in no hurry: even a little piece of tea has a pattern of its own.
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One Last Sort for Dianhong
Zhunya · E01
Before packing, Zhunya checks the dry Dianhong once more. A few golden buds glint among the dark leaves. A round bamboo sieve hangs from the waist belt: one paw steadies the rim, while the other uses short tongs to pick out a brown stem.
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Before the First Batch of Oil Tea
Boyok · E01
Boyok checks the soaked tea leaves, ginger and garlic in a small iron pan. There is a quiet moment before heating: one paw holds the wooden handle, while the other holds a bent wooden tea pounder, its blunt end resting among the leaves. A quilted pad on the apron supports the pan at the waist.
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An Even Edge for Sour Tea
Kositsa · E01
A flat disc of sour tea rests on a broad green leaf. Kositsa supports the woven base with one paw and lightly touches the edge with the other, checking its shape.
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One Last Stir
Myatka · E01
Myatka holds the bamboo trough against her hip and makes one last gentle circle with her little spatula. A small ripple crosses the tea-leaf mixture, ready to share.
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A Pause Before the First Cup
Penka · E01
Penka looks into the open clay pot before adding water. Dry, twisted tea leaves rest inside. One paw holds the wrapped handle, while the other supports the base through a folded cloth.
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A Pocket-Sized Rhythm
Quiet Courtyard Sound Recordist · E01
He pauses between gentle shakes and listens to the ice. With his recorder clipped at his hip, a brief tea-making rhythm will join his collection of quiet courtyard sounds.
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A Paper Packet for Maofeng
Paper Wrapper Keeper · E01
The Paper Wrapper Keeper prepares a paper packet for the Maofeng he has bought. He holds a flap open for one last look at the dry leaves before closing it. His own leaf design decorates the paper, and spare blank labels sit in his jacket pocket.
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A Pause by the Jasmine Sieve
Fragrant Sample Sorter · E01
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Unfolding a Tea Square
Travel Tea Bundle Maker · E01
He holds back a fold of white paper to reveal a flat square of tea. For once, bags and fastenings can wait: here are the leaves themselves, pressed into a little portion for the journey.
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A Gift from Sanyi: Whole Suan Gan Cha
Hakka Family Reading Room Attendant · E01
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Before Brewing: Fitting the Cloth Filter
Hakka Evening Trail Maker · E01
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Anhua Tea Scroll
Tuhua Household Names Collector · E01
The Household Names Collector adds another form of stored tea to a personal glossary. After the rectangular brick, a compact cylinder of huajuan in a woven bamboo casing has caught the character’s interest: the small 十两茶 format. The character examines the edge of the wrapping and the dark compressed tea inside.
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Red Oolong Becomes Chocolate
Coastal Path Maker · E01
After repairing a coastal boardwalk, the Coastal Path Maker takes out Lin Wang tea chocolate brought from Luye. Inside the partly opened wrapper is a thin portion of chocolate made with red oolong powder. A familiar tea takes on a new flavour, while the camera stays close on its strap.
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The Marbling of a Tea Egg
Lakeside Notebook Keeper · E01
On a lakeside walk, the Lakeside Notebook Keeper peels a tea egg and studies the brown web of lines on the white. The paper pocket catches the shell, while a little notebook waits in its sleeve: this pattern deserves a sketch.
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One More Wafer
Keeper of Family Captions · E01
He places the second thin wafer on the tea ice cream and gently holds it with one paw. Pale filling and a crisp edge: his homemade idea using bought Muzha Tieguanyin. The paper band is in place; now he only has to choose which edge to try first.
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