Wenzhuo Liu
Gundega Silniece comes from Latvia, a country on the east coast of the Baltic Sea in Europe. She runs a tea house in the center of the capital Riga and has been involved in the beverage and baking industries such as tea and coffee since 2009, organizing service activities such as food exhibitions, competitions, and teaching. The national tea drink in Latvia is herbal tea, and the younger generation today is showing an interest in high-quality tea. The tea atmosphere in Latvia and even throughout Europe is becoming more active. In June 2025, Gundega has just completed her training in China and plans to invest more energy in the tea industry in the future.
Compared to other highly modernized European countries, Gundega believes that Latvia’s national consciousness is still very traditional, and people prefer to be close to nature and natural products. For example, the custom of picking mushrooms in the forest has been passed down to this day. Latvian people mainly drink herbal tea, and nowadays many people choose to process their own tea, such as picking leaves of peppermint to dry, drinking a large cup of peppermint tea, which can help digestion and relieve headaches, among other benefits. The drinking method in Latvia generally uses traditional European style large teapots and tea cups. In addition to herbal tea, green tea, black tea, and European flavored tea are also popular. Ordinary tea houses and tea shops provide broken tea, tea bags and loose tea.
Young people in Latvia have shown an interest in high-quality tea, similar to other young generations in Europe. In the era of multimedia information, young people have more opportunities and channels to access information. Through international tea enthusiasts sharing on various social media platforms, it is easy for young people to become curious about new tea brewing methods, such as Chinese tea brewing and Japanese matcha, which are hot topics nowadays. Russia is the main consumer market for high-quality loose tea in Europe, Gundega recalled that a group of young Russians once came to her tea house for tea and specifically asked for Wuyi Rougui tea. It is said that it is because of a Russian rapper whose rap lyrics mention several types of Wuyi rock tea. Out of curiosity, they specifically went to Gundega’s tea house to taste them.
Gundega is also passionate about international tea activities. She has served as an observer for Latvia, participated in relevant activities of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and is also a member of the European Specialty Tea Association. Due to the shift in tea consumption habits among young people, bulk tea importers, exporters, and processors have noticed changes in statistical data and have discussed this issue with Gundega during communication activities. Nowadays, young people are more conscious of tea consumption. Gundega suggests using social media and other methods to promote and influence the young tea consumption group more easily. She was once invited to organize tea activities at a local anime festival. She found that young people love Asian culture and are curious and open-minded about tea drinks.
In June 2025, Gundega completed a three week tea training in the Zhangzhou College of Science and Technology, and 30 students from the Belt and Road countries completed a week of courses, including tea art, tea culture and tea science knowledge, as well as a two-week study tour in Fujian and Sichuan provinces. Chinese tea has a wide variety of categories, Gundega sighed, in China, there are all kinds of tea. She loves visiting various tea houses, some traditional and some modern, and all kinds of tea houses are available in China. So many Chinese work in the tea industry, which is a relatively small industry in Latvia. But compared with ten years ago, the overall tea atmosphere in Europe is becoming active, for example, tea festivals are held in many countries. Latvia, and even throughout Europe, cafes and high-end restaurants are offering a wider variety of tea drinks. Matcha latte has now become a must-have supply option, and in addition to regular black and green tea, white tea, oolong tea, and dark tea are also being accepted by more consumers.
