Wenzhuo Liu
Since the late 1980s, Claudia Priemer has been living in Berlin, Germany, and has been involved in tea-related work for over 30 years. She has accumulated practical experience while also witnessing the changes that the times have brought to the German tea industry. Claudia shares the tea-drinking habits of Germans, hoping to help more people enjoy relaxing tea drinking—not just as a warm winter beverage or a remedy when ill—and that the way of enjoying tea should not be limited to tea bags and mugs.
German tea enthusiasts began traveling to the tea origins in Asia to discover more teas. Claudia learned a lot from exchanging with these individuals and even traveled to tea mountains in Myanmar to experience tea picking, processing, and tasting firsthand.
Influenced by her mother from a young age, Claudia developed a fondness for black tea. As an adult, she studied German literary history at Humboldt University in what was then East Berlin. During her studies, she helped a friend open a tea shop in Berlin and was exposed to other types of tea through her work. After German reunification in 1990, Claudia recalls that more tea varieties flowed into tea shops in the former East Berlin area, allowing her to taste a wider range of teas. German tea enthusiasts began traveling to the tea origins in Asia to discover more teas. Claudia learned a lot from exchanging with these individuals and even traveled to tea mountains in Myanmar to experience tea picking, processing, and tasting firsthand.
Among the memorable shifts are the increased variety of tea supplies following German reunification in 1990 and the transformative impact of internet technology on the traditional tea business model.
With the passage of time, Claudia has witnessed significant changes in the German tea industry. Among the memorable shifts are the increased variety of tea supplies following German reunification in 1990 and the transformative impact of internet technology on the traditional tea business model. Claudia recalls the pre-internet era when, as a tea shop employee responsible for purchasing, she had to slowly study thick product catalogs from tea trading companies. In the 21st century, the internet age has brought more channels for accessing tea information, presenting both challenges and opportunities for the traditional tea industry while also providing rare chances for emerging tea businesses. Tea consumers aged 20-35, who have grown up in this new era, often show greater acceptance of high-quality tea and a stronger interest in diverse tea-drinking methods. Although their purchasing power may not yet match that of older generations, younger consumers are more conscious in their tea selections, even willing to participate in tea travel, personally visiting tea origins to pick leaves, experience processing, and learn about the entire production process.
In recent years, Claudia has primarily worked as a freelancer, taking on short-term and temporary tea-related projects, such as organizing Friday Pop-Up Teahouse events at the shared space C＊Space and providing tea services for business events.
For over 30 years, Claudia has worked for multiple tea shops and teahouses in Berlin, gradually learning about tea and brewing methods through practice. In recent years, Claudia has primarily worked as a freelancer, taking on short-term and temporary tea-related projects, such as organizing Friday Pop-Up Teahouse events at the shared space C＊Space and providing tea services for business events. Claudia greatly enjoys the process of drinking tea with others, sharing, and discussing tea topics. Her years of experience enable her to offer basic tea courses and workshops. Although accustomed to drinking tea daily, Claudia remains true to her original passion, exploring and researching various teas, especially her beloved black tea. She continually collects black teas from different regions. In her apartment, there is always a corner that belongs solely to Claudia’s own tea world—a space dedicated solely to enjoying tea. Whenever she tastes a good tea, Claudia still gets excited about its flavor and is delighted to share that joy with others.
Claudia jokes that when discussing tea with Germans, most people’s first thought is herbal and fruit tea blends, whereas when mentioning tea to people from other countries, most assume it refers to loose-leaf tea.
Based on Claudia’s experience, Germans living in big cities have more opportunities to encounter Chinese tea, naturally leading to more people learning about it. Chinese tea is sold in ordinary German supermarkets or Asian supermarkets, but most are lower-grade tea bags, such as Chinese green tea, black tea, or jasmine tea. Claudia jokes that when discussing tea with Germans, most people’s first thought is herbal and fruit tea blends, whereas when mentioning tea to people from other countries, most assume it refers to loose-leaf tea. She wants more Germans to learn about loose-leaf tea and share some tea knowledge. For example, many are surprised to learn that black and green teas can be steeped multiple times, as they have no habit of doing so. The mainstream market offers little guidance or description on how to enjoy such tea products, so many people turn to Claudia to learn how to brew loose-leaf tea. Claudia advises Germans that drinking tea is about relaxation and enjoyment—not just a warm winter drink or a remedy when ill—and that the way of enjoying tea should not be limited to tea bags and mugs.
Claudia advises Germans that drinking tea is about relaxation and enjoyment—not just a warm winter drink or a remedy when ill—and that the way of enjoying tea should not be limited to tea bags and mugs.