I had a bag of this tea somewhere--I think I must have picked it up at some point when I was in Japan this August? Possibly at one of the places we stayed after climbing Fuji? I vaguely remember wanting to try a tea that was part of the tea service at a hotel, but thinking it was way too hot for it, and then tucking it away for later. Perhaps this is that tea.

 

Anyway, I saw this in my stash of single-serving teabags  and realized it was time to have it, since sencha loses flavor fairly quickly.

 

I used to say (not too long ago; you can find it in my archives) that I wasn't a huge fan of a lot of flavored teas, and I think I will have to just totally retire that concept: I am not a huge fan of letting flavors overpower the flavor of tea.

 

But this tea? It was very well done. The yuzu and green tea were both delicate, and paired together, gave a half sweet, half citrusy, almost creamy feel to the tea. It was a delight to have.

but I'm not sure they'll ship outside Japan.

2025 has truly come in with a bang: fires are raging, parts of the country that never get snow are threatening to have blizzards, the inauguration is upon us, and somehow we are both two weeks into this year and also it's been a million years.

 

Nonetheless, there is, I think, something freeing about looking at the reality of what lays before us--climate disaster accompanied by federal fascism--and realizing, right. It's just us, now.

 

We are all we have. No messing around. No hoping for someone else to fix things. It's just us.

 

That should be a depressing thought, but somehow, it doesn't feel like it right now. Let's try it. Maybe we'll surprise ourselves. 

 

This week, I watched videos of people in Los Angeles showing up en masse to volunteer to get items out to people in need. I watched donations pour in to locations where they were needed. I watched community come together in disaster because you know, one thing about humans is that we do that: we band together and give aid. We show up, even if we are the ones who need help.

 

Maybe it's just us, but maybe we are all we need.

Last week, I promised to include some resources to help with recovery from the multiple LA fires.

 

Here are a few places where you can help out.

 

MALAN: This Los Angeles Mutual Aid Network has an extensive spreadsheet that shows where drives are occurring and what the need is: volunteers, specific items, monetary donations. You can also donate to them directly.  

 

World Central Kitchen: This on-the-ground food kitchen gets meals to hungry people almost everywhere they're needed, including in Los Angeles right now.

 

Mask Bloc LA: This group distributes masks for those in need (and have been doing so continuously since the pandemic). They accept donations in kind, particularly if you have them in the LA area; fill out this interest form. 

 

Clean Air LA: Working to distribute filtration systems to help keep Angelenos healthy (and I believe partnering with Mask Bloc LA to help on the mask portion of things) while the air is filled with toxic fumes. Their GoFundMe is here or you can Venmo here.

 

Pasadena Humane Society: These good people have been working tirelessly to help animals who are impacted by the fire; right now, they are reporting that they are in need of monetary donations (but not items). The donation link is here.

The Eaton fire in particular devastated Altadena, a highly diverse neighborhood where Black families have owned homes free from redlining, where schools were desegregated before many of the other districts. It's heartbreaking to think that this community may be torn apart by this fire.

 

So if you are able, here are some links to a few fundraisers for families devastated by the Eaton fire. In all of these cases, I personally know someone who is connected to these families, and who has vouched for their authenticity.

 

The Gibson family.

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