Works on Issue 09 - Online Stories - Japan
Lio Man Cheong, Tea House in Macao, 2003
02 Nov 2022
Dear Reader,
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the next issue (09), and there has been an influx of new subscribers recently, so I thought it appropriate to send you an update.
First, if you are new to this newsletter, welcome! These emails are very sporadic and far in between, but my goal is to make them more regular. I’ve been getting requests to talk a little bit about the process of making the magazine too, so I might do just that.
Second, yes, the new issue is coming! A bit lot slower than previously, but it’s on the way. There have been a few reasons for this delay: (a) I have worked on another independent project, (b) I’ve been fighting a motivation / inspiration lull, and (c) the energy / shipping / production cost changes across the industry have been making it ever more stressful.
The high intensity busyness of making new magazines since issue 03 drained me and I needed some time off to recover. It’s never easy to get back at it, but as all the self-help and productivity books advise, “trusting the process” is the first necessary step. So here we are; most of the new articles are already with me and I am hoping to have them all edited soon so that by early January we can start printing! The cover is already being fleshed out (we are sort of running out of unique background colours — might have to think of something different!), and then my focus will be on photos and illustrations.
All this needs to happen very soon because, fortunately (yay!), I am going to spend almost all of December getting inspired in (but also getting tired from exploring) Japan. With the re-opening of borders, I felt it was time to change scenery and get out of my bubble. Working from home, especially because of long pandemic limitations, poses various challenges, and not being in (closer) touch with others, or exposed to the very topic which I am trying to promote, drains me mentally. But even now, as I am writing this message, I am sipping on a brand new purple tea from Kenya — something I have never tried before — and I am already feeling a bout of eagerness to find out more and share it with you. Four weeks around Japan, I am hoping, will do the trick too and then some. I will spend a lot of time just doing my thing, but I am also going to visit new and re-visit familiar tea places and people, with the intention of documenting it all. If you have any recommendations, do let me know. When I first started the magazine, I had this romantic idea of being able to work from anywhere. Four years in, I am still to experience this ‘freedom’, so this trip to Japan should be an interesting test.
So, this is where we currently are. I am very grateful for all the continuous support so many of you keep expressing. There is only so much a team of one can do, but I do try to respond to all messages as soon as possible.
If you are new to Eighty Degrees, do check out the past issues: number one has been sold out, but issues 02 to 08 are still in stock, and you can get them as a discounted bundle, if you fancy. This is simply the best way to support the magazine (as well as telling your friends about it).
Lastly, many subscribers and followers have been asking for tea advice and information as they are just starting their journeys in tea, so there have been new ‘stories’ coming up on the website addressing some of the topics in demand, for example: How to Choose a High-Quality Matcha, How to Make Cold Brew Tea and Why It’s Different From Iced Tea, or Legendary Tea Farmer — The Tea Board Game. You can also find personal journeys and stories from travels in the mix. Feel free to let me know if you would like to read and learn about something specific.
Off to edit an interview now, a little bit different in nature and topic, but so interesting and helpful in finding one’s inner peace and inspiration.
— Martin, founder of Eighty Degrees