Hello from the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia: a magical place where tea gets made. 85% of the tea grown here stays in Malaysia, but I did learn about tea-making in general and for those of you that live in Brooklyn or Queens, I’ve written down the instructions that (stereotypically) would be most interesting to you:

If you live in Brooklyn, and wear plaid and a winter hat during the summer:

• Hand pick a lot of young leaves 
• Wither them, surround them with hot air, reduce moisture level by at least 30%
• Roll them around for a bit, crush them

Suddenly these instructions are sounding a lot like a to-do list for a Brooklyn lothario. 

• Age them with fermenting, what was once young and green turns brown and old
• Dry them out
• Sort them by leaf quality
• Put them in a pretty package 
• Charge twenty dollars per packet at an outdoor food event.

If you live in Queens:

• Buy tea bags from grocery store
• Put tea bag in mug
• Pour hot water into mug