A Bahraini woman plans to reintroduce Japanese tea to the kingdom in August with the opening of her tea shop in Mahooz, Gulf News reported.
Budoor Steele brought Asia closer to Bahrain by being one of the first to present Japanese tea ceremony “Chanoyu” or “Chado” to the kingdom back in 2008, when she opened her tea house Chawan in Amwaj.
She also sells Japanese teas online under her Chawan label, providing everyone in the world—including Filipinos—access to her products.
In 2011, Steele closed Chawan to pursue a scholarship for Masters in Japanese Humanities in Tokyo. This gave her an opportunity to further master tea making, and in turn, become a certified instructor.
Steele’s passion for Chanoyu began when she was teaching English to Japanese students in Japan, and one of her pupils’ mothers performed the ceremony for her. She studied under her wing before returning to Bahrain.
The reopening of Chawan, this time at Al Frieh Art Gallery, will be the first of many—according to Gulf News—as Steele also aims to launch other pop up locations in the kingdom to bring the experience closer to Bahrainis.
