words and photos by Jasmin Göttling

HOW DID YOU COME ON TO TEA?

Jürgen:

Under the classical definition of tea, most people understand it to be fruit tea, herbal tea, etc. By my definition, these are infusions. The focus on “real” tea came about during my studies. I studied Chinese and business administration, during which time I spent a year in Shanghai. There I met an artist, spent time with him, drank tea, mainly pu’er, and vodka. Tea drew me in and captured my attention. My friend introduced me to the Chinese ceremony of making tea and with this the whole story started.

That was fifteen years ago, 2004/2005, and at the time, tea culture was even less celebrated back in Germany. So, my plan was to open a tea house when I came back here. After I worked in a headhunting company and an art gallery for a while, I started my tearoom, the Teebutze. For five years it ran on the principle of “pay what you want”. It was already here in the Gängeviertel, Hamburg. At some point Stephan, whom I knew from my studies, came to my tearoom.

Stephan:

I’ve been drinking tea since I was little. So did my father and grandfather, who bought tea directly from plantations in Taiwan. I visited a plantation for the first time at the age of twelve. Drinking tea is one thing, working with tea is something completely different. 

Tea for me is an emancipation from my parents, so it has a highly symbolic power. My parents have a migration background. When they came to Germany, we were always told that you have to perform and deliver in this country. In their opinion, in Germany, a meritocratic society, you have to do more than the Germans to gain acceptance. Being better in every area, so to say. Life as pressure to deliver, as a battle to be the best. After a personal crisis, I decided for myself that I don't want that. I wanted my life to be simple, and to feel at ease. My life is there to celebrate. And then I told myself, tea, I can do that, so I did.

FINALLY, A TRADITION THAT YOUR PARENTS GAVE YOU. HOW DID THEY REACT?

S:

Yes, that has a lot to do with the Chinese tradition. My father asked me what the cash flow and return on such a large investment in tea would be and what the plan would look like. At that point I had no plan, no business plan or anything like that. For me it was a playground, just because my heart and my gut told me it was the right thing. My father threw plates at me and didn’t speak to me for three months. 

J:

The emancipation from your parents actually only shows that your parents did a good job. 

S:

My father says that too now (laughs). 

YOU GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER IN THE TEAROOM AND GOT TOGETHER. ARE YOU SIMILAR? WHERE ARE THE DIFFERENCES?

S:

Our personalities are very different and that is important. 

J:

This is a challenge which often ignites things, but it is also a reason why it works. Keeping the balance between being explosive and acting in synergy is not always easy.

IF YOU ALWAYS HAD THE SAME OPINION, WOULD THE INSPIRATION DEVELOPMENT BE MISSING?

J:

Yes, we wouldn’t need each other then. 

S:

We are both intuitive in different ways. For example, when it comes to how much tea leaves to use for brewing, I want to work intuitively and artistically whilst Jürgen proceeds with precision. However, the approach of each individual changes according to the subject area, i.e. you can’t rely on me being the intuitive one and Jürgen the analytical one. But I tend to be the storyteller and Jürgen the fact checker. 

WHAT WERE THE SIMILARITIES THAT BROUGHT YOU TOGETHER AND GAVE BIRTH TO TEA ADDICTS?

S:

The idea to change something was our common denominator. And the devotion to a certain degree of chaos. Chaos in the sense of challenging the status quo and the established order. 

J:

Consciously, even as a control freak, to break through the boundaries, because life cannot be planned, it is chaotic. Come out of the comfort zone. 

WHAT DO YOU DO DIFFERENTLY FROM OTHERS?

S:

I explain it with the example of wine. In Husum, a small town in Germany by the North Sea, where I grew up thirty years ago, there was a litre bottle of red wine from Italy in the supermarket under the international wines section. It  was the worst thing they managed to get in Italy. This bottle was not cheap as it was an imported wine, but without stating the provenance. 

People who import such wine thrive on anonymity. If the buyer knew where this wine came from, nobody would buy it — they would question it. We, on the other hand, want to show the history of tea and create an awareness of consumption. Defy mass consumption and the throwaway society. To occupy yourself with something should, in our opinion, be fun. We want to break up anonymity and show that it makes sense and that it is fun to know your consumption. However, 99.5% of players in the tea trade still live by anonymity. 

J:

We do not only work with tea as a product, but also with a philosophy of life. We are concerned with pleasure, the story behind tea and personality. We were not born with wisdom. There is not only one way, but many ways, detours, turns and coincidences. This way we usually find our tea and the tea plantation. 

It is, and remains, a matter of attitude.

S:

We push people out of their comfort zone and want to free them from old patterns of thinking. We create our tea/travel videos to give people access to knowledge. We also contradict ourselves and allow mistakes. Question, play and try — that’s our motto.

HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR TRAVELS?

S:

Usually we focus on at least one specific address. That is the starting point. And then everything changes. It usually starts already in the taxi — someone always comes up with a tip for a good location in the tea-growing area. 

Last time, the best friend of the owner of the guesthouse where we stayed led us to this tea from Guizhou, lübaoshi. She knew a couple of boys, in their mid-twenties, who have two tea shops, a tea plantation, and a big drive and passion for tea.

DO YOU OBSERVE THIS PASSION IN TEA?

J:

I think so, yes. Because we notice how it resonates within us and try to convey this enthusiasm, this excitement via video or in personal conversations.

IS IT THIS THAT DRIVES YOU, THE STORY BEHIND IT?

S:

Yes. Discovering the story of a special tea is a lot of fun and gives us a sense of satisfaction. 

WHAT WAS THE TEA THAT LAST SPARKED YOUR INTEREST? 

S:

The White Silver, a white tea from China. But actually with every tea that comes into our online shop.  

HAS YOUR TASTE CHANGED OVER THE YEARS?

J:

For me, it’s the green tea that I’m always enthusiastic about. I haven’t been interested in white tea so far, but now I’m realizing that there’s some pretty awesome white tea out there and a new world is opening up for me. It’s similar with pu’er tea. 

HOW DID EACH OF YOU DEVELOP OVER THE YEARS?

S:

I have become more self-confident and can openly say what I think and how I feel. At the moment we are thinking about names for our teas. Names we wouldn’t have dared to use two years ago. At that time there was still the fear of the judgement. Meanwhile I have understood how to listen to myself.

J:

Our development so far has led us to the self-confidence, the standing that we have now. 

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF TEA (IN GERMANY)?

S:

Its significance is growing. Mankind is pushing for differentiation and spiritual growth. 

Food is the new internet. The new status defines itself as buying organic food, living healthily and dealing with one’s being and self in society. Tea plays an important role here. No reasons that we take to heart, but it definitely resonates with the purchase of tea.

WHERE’S THE NEXT TRIP GOING TO BE?

S:

The next trip will be to Africa at the end of the year. Possibly China in autumn. And we are planning a trip to South America: Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina. This could be a cool trip. I would like to buy a motorcycle in Colombia and ride it to Buenos Aires. If we focus on tea, it’s the most personal story. 

DO YOU THINK IT’S POSSIBLE TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT TEA?

J:

Even if you only deal with the Chinese tea world, you wouldn’t be able to grasp it in a lifetime. Tea means that you always have to be open to new things. According to the philosophy “free yourself from conventions and ideas”, the one truth does not exist — the world doesn’t work that way.