Author Archives: JeffFuchs

About JeffFuchs

Bio Having lived for most of the past decade in Asia, Fuchs’ work has centered on indigenous mountain cultures, oral histories with an obsessive interest in tea. His photos and stories have appeared on three continents in award-winning publications Kyoto Journal, TRVL, and Outpost Magazine, as well as The Spanish Expedition Society, The Earth, Silkroad Foundation, The China Post Newspaper, The Toronto Star, The South China Morning Post and Traveler amongst others. Various pieces of his work are part of private collections in Europe, North America and Asia and he serves as the Asian Editor at Large for Canada’s award-winning Outpost magazine. Fuchs is the Wild China Explorer of the Year for 2011 for sustainable exploration of the Himalayan Trade Routes. He recently completed a month long expedition a previously undocumented ancient nomadic salt route at 4,000 metres becoming the first westerner to travel the Tsa’lam ‘salt road’ through Qinghai. Fuchs has written on indigenous perspectives for UNESCO, and has having consulted for National Geographic. Fuchs is a member of the fabled Explorers Club, which supports sustainable exploration and research. Jeff has worked with schools and universities, giving talks on both the importance of oral traditions, tea and mountain cultures. He has spoken to the prestigious Spanish Geographic Society in Madrid on culture and trade through the Himalayas and his sold out talk at the Museum of Nature in Canada focused on the enduring importance of oral narratives and the Himalayan trade routes. His recently released book ‘The Ancient Tea Horse Road’ (Penguin-Viking Publishers) details his 8-month groundbreaking journey traveling and chronicling one of the world’s great trade routes, The Tea Horse Road. Fuchs is the first westerner to have completed the entire route stretching almost six thousand kilometers through the Himalayas a dozen cultures. He makes his home in ‘Shangrila’, northwestern Yunnan upon the eastern extension of the Himalayan range where tea and mountains abound; and where he leads expeditions the award winning ‘Tea Horse Road Journey’ with Wild China along portions of the Ancient Tea Horse Road. To keep fueled up for life Fuchs co-founded JalamTeas which keeps him deep in the green while high in the hills.

Gyokuro – A Small Immersion into Umami

The little cedar hand-crafted box had been brought by a friend Tomoyo from Japan and had been waiting to be opened for months. Tidy and scented, the box had remained in a room close to cakes of Puerh, leaves of … Continue reading

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The Tea Explorer – Film Night in NYC

Looking forward to this little tea infused event hosted by Museum of Tea and Floating Mountain in New York City. Director Andrew E.M. Gregg (aka “Legs) and myself will be calling in to chat and sip about our film, The … Continue reading

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Canadian Geographic Interview – A Revisit with the Tea Horse Road

A revisiting of the Tea Horse Road with Canadian Geographic for an interview Continue reading

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Puerh – A Sheng Takes the Palates

Snow has that wonderful natural ability to paint big swaths white, and slow everything down to a trickle. “Cooperate or perish” say many Himalayan inhabitants of the natural elements and their forces. Snow and Puerh seem an ideal way to … Continue reading

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Travelling Puerh and the ‘Nonsense’ Tea

Sometimes there are simple choices rendered simple. Long travel hours and days with bags, different rooms, and tents where the senses are happily blasted this way and that…different wake up views and different water supplies all contribute to making tea … Continue reading

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The Tea Explorer – Screening at Toronto Tea Festival

The Tea Explorer gets a screening at the 2018 Toronto Tea Festival. Continue reading

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Tea, Mountains and The Close of a Year. Tributes and Moments

A new year comes and some looking back at moments and a summoning back of experiences and people seems required to pay homage to time having passed. This contemplation isn’t something noble but rather something of appreciation, and it very … Continue reading

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International Tea Day – Lao Banzhang Mentor

Mr. Gao quietly sweats his way through the busy harvest seasons and isn’t caught up with the ‘hype’ that accompanies terminology. He and his hands and his ancestors have long known tea from the roots to the shoots and he creates masterpieces. Continue reading

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Puerh’s Ancient Cylinder – 竹面 – Zhú tǒng

The round cylinder of compressed Puerh, was formed using a bamboo husk and provided one of the most effective means of transporting tea along the Tea Horse Road. Continue reading

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Our Tea Explorer at Hawaii’s International Film Festival

The Tea Explorer screens at the Hawaii International Film Festival. Continue reading

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