The Tea Explorer (2017)

(On TV, July 2021) It’s fun to see someone nerding out in depth about a familiar but deep topic, and that’s exactly what Manotick-born explorer Jeff Fuchs does with tea during The Tea Explorer. The first part of the film takes us to China, where Fuchs describes the incredibly sophisticated tea culture over there (even though it’s currently being threatened by the rise of coffee as a favoured drink for young people). If you thought you knew about tea… you have a lot to learn, because this is a millennia-old culture echoing through today, and what Westerners think of as tea is, we’re told barely scratching the surface of what true connoisseurs know about the beverage. Fuchs treats the matter with enthusiasm and reverence, and it’s infectious. But the film’s true core comes in the second section, as Fuchs and a filmmaking crew led by writer-director-producer Andrew Gregg undertake a very long hike through one of the historical tea trading routes, walking through perilous mountains and crossing the territory of two dozen ethnic groups on the Tea Horse Road in order to mimic the way tea was traded for 1,300 years. Great landscapes are almost de rigueur for such a trek, and The Tea Explorer amply delivers. Among the film’s best moments is a walk through a tea tree orchard — taking us to the roots of something many of us take for granted. The key to a documentary on a niche topic is often the enthusiasm of the one telling us about it, and Fuchs makes a great host — friendly, knowledgeable and personable. Even if you’re not a tea drinker, there’s a lot to be fascinated about in The Tea Explorer.