Jess Bonin - Tea Specialist

A discourse on character. I have been fixated on the idea of well-expressed character for the last few months after a discussion on the subject with my sensei. If I am on the path of tea, what kind of character do I have? And if I am continuing to expand into the path of tea on this lifelong commitment, what kind of character do I need? What even defines character? This has not been easy to confront, as it exposes and reveals many flaws.

Two years ago, a magnificent 600kg dragon named Black Swan entered my life. This fiery thoroughbred arrived exactly the moment I entered a form of character confrontation, annihilation and purification. He was, inasmuch as my tea practice, a mirror of profound inner reconciliation.

A huge pillar of my chanoyu practice and its forms, principles and philosophies go beyond the general samurai Way, and are formed upon the art of horsemanship.

The horse reveals whether you are internally unified or fragmented. Character shows if you are the kind of person the horse can trust. The horse is diagnostic, it is the laboratory, and it is the refining function itself.

These principles and expressions mirror the way of tea. Tea has an unfailing mechanism of reckoning one’s character. This comes from its embedded principles, the very integrity it requires of you, and the simple fact that really good tea is only prepared as a result of one’s development, in all layers.

Tea also requires it as the foundation of relating, since tea is shared, served and received. Preparation, serving, and receiving require presence, timing, observation, and relational integrity. These can’t be performed, they can only be honestly embodied or the expression is distorted. Tea reveals the degree to which the qualities required by the form have been developed within the practitioner. Like the horse, tea returns your state back to you.

Read the full discourse on my Substack - link in bio.

Join tea sommelier and student of Chanoyu, Jessica Bonin, for an immersive workshop on Matcha. Access the real in a world of trending chaos. You will learn the basic history, philosophy and tradition of matcha inseparable from its rich cultural roots. This workshop will teach you how to properly identify and taste quality, allow you to immerse yourself into Matcha’s true essence, and guide you to create your own daily ritual with traditional preparation techniques. Enjoy other Japanese teas and a chocolate pairing from . At the end of the immersion, you will walk away with your own gift box of artisan sourced Japanese teas so you can enjoy a sensory cascade of beauty at home.

📅 21 June 2026
🕰️ 11h00 - 13h00
📍 Honest chocolate cafe, Wale Street, CPT
✨ R650 pp - limited spaces

I look forward to guiding you to authentically connect with the true essence of this ancient practice 🍵💚

May reflections 🏜️🌾🍵⚔️🐲🍂🪷✨🦄🍫👘 Take time to cultivate your offering to the world. Autumn patiently, reverently and faithfully dances toward winter. A harvest to keep the long nights nourished.

The wisdom embedded in the practice of tea carries through the ages, serving as a guiding light to engage with principles that enhance our state of being and how we engage with others and the world.

Join me in June for a workshop exploring the depths of matcha, hosted at the OG’s of cacao, . To ensure you receive a hands-on experience and all the depths I can share, spaces will unfortunately be limited. Exact dates to be confirmed. I hope to share matcha with you soon 💚🍵🌱

January reflections 🍵✨💚🏞️ What a wonderful start to the year. It kicked off with a Chakai I performed for a beautiful wedding, which I was so nervous about! I met with tea friends from across the globe, shared tea with soul friends in the mountains next to waterfalls, launched Matcha at .nova.cafe in Noordhoek, maintained a dedicated daily practice often accompanied by two fluffy masters, deepened my philosophy pursuits and have taken on board exciting new consulting clients. The best is yet to come! Here’s to 2026! 🌈🦄

Tea is a practice of simplicity and beauty that serves as a vessel to the profound. Through the sharing of tea, people are brought together in this pursuit. The Way of Tea is about returning to what is already inherent, achieved through the magnificence of century-old tea ceremonies.

I invite guests to join me for a Gongfu tea ceremony in a serene sanctuary nestled in the trees on the 15th February at the Organic Magic Project in Hout Bay.