![]() I left Wild Lily feeling refreshed and vital. It was my first experience with the Japanese tea ceremony. Four infusions! The procedure lasted one and a half hours. Then they brought water for another infusion of the loose-leaf tea, and another, and another. I remember hesitating, but then ordering it – fortunately! I had one infusion first. My very first Wild Lily visit was seminal. But in my New York years it meant rest for me. Unfortunately it closed a couple of years ago. In those years I regularly went to the Japanese tea house in Chelsea, Wild Lily. There was a third influence on me: my time in New York City, working as Creative Director of a photo agency in Manhattan. Every few weeks, Uncle Helwig sent me parcels with coffee. The second thing which had an impact on me were my study years in Canada. Helwig Hooss belonged to a coffee dynasty. He used to conduct many tea ceremonies at a renowned tea institution, “Deutsches Teebüro”, in Hamburg, sort of a German tea council. ![]() The first one is my godfather Helwig Hooss. There are three main experiences that led me towards “P&T”. How did you come up with the idea of starting the company? Tell me more about the idea behind “Paper & Tea”. “Sacred Emily” Tea – Copyright: Paper & Tea, Berlin It takes up to six infusions with durations between 30 seconds and two minutes before the tea leaves unfold their aroma. For the slow awakening of the tea leaves, called „Waking up the Leaves“, the teapot is getting preheated with hot water. The teapot is filled with 1-2 teaspoons per 250 ml which serves as a good reference amount. A legend tells that she lives on the moon among sweet blossoms, the Osmanthus petals. „Chang-e“ is a Chinese deity, the Chinese Moon Goddess. Let’s have a „ Chang-e“, an Oolong Tea with strong citrus and apricot notes of Osmanthus petals. Which tea do you recommend for a meeting like ours? Your Shop „Paper & Tea“ is a success story. In this moment, Jens de Gruyter is preparing an Osmanthus Oolong Tea for me. In their tea seminars, the staff impart knowledge and passion for contemporary tea culture. The large table in the adjacent room is the heart of tea seminars the expert team of “Paper & Tea” offers bi-weekly for private participants and companies. The small and elegant kitchen is a comfy tea space in the back of the shop. Jens de Gruyter in front of his store in Bleibtreustrasse, Berlin-Charlottenburg. I dive deeply into the cosm of tea and paper, clear and austere in its design. As soon as I have entered his rooms, noisy Kantstrasse nearby seems to be far away. I meet Jens on a busy Tuesday in March in Bleibtreustrasse, Charlottenburg. But it was not before 2012 that he started a business out of it: He opened his first „Paper & Tea“ store in Berlin. The German-Canadian tea expert grew up in Ontario, Canada, where his love to tea began to flourish early. Patience, sic, is not necessarily a capacity Europeans are known for. Countries like China, Korea, and Japan, where tea ceremonies have been existing for ages, teach us patience when it comes to tea. To make oneself familiar with the Asian tea culture is special and wonderful. Celebrating a good tea needs time, leisure, and the knowledge of its true promise. ![]() In his stores, the founder offers thoroughly curated products that match his own special story. Here it’s you that defines the route, however, you want: climbing, sliding, crawling … jumping.” To cater for all abilities and ages, both easier and more standard ways of moving around are provided but even then a visual connection is maintained throughout Ku.Be.You cherish paper and tea? Get to know Jens de Gruyter. “What would otherwise be a simple, mindless journey through the building turns into an exploration and discovery of movement. ![]() “In Ku.Be we tried to turn your average experience of a building on its head,” tells ADEPT co-founder, Martin Krogh. A net that spans several floors and hangs suspended over voids affords young, active users a tactile landscape by which to discover the building whilst slides and firefighter’s poles offer a fast way to get back down. For the adventurous, the Mousetrap, a vertical maze, provides a challenging transition from floor to floor. The Labyrinth gets people on their hands and knees clambering through a three-dimensional network of cubes from the second to third floor. The route through the building focuses on encouraging and fostering alternate forms of movement. It’s between these volumes where the real fun will happen, though spaces where we hint at a use, but which will become entirely user-defined.” The fast-pace rooms are perfect for dance or parkour, and zen rooms give you the contrast of yoga or meditation. “Larger volumes are suited to hold performances or public meetings, smaller ones can be for exhibitions or debates. “We designed Ku.Be to encourage the unexpected,” explains MVRDV co-founder Jacob van Rijs. ![]()
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