Being a daughter of two cultures, I grew up in the U.S. but visited Taiwan every few years. It was my mother’s homeland, yet to me, it always felt just out of reach—familiar, but never fully mine. I loved the night markets, the street food, and, of course, the boba. Tea was my strongest connection to my heritage, but even that was filtered through a narrow lens. I only saw a curated version of tea culture, shaped by what was familiar in my family’s daily life.

During a tea sit last year while I was pregnant, I mentioned to the server that I’d like smaller servings to reduce my caffeine intake without wasting tea. They casually suggested, 'Just skip the first 2-3 steeps! Most of the caffeine is removed early on.' I nodded but felt skeptical—if this were true, why had none of my tea teachers ever mentioned it? That moment sparked my curiosity, leading me to do my own research.