O TAO DO CHÁ
Tea as
a path.
WATER
LEAF
TIME
For me, tea has never been just a drink.
It is a way to slow down, notice, learn and be with other people. I begin with the leaf, water and time, but almost always end up talking about stories, places, gestures, art and what happens when we sit around a table.
O TAO DO CHÁ is where I share this path through courses, talks, experiences, writing and conversation.
Explore the experiences →Start hereRivane Ferreira serving tea
Where to begin.
Preparing tea
changes the scale
of time.
Tea is my starting point, not my destination. It is the language I chose to approach people and observe the world.
In a cup I find the origin of the leaf, the quality of water, the work of those who produce it and the gesture of those who serve. I also find memory, trade, hospitality, art and everyday choices.
These relationships shape the way I teach, write and bring people together around tea.
Experiences
Where to
begin.
Workshops and talks
Available for groupsLearn more →Teams and organisations
Tailored programmeLearn more →Four ways of looking at tea
This cup is yet to be served.Learn more →Rivane Ferreira
About
For more than two decades, I have returned to tea to study the world around a leaf.
I’m Rivane Ferreira, a Brazilian tea drinker, educator and textile artist based in Portugal.
I began studying tea in the United States in 2001. I continued in Brazil and, since 2018, in Portugal. I still taste, compare, read, travel and ask questions before sharing what I have learnt.
Discover my path ↘Recent appearances
Tea for
different audiences.
Lisbon Bar Show · 2026
From leaf to cup
Lisbon Coffee Week · 2026
Fica, Vai Ter Chá — uma viagem da folha ao copo
Porto Coffee Week · 2025
Fica, Vai Ter Chá
Tea Routes
What I learn
in each place.
Travel is also part of how I study. In Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and Thailand, I observed different ways of preparing, serving and living with tea. In the Azores, I visited a factory and followed the cultivation and transformation of the leaf at close range. In Dubai, I focused on tea houses, hotels and contemporary forms of hospitality.
See routes and journeys ↗Tea Notebook
The O TAO DO CHÁ
writing archive.
Articles, tastings and travel notes worth returning to beyond the day they were published.
Read the Notebook →Contact
Tell me what
you are planning.
I respond to enquiries about courses, talks, partnerships, press and editorial projects.