Over 450 articles discussing every level of the tea industry
Are you dreaming of creating a tea business?
Have you ever dreamed of owning your own tea business? You imagine hosting friends and neighbors in your afternoon tearoom, serving your unique...
Want to know more about importing Japanese tea?
The tea industry in Japan has particularly benefited from such global restructuring, with tea export value increasing to the US, UK, and Netherlands...
Which tea event will you attend? How to choose the best tea Festival, Expo, Class or Tea Tour.
At this year's Global Tea Initiative (January 19, 2023), we celebrated the return of opportunities for tea people to gather in person and compare...
Popular Taiwanese Tea: Dong Ding Oolong
Recently I attended an event that I believe was a first of its kind here in Taiwan. The Nantou County Government sponsored the Lugu Farmers’ Association to host a public forum on the local specialized industry of Dong Ding Oolong Tea.
Tea Prediction of 2023: Evolution of a Livestream Influencer
My life has changed drastically over the past year after stepping into a career as a content creator as a professional Livestreamer. This experience...
Global Tea Initiative 2023 Colloquium – University of CA, Davis
8th Annual Global Tea Initiative Colloquium 2023 For eight years U.C. Davis has been building on its founding promise to build a multi-disciplinary...
What is Chabanare?
Chabanare may be a "tea" word that you've never heard before. In Japanese, there is a word meaning the decline of love for Japanese tea. Is there...
Understanding the Current Conflict Between the Tea Producers in Nepal and India
This article has been contributed by Nishchal Banskota, founder of the Nepal Tea Collective. The connection between the Darjeeling tea industry of...
Tea Fest PDX 2022
After so many events were canceled due to COVID-19, it was with much anticipation that I attended the 2022 Tea Fest PDX.
Vendor Use of Social Media for Tea Marketing
Facebook feed filtering and how to optimize use of social media posting for exposure.
Darjeeling Teas
The main problem with Darjeeling tea is quantity: there will never be enough to satisfy demand.
TeaBookClub: A Book Club for Tea Lovers
TeaBookClub is a virtual space for sharing knowledge, discussing industry topics, and to simply make friends.
Immortal Dew
I do have a favorite tea, and where it’s grown it doesn’t have a particular name. We call it Immortal Dew.
The “Teas” of Business
In a 2008 Business Week interview, Michael Gerber of E-Myth fame, noted: "I see an entrepreneur as the chief designer of a business that works...
Thai Wild-Origin Sheng
Preserving some of the oldest tea plants growing in Thailand and trying wild-origin sheng.
You Don’t Have to Break the Piggy Bank to Drink Great Tea; Health and Affordable
We've updated this article from the original Feb. 2011 publication because of how challenged we are in this economy to afford our "luxuries" like...
The History of Tea in Taiwan
If tea drinkers were asked to list their favorite teas and then told afterward that their tea choices provided a peek into their personalities, many would concede that there are plausible connections.
How the Scots Saved Ceylon
“The tea fields of Ceylon are as true a monument to courage as the lion is to Waterloo.”
The Benefits of Buying Organic Tea
When you buy organic tea you support the organic tea movement. Full stop. What is it that you’re supporting? Your purchase supports organic farmers who have the integrity of the earth in mind.
International Tea Day 2022
What is International Tea Day On December 19, 2019, the United Nations General Assembly declared May 21st an annual INTERNATIONAL TEA DAY. The UN...
Tea Blending; History and Advice from 1894
Tea blends come about for love or money. Some blends are classic creations shared across millennia, while others are the secret formulas of tea growers and merchants hoping to capture the affections of tea drinkers with their exclusive blends.
A Tea Tour and Conference Event in the Country of Georgia
An upcoming tea conference in Georgia, which reminded me of trying their tea.
Top Tea Bloggers of India
Three tea bloggers in India have taken to the platform in their enthusiasm for tea.
Midwest Tea Festival 2022 – The Review
What is it about Tea Festivals? May 7-8 was the first post-pandemic in-person tea festival. The Midwest Tea Festival was not only the first of 2022...
Pearl Dexter & Tea A Magazine
Who is Pearl Dexter? If you are a new tea lover, that your journey with specialty tea began after 2012, it can be understood that she flew under...
Tea and the Media; The Tea Spot’s Moment in the Spotlight
Adam Glasser includes a range of tea blends and steepware from The Tea Spot with, “I start my day, every morning having tea . . . I like to think of it as healthy.”
Midwest Tea Festival, May 7-8, 2022
Tea Festivals Are Back! The first festival of the year is just a month away. Sampling new teas, sipping long-time favorites and sharing the...
World Tea Expo 2022; Wrap-up Report From Tealand
For twenty years, the World Tea Expo has been the premier tea event in the U.S. Not only a gathering place for tea entrepreneurs, a training ground...
Interview with Angela McDonald
An interview with Angela McDonald, the owner of Oregon Tea Traders and President of US League of Tea Growers.
The Bamboo Whisk With a 500-Year History
The sole purpose of a chasen is to mix the powdered green tea called matcha with hot water.
Celebrating Twenty Years of Specialty Tea at World Tea Expo 2022
Celebrating 20 years of Specialty Tea in the U.S. this year’s Expo has benefits for all tea lovers as well as tea businesses.
Tea Prediction of 2022: Discovering the Metaverse
Every year I take great pleasure in reflecting on my thoughts on the future trends for the tea world in the coming year.
Want to Start a Tea Business?
Why do you want to start a tea business? This is the most important question you can ask yourself.
Tea In Antarctica; Tea Accompanies Explorers Around The World
Traveling with fearless explorers were boxes of tea to warm the body and the spirit.
What’s Your Rocky Mountain High?
The media’s exploding with news tidbits surrounding the progressive marijuana legislation in our mile-high state of Colorado. Food pairings, cooking with weed, herbal infusion blends – are all topics which you see in the headlines in our local papers.
Tea Talk; Honoring the Lineage of Tea Information and Education
Tea Talk; Remembering newsletter from 1993 on the pleasures of tea.
Global Tea Initiative; Bridging Science and Culture, Time and Space
Does tea help manage Covid symptoms? What herbs should be blended? Global Tea Initiative 2022 explores these questions.
7th Annual Global Tea Initiative Colloquium
This year’s theme is: “Tea and Beyond: Bridging Science and Culture, Time and Space.”
Understanding New Trends in Australian Tea Culture
The Australian Tea Market is currently at a stage of transition, with younger consumers beginning to appreciate specialty tea options rather than the standard black tea which is popular due to our British background
Giving a Gift of Tea
Ten suggestions to help you select a gift for the tea lover on your holiday list.
Getting the Grade on Matcha
The term ceremonial is overused in the West these days – everyone’s putting it on their packaging.
How to Start a Tea Company
Diane shares how she started California Tea and Herbal – be ready for lots of hard work, and never give up!
Ruhani Sandhu
“Every day I drink a different tea and I give my full attention to what I am drinking to focus on the flavors within it…”
SoFi Stadium’s Wikipedia Page
The stadium’s Wikipedia page provides a wealth of information. It mentions…
A Very Brief History of Iranian Tea
In recent months I came across two Iranian films: “A Separation”, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012, and a film entitled, “This Is Not a Film.”
James Norwood Pratt: the Origin of U.S. Tea Festivals
I think of our tea festivals in the United States, as an important chapter in our story as America is becoming a tea-consuming society. Something that we were not before.
PA Tea Festival 2021
The 6th Annual Pennsylvania Tea Festival took place in historic downtown Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania…
Wild Origin Teas and Adopting Foreign Tea Styles
Teas made from wild-origin forest-source plants, and producers adopting and interpreting foreign styles of tea.
Tea Vendor Promotion Through Social Media Channel Creation
I’ve mentioned a very successful pioneering case of social media channel creation before…
Jennifer Nowicki; Creator of Cultivate Taste, A Tea Salon
Jennifer Nowicki, creator and owner of her new tea salon, Cultivate Taste, is not new to owning a tea shop. But creating a new startup in a new...
Tips For Starting Your Own Tea Blend Business
If you have a passion for tea, you can make a profitable income selling your own tea blends.
Exploring World Tea Conference + EXPO 2021
World Tea Expo 2021 was unlike any of the previous nineteen. And that's putting it mildly. Last minute adjustments challenged everyone to "pivot"...
An Overview of Tea in Nepal
The tea heritage is gradually developing from east to west in Nepal as the most common means of hospitality in the workplace and for daily use at home.
Celebrate National Iced Tea Month
Today is the first day of Iced Tea Month and Thursday, June 10th is Iced Tea Day. According to Joe Simrany, past president of the Tea Association of...
Using the Term “Oriental” in Tea Names
It’s only a matter of time until “Oriental Beauty” (Taiwanese oolong) is no longer an acceptable tea name.
Women’s History Month in Tea
Since the beginning of Women’s History Month in 1978, there have been great advancements for women – particularly in tea.
The Contemporary Roles of Women in Tea; Focus on Nepal
Introducing a new feature - a video interview with a contributing author. A New View of Women In Tea Growing up in Nepal (a very male-dominated...
World Tea Expo: Virtual Summit 2021
Continuing their efforts to support specialty tea businesses, World Tea made an impressive Covid pivot last October with their first Virtual Summit...
True Tea Crimes
Unlawful operations in China strive to perfect the art of counterfeit teas, as well as other tea crimes.
Tea Tycoons 2010: World Tea Media Honors New Tea Industry Entrepreneurs
You might think of it as the "Shark Tank" of the tea industry. Seventy-eight new tea businesses submitted their creative new ideas for judging in...
A Love Story of Tea and Business
Kelly and Bryan Hackman, a tea sommelier and a craft brewer, are working together to grow their mutual businesses.
Tea Trends of 2021 – Scarcity
In scarcity we are all going to become wiser and more appreciative tea people.
Vincent Liu: Tea Enthusiast Creates the MyTeaPal App
Vincent Liu has created MyTeaPal, an app that helps tea enthusiasts organize their daily tea practice.
Tea Towels: Tea Art & History
Collecting Tea Towels A dear tea-loving friend introduced me to the idea of collecting tea towels. Before that, I assumed that tea towels were just...
Aesthete Tea
A week ago, a dear friend gifted me with an ounce of Aesthete Tea’s Golden Milk. The tisane is a warming and heady blend, filling me with its...
Interview With Rajiv Lochan Regarding the Pandemic
Lochan Tea is experiencing the pandemic as a tea grower, processor, and exporter. Contacted via email, Rajiv Lochan kindly agreed to share the...
2020 International Virtual Tea Festival – Registration and Classes
Need a wonderful tea distraction this weekend? We know that this has been an exhausting year, especially the last few months. But we have a tea for...
Interview: Olive Leaf Tea
We recently got the chance to learn a little bit about olive leaf tea from Barbara Hare, co-owner of Baroness Olive Oil. Please enjoy! ( Please note...
2020 International Virtual Tea Festival – Educational and Entertainment Program
Current Event Statistics Attendee Count: 1356 and counting (777 w/ swag boxes - final #)Vendors, Booth Staff, Speakers & Guest Speakers:...
Biodiversity Research and Wild Origin Teas – Part 2
Continued from Biodiversity Research and Wild Origin Teas – Part 1Alexey and Kenneth discussed a related concern: When farming using pesticide...
Biodiversity Research and Wild Origin Teas – Part 1
These types of themes usually run in just one direction, tied to a vendor claiming that their tea is “wild sourced” from naturally-growing plants in...
World Tea Media Best Of Award Winners
World Tea Media’s virtual event was the platform for their announcement of this year’s winners in 10 different categories. The T Ching team, as a...
Ready-to-Drink Tea Poised to Surge
Convenience. It is convenience that drove humankind to many of the improvements we now take for granted. Clean water is as easy as opening a...
2020 International Virtual Tea Festival
Invitation to our Virtual Tealand With so much going on in the real world, it’s time to gather -- as best we can -- in Tealand. Join us for two days...
Tea Education for Tea Professionals
There is no shortage of professional tea education options across this globe. As you choose to expand your knowledge of tea and prepare for a...
How can a tea festival be virtual?
The 2020 International Virtual Tea Festival (was the Chicago International Tea Festival) can now build on what some of the other tea organizations have done over the last six months, IVTF is offering a weekend tea marketplace along with meetings and webinars and some interactive fun.
Drinking Tea Virtually
Guest contribution by: Jennifer Brenner, Director of TeaFestPDX For many of us who run tea festivals, it was a hard decision this year to cancel...
The Marginalized Lives and Stories of Tea
The history of tea is filled with folklore and epic international conflicts which often fetishize the harsh realities for the individuals actually...
A Vision For the Future of Western Tea Culture
Freelance contribution by: Leonard Nima Imagine for a moment a future full of enlightened people, educated with the times and having developed a...
What Is the Value of an American Tea Farm?
My friend, California tea farmer Mike Fritts, called me last week with a request for help. I would like to ask for your thoughts and input by...
Survey of Chinese Tea Industry by HJC – Part 2
Guest Contribution by Max Chiang Senior International Marketing Manager | Int'l Dept | HJC GroupContinued from Survey of Chinese Tea Industry by HJC...
Survey of Chinese Tea Industry by HJC – Part 1
Guest Contribution by Max Chiang Senior International Marketing Manager | Int'l Dept | HJC GroupA few days ago, each big tea market officially...
Chinese Tea Producers Talk About Coronavirus Experiences – Part 3
Continued from Chinese Tea Producers Talk About Coronavirus Experiences - Part 2 I personally am not so worried about paying more for tea, although...
Chinese Tea Producers Talk About Coronavirus Experiences – Part 2
Continued from Chinese Tea Producers Talk About Coronavirus Experiences – Part 1 I just saw a Facebook post warning that business layoffs in the US...
Chinese Tea Producers Talk About Coronavirus Experiences – Part 1
This title sounds a bit more extensive than the post will be. I asked a few online friends in China (contacts, if you'd rather) about their...
Is Specialty Tea Having a Moment?
This theme comes up so often that I had to check whether I've written about it here. Nope; I wrote a blog post about tea popularity and tea...
Tea Trends of 2020
Every year I write this article with enthusiasm for a world of possibilities for tea in the coming year, but this year is a little different. 2020...
Shenzhen Series, Second Installment: The Shenzhen Global Tea Fair
If, like me, you use online search tools to plan tea experiences when you travel, you would be as mislead as I was when you consider China. And if...
Shenzhen Series, First Installment: Economics and the Price of Tea
For several years now we have been hearing that the changing economy in China has increased the demand for high-end teas in their domestic market to...
Tea is the Life of the Party
The past eight years of my life have been a continuous tea party. I didn’t pursue this life because I loved tea, I pursued this life because I want...
NW Tea Festival Seattle 2019 – What it is Like to be a Vendor at a Famous Expo – Part 2
Continued from NW Tea Festival Seattle 2019 – What it is Like to be a Vendor at a Famous Expo - Part 1 Event Day We came early before the event to...
NW Tea Festival Seattle 2019 – What it is Like to be a Vendor at a Famous Expo – Part 1
On September 28, 2019, one of the most popular and leading-edge consumer tea expos in the world was held in Seattle, WA. This is the 12th year of...
Where Are All The Tea Shops In America?
Freelance contribution by: Lucy Wyndham There are 159 million Americans that drink tea on a regular basis, in comparison to 150 million...
Pu’er-Like Teas From Southeast Asia – Part 3
Continued from Pu’er-Like Teas From Southeast Asia - Part 2 Kokang, Myanmar "pu'er": I just met this producer at a Bangkok expo, and reviewed...
Pu’er-Like Teas From Southeast Asia – Part 2
Continued from Pu’er-Like Teas From Southeast Asia - Part 1 Hatvala, in Vietnam: one of my favorite vendors for selling an interesting range...
Pu’er-Like Teas From Southeast Asia – Part 1
I tend to talk about teas version by version, or maybe source by source, or at most type by type. A question came up in a tea group (in the...
My First Tea Festival and Other Exciting Firsts
Despite the fact that I’ve been the Managing Editor for T Ching for almost two years, I never had the opportunity to attend one of the many amazing...
Japanese Green Tea Company at Portland Tea Festival 2019 – Part 2
Continued from Japanese Green Tea Company at Portland Tea Festival 2019 - Part 1 We were excited to be part of Portland Tea Festival (Tea...
Japanese Green Tea Company at Portland Tea Festival 2019 – Part 1
We were excited to be part of Portland Tea Festival (Tea Fest PDX) which was held on July 20th 2019 at World Forestry Center in...
A Standard of Transparency
The tea market and the industry have made it clear that transparency is the way of the future - but what is transparency? I have been building a...
Los Angeles Tea Festival
“Your Passport to the World of Tea” LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The Los Angeles Tea Festival comes to Los Angeles on August 10th and 11th as one of the...
Alert! Tariffs Are Coming to Tea!
For all of those who enjoy Chinese teas: Houston we have a problem! With the latest round of tariffs set to go into effect in June, tea from China...
Modern Mechanical Tea Harvest
Author on the Japanese mechanical tea harvester Ureshino City, Japan Ureshino is the home of the oldest tea tree in Japan -- planted 400 years ago...
First Annual Chicago International Tea Festival
( With this post, we introduce a new category: Tea Festivals ~ editor ) Premieres November 1-3, 2019 The first annual Chicago International Tea...
Bottled Tea: Convenient, But Will It Last?
There is a trend - especially among millennials - around convenience and delivery. We are seeing the rapid rise of companies like grub hub, door...
Google Trends Review of Tea Trends – Part 2
Continued from Google Trends Review of Tea Trends - Part 1 I'll try to extract a few subjects to check on from that World Tea News article. They...
Google Trends Review of Tea Trends – Part 1
This subject comes up at the beginning of every year: What's new in tea and what's changing (as in this World Tea News article covers). Usually,...
Drones Support 21st Century Tea Cultivation
I got an upset call from my daughter the other day. She was disturbed by the presence of a drone that was flying above her house. I'm not sure what...
Tea Trends of 2019: Immersive Tea Experiences
Every year I reflect on the major changes and shifts I am seeing around me in the tea universe. My 2016 (Transparency) and 2018 (Death of Direct...
Kyobancha, the Winter Warmer
Return to T Ching Classics: Winter Tea There’s nothing like the smell of a wood-burning open fire in the dead of winter to make you feel warm and...
Spilling the Tea: Behind the Tea – Part 2
In conclusion of yesterday's post Spilling the Tea: Behind the Tea - Part 1 I was curious to find out about the Tea Research Institute and their...
Spilling the Tea: Behind the Tea – Part 1
"Spilling the Tea" seems to be a phrase associated with drag culture – especially if you watch any episodes of "Ru Paul's Drag Race". If you've...
How much would you spend to advertise in the New Yorker Magazine?
As a former east coaster who has been living in Hood River, Oregon for 15 years, I can't totally detach myself from New York. I LOVE Oregon but...
Genetic Mutation Creates A Caffeine Free Green Tea
I was enjoying reading the recent World Tea News report when I saw a very interesting story about a rare wild tea plant. Growing at elevations of...
Top Beverage Picks for 2019
I'm always fascinated to learn what the beverage industry thinks is going to be a hit each year. 2019 is predicted to be even more exciting then...
teaBOT Is Missing
The teaBOT team describes its creation, via website, as: “...robotic kiosks that allow users to order a custom cup of loose-leaf tea and share their...
Major Green Tea Manufacturers in Japan – Part 2
Continued from yesterday's post Ueshima Coffee Company: Not Just Coffee Anymore Ueshima Coffee Company, or UCC, originated the canned coffee...
Major Green Tea Manufacturers in Japan – Part 1
Ito En, the Originator Ito En is Japan’s #1 manufacturer of canned and bottled green tea products. The company was the first to make a canned green...
Five Years of Blogging About Tea
It’s been five years that I’ve been writing a blog about tea–the time flies. I wrote about how tea culture seems to be changing last year so I’ll go into how my own perspective and experience of tea has changed instead.
Darjeeling Strike: The Aftermath
This time last year was very exciting in the Darjeeling region of India, the home of rolling tea hills and the fierce and friendly Gorkha culture....
Narendra Kumar Gurung on Developing Local Tea Production in Nepal – Part 2
Continued from yesterday's post Narendra Kumar Gurung on Developing Local Tea Production in Nepal - Part 1 In what way has the market for higher...
Narendra Kumar Gurung on Developing Local Tea Production in Nepal – Part 1
I recently talked with Narendra Kumar Gurung about tea production in Nepal. He has a limited history of working within that...
Shining the Spotlight on Great Japanese Cultivars – Part Two
Continued from Shining the Spotlight on Great Japanese Cultivars - Part One Gokou This elite variety is reserved for Gyokuro and is not widely...
Shining the Spotlight on Great Japanese Cultivars – Part One
When I was young and living in Nagoya, drinking literally gallons of Japanese green tea, I didn’t know there was a difference in green teas and the...
What Tea Consumers Should Be Aware Of
Food production over the last century has taken a turn for the better, new technology allows many industries to mass produce food or beverages as...
Tea and the Concept of Experience Economy
I recently attended an Adobe software conference tied to the theme of experience business or experience economy. The general idea behind that...
An Uncertain Future for Tea: Lesson from the 2018 Global Tea Initiative Symposium
One of the greatest honors of my tea journey has been the invitation to share my experience and learnings about the business and sustainability of...
Natural and Artificial Flavors – Part Two
Continued from Natural and Artificial Flavors - Part One What about artificial flavors in tea? Then there are artificial flavors, and it is a...
Natural and Artificial Flavors – Part One
Flavoring tea has been around a long time, and originally flowers and other fragrant botanicals were layered in the tea which readily absorbed their...
Pesticides in my brew? Ewwwww
Most tea geeks agree that whole leaf tea is far superior to the highly processed stuff found in tea bags. Even within the remarkable variety of...
An Assam Tea Grower On Orthodox Processing and Sustainability
I recently met an Assam tea grower who was visiting Bangkok, and we talked a bit about his personal history with tea, about sustainability, organic...
China Tea Fairs
China is not only the origin of tea but is the largest tea producer, consumer, and marketer in the world. Where the Western tea-consuming countries...
Wild Organic Yuzu-cha
When you scan the grocery tea isles in the West, one thing that stands out is the growing trend in flavored green teas. There’s mint, pomegranate,...
How A Japanese Tea Farm is Fighting Against Japan’s Biggest Problem – Age – Part Two
This is part two, continued from yesterday. How A Japanese Tea Farmer is trying to revolutionize the tea industry Arahataen’s newest and biggest...
How A Japanese Tea Farm is Fighting Against Japan’s Biggest Problem – Age – Part One
The Japanese tea industry is facing a huge problem. This problem is hitting many of the respected tea farmers who have been in the industry for...
FUNmatsucha
The real joy of being based in Japan and sourcing teas directly from farmers and wholesalers is that we get to see behind the scenes. We get...
Craft Tea
Are you familiar with H.R. 1337? It was signed by President Jimmy Carter only four decades ago, in 1978, and contains the following amendment:...
Tea Trend of 2018: The Death of Direct Trade
In 2016 I forecasted that the major trend of the year would be “transparency” for the tea industry. This time in 2017 I was writing a series on...
Shiraore or Karigane?
The answer is BOTH! It’s a regional thing: Shiraore is for folks in Kyushu, while those posh folks from Kyoto call it Karigane! Both come under the...
Exploring the Green Tea Smoothie Revolution in Japan
Trends have a way of taking something relatively obscure and pushing it through a "coolness" filter. The latest trend, the green tea smoothie, has...
Swadeshi
Chai has become one of the common parts of India’s culture. The fingerprint of India’s culture is Masala Chai; every home possessing their own custom blend of spices and deeply brewed, brisk black tea. It’s always offered to guests and consumed on a daily basis to satiate and connect with a culture.
What Number Is Your Tea?
As the season changes here in Japan, you never quite know whether to bring an umbrella or pull out the sunscreen. But one thing is for sure...it’s...
Rajiv Lochan and Doke
Rajiv Lochan was born in a tea garden in December 1953, and ever since has tried to do something different. Destiny took him to different corners of...
Tell us about your favorite tea shop!
Most of us in the tea-loving community have that one tea shop they love to go to. Maybe they make the best cup of tea in town. Maybe they have the...
How does a tea hunter hunt for tea?
I’m a Tea Hunter living in Kyushu. It’s here where some of the very best Japanese tea leaves are grown, processed, blended and produced. But the...
More direct tea sourcing
This is an edited section of a very long write-up about Tea Advice for Beginners. The general theme is more direct vendor sourcing options--how to...
The first Spanish tea harvest
An online friend, Alicia Ocha, was recently a part of the first commercial tea harvest and production in Spain. That is, as far as she knows, but...
Heavy metals in tea?
We all know the health benefits of tea, and in most cases there are few side effects unless you drink in extreme quantities. Heavy metal exposure,...
What is Sustainability for Tea – Solutions
Tea is much more than steeping of leaves in hot water. There is much that goes into this product that has become an international symbol of health,...
Not So Green Anymore?
by GV Shashidhar Middle Eastern imports at 218,470 metric tons of tea in 2015 compared to 226,930 in 2014. In 2010, it was 250,000 metric tons of...
Tea group buying & the Sheng Olympiad: an interview with Andrew Richardson of Liquid Proust Teas
I’ve not written about non-standard tea sourcing before. A blog post citation from Cwyn's Death by Tea identifies the background: “More and more...
Moving on in business
A short time ago, I received my final K-1 on a business a female partner and I incorporated in 2004. The business plan was tight, the recipes I'd...
What is Sustainability for Tea: Economics
In 2017 we can still enjoy a cup of artisanally made tea, but for how long will this be possible, and what are the actionable steps we can take to...
New winds blowing in the world of tea: Rangsaa Tea
It’s as if a breath of fresh air has entered my tea cabinet in the form of a new line of teas, leavened with an element of fun, subverting the...
The Amazing Revolution of the Afternoon Tea
We here who love specialty tea, and especially those who are in the industry themselves, are understandably on a real high right now as we see...
Danger Looms In China’s Ancient Forests
This is the first in a series by Curtis Frierson of oldgrowthtea.com on environmental issues relating to the tea industry. Preserving China's Old...
Crunch time for loose leaf Japanese green tea
Noriyuki Teshima, 33 years old, is a rarity in the world of Japanese green tea. Rather than head to the city for a more cosmopolitan job and way of...
Doke & Japan
Astringency in India teas - be it Darjeeling or green teas - makes them less attractive to the people of China & Japan. But this time during...
What is Sustainability for Tea: Society
The international tea industry has grown an extreme interest in the topic of sustainability, but there remain many uncertainties as to how...
A Sencha with a Twist
As you probably already know, Shizuoka is one of the largest tea producing regions in Japan. At the end of October, the city hosted its tri-annual...
Are the Fancy Grades of Tea Worth the Price?
Super fine grade, #1, #3, Royal Grade, Supreme ....so many terms! In most instances, these terms affect the price. There is no global standard...
What is Sustainability for Tea – Environment
I recently gave a presentation at the Northwest Tea Festival titled “How to Support Sustainability in Tea.” The hosts were gracious enough to lend...
About Thai Teas and Tea in Thailand
I presented about Thai teas at an unusual type of expat meet-up event in Bangkok a month ago, described here, and I just realized that I've never...
Behind the Scenes at the Tea Auction
Earlier this month I had the privilege of being invited to the members-only Kyushu Tea Auction in Oita city. This is where qualified tea merchants...
Merrill J. Fernando, Dilmah Tea – A Sri Lankan Tea Hero
He is the founder of one of the 10th largest specialty tea brands in the world and hotelier with several resorts and growing, the epitome of a man...
A Threat to Specialty Tea – Food Safety Modernization Act
I left a career as a food scientist and quality control supervisor in 2010. When I entered the tea industry in 2012 I was confident in my ability to...
Japanese Green Tea: The Inside Story
Over the last year and a half, Chiki Tea has become increasingly well-known in local tea-producing circles around Kyushu island--Oita prefecture in...
The New Tea Party
Over the past decade or so music festivals around the world have seen more and more tea lounges and tea servers. These welcome additions to the art...
Finally…Good Tea in Food Service
How many times has the subject of really lousy tea in hotels, restaurants, and other foodservice venues come up here at TChing? It has been a huge...
From Teaopia to CitizenTea
Does the name David Bellisario sound familiar? If not, does the name Teaopia? Teavana? How about Starbucks? If the name Starbucks doesn't, we...
It’s Time to CHILL!
Japan boasts a tapestry of some of the most beautiful seasonal landscapes in the world. Imagine the snow covered pagodas of Kyoto in winter, then...
Tea Evaluation and Scoring
News about a tea competition results awhile back started me considering what a tea competition evaluation and scoring process might be like. As my...
Weather and Tea
I've recently noticed articles on how climate change is affecting the production of tea. First, I noted an article on Assam's tea production being...
A Taste of Ikigai: From Pluck to Pour – Part Three
The sun began to rise and I with it. My current lifestyle is an exercise in regularity and balance. “Early to bed early to rise…” goes the saying. Admittedly, it wasn’t all that difficult seeing as we had a final roasting to do and a tea tasting to enjoy! We cupped seven or so different teas all before they got their final touches from the farmer.
18 Tea Franchises… Or Are They?
Recently I read an article in Small Biz Trends titled 18 Tea Franchises to Challenge Teavana. They could have added 'to challenge David's Tea or...
A Taste of Ikigai: From Pluck to Pour – Part Two
On a fine, almostspring Hawaiian morning, I set out with friend in tow from Hawi to Honoka’a, from the desert of the dry side of the Big Island to the foodproducing rainforest side. I really couldn’t believe I was going to get to pick and process my own tea. It would be quite the understatement to say I was excited.
Shaken, not Stirred!
Kyushu is as solid as a rock! We may be shaken but we are not stirred... The ongoing earthquakes certainly make for interesting fodder over endless...
Tea and Buddha
The following is an excerpt from a talk I gave recently: Where there is tea there has to be Buddha. The legend says it was the eyelids which were...
When Technology Meets Traditional Tea: Change is Brewin’
True tea lovers know that while the act of brewing tea appears to be a simple process, it’s actually just the opposite. Tea is sensitive to...
Tea Trend of 2016: Transparency
With the recent announcement of the closing of the majority of Starbucks’ Teavana Tea Bars, some may be saying the “tea trend” is dying, but this is...
A Bridge of Tea
On January 11th, 2016 at the Delhi Book Fair a Dialogue over Chinese and Indian Black Tea was held where I and Prof. Wang Xufeng, Dean of Tea...
Spills and Thrills: Tea-Time Theatre
Murder, mystery and mayhem? Romance and raucous? Drama, comedy, tragedy, and excitement for sure! All while having tea? Of course! Why not bring...
Tea Culture
If I divide my life into segments, then broadly speaking I can categorize the first twenty years for education, the second twenty for growing tea,...
Tea Festival Life
Recently I went to my twelfth tea festival since I started Tealet in 2012. The LA International Tea Festival was a lively congregation of local and...
Sugar
YI - Young India - is a branch of the CII - Confederation of Indian Industry - meant to develop leadership qualities in budding entrepreneurs. We...
The Elusive Tea Retail Concept
Dan Bolton is a writer who has covered tea stories for many publications, including World Tea News. I always enjoy reading what he has to say about...
Just Building a Tea Shop!
When “bending like bamboo reed” as the saying goes, sometimes you have no clue where the wind will take you. That was us at the beginning of last...
Keep Calm and Carry on Plucking
November is the time of year when Hindus the world over celebrate the festival of Deepvali or Diwali. Deepvali is the festival of lights. It is...
Creating the Sorapot
By Joey Roth As a designer, tea has always fascinated me. Its simplicity belies the universe of experience it contains. I designed the Sorapot to...
“Good Morning, Gentlemen…”
..and the ladies were forgotten inconveniently by me when I stood up to address the house on the morning of November 7th, the second day of the...
A Tea Mission
Every tea lover to some degree has taken it upon themselves to introduce the tranquility and community of tea to others around them. It is an...
Dragonwell: When it’s Good, it’s Really Good!
To be honest, I was not a fan of Longjing (A.K.A. Dragonwell) for quite some time. I knew what the profile was supposed to be and it seems like none...
Interview: Conundrum Tea
In September of 2015, a new tea vendor called Conundrum Tea launched. I was able to try some of their teas when they launched, and really enjoyed...
Redesigning Tea History: Letting Go of a Culture That is Not Our Own
This is likely a topic that angers most and encourages others, especially in the world of tea. There is so much behind tea and so much more than the...
Tea is Our Lifeblood
A few weeks ago the Tea Board of India announced that 75% of tea producers in West Bengal (home of Darjeeling) were operating at a loss. An even...
It’s the Spiciest Time of the Year!
Return to T Ching Classics: ChaiDon't you love Fall? I'm a Fall person. I love the leaves falling, the crisp freshness and the slight chill in the...
Tea Certificate
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many more social media sites have done unparallelled work for the cause of innumerable tea businesses all over the...
Japan: The Race Against Bottled Teas
It’s hard to believe that in a country with such spectacular tea, loose leaf tea consumption has been declining over the last 20 years. In fact,...
The Darkness of Tea
As readers of this blog are aware, or soon will be, the world of tea is ancient, diverse, and deep. The same can be said of tea’s homeland, China,...
Why We Left London for the Japanese Countryside
It was February 2013 when I decided we needed to relocate Chiki Tea to Japan. On returning from a two week trip around the country, sourcing teas...
History Repeats Itself
A friend called today very concerned about something. Another posted a link on my Facebook. The concern was this BBC post about Assam and the...
From Russia With Love — The End of an Era of Russian Teas
Sir Thomas Lipton, the creator of Lipton Tea, single-handedly put Ceylon Tea on the global map. Lipton Tea prided itself in providing its drinkers...
What Does Your Business Say About You?
When we had our retail store in Temecula, California, it was our first long-term experience in retailing, and we were novices at retail...
Life of a Tea Worker
A heated debate is going on in India whether or not the tea worker is paid ‘minimum wage’ as prescribed by the annals of Government. The employers...
The Japanese Green Tea Cafe Project
At a press conference held in Nagasaki Prefecture this past April, Japanese Green Tea Café Project's stakeholders announced their plan of opening 50...
Opening a Tea Store… Is That Your Dream? Part 2
Running a great business on a shoestring is no easy task. Well-known chefs usually have an investor or partner(s) to establish their restaurant...
Opening a Tea Store… Is That Your Dream? Part 1
A preacher I love to listen to often recites this little poem: "Great it is to dream the dream when you stand in youth by the starry stream. But a...
Terminology of High Quality Tea
This past World Tea Expo, I had the great honor of joining a panel of experts that discussed the need and opportunity for standards of excellence...
The Advent of “Big Tea”
When the thought of tea jumps into mind, even in this day where the leaf seems to be cropping up everywhere, we think of quiet solitary times, times...
Why Not Splash a Bit of Tea Behind Your Ears?
Artisanal teas are one of those bandwagons that just keeps getting bigger and better every year, so it should come as no surprise that the legions of admirers climbing on board are growing too. As often happens with…
The Economic Future of Direct Trade Tea: A Look at Chinese Quality Tea
The sustainability of the commodity tea industry is in question as the cost of production continues to grow and the global market price of tea has...
Recognizing the Leaf
We two - India and China - have a strange relation when it comes to tea. We have nothing in common except that tea came to India from China and was...
Tea Goes Public
Two retail specialty tea concepts have become public companies since 2011. One was Teavana, now owned by Starbucks, and one very recently joined...
Gold, Silver, and Pu’er Tea
Investment: The action of process of investing money for profit or material result. (dictionary.com) As a boy, I would go to book collector events ...
LA’s “Restaurant Week” Features Tea Desserts
One would think that for a cosmopolitan city like Los Angeles, its bi-annual dineLA Restaurant Week event would have a decades-long history. Not so. The very first Restaurant Week was held in 2008, less than ten years ago.
We All Love Tea, We May Just See It Differently
If we’re here as contributors, readers or both, it’s most likely because we are fans of tea. Chef Wemischner loves to be creative with tea in recipes. Ifang Hsieh enjoys traveling and finding new tea experiences. Michelle Rabin appreciates the health and relaxation benefits
Backyard tea growing
A few years ago, my sister gave me a dozen Indian tea seeds as a Christmas present. I had no idea how to go about growing a tea seed and I let them sit in my tea cabinet for 6 months. About that time, I started hearing about US grown tea
Flashback Friday: tea and breakfast!
Many of us love to start our day with tea. Just tea! The variety of choices here is as wide as the world of tea! Many people like to start their day with a green or an oolong tea, but there are others of us who prefer to hit the morning hours with a nice strong pot of Pu’erh, Assam, or Breakfast Blend. Some of this choice has to do with flavor preferences,
World Tea Expo 2015
Air is the key to the success in tea business – this is what I learned on this trip. Air helps deliver the fresh tea in the water – which is the mother of tea. This may sound new to many in the trade, but it is the truth. Removal of moisture from green leaf is the manufacture of tea, whereas addition of moisture back is the brewing of tea. This whole process of moisture removal and addition is to give shelf life while keeping the desired
Nepal earthquake: tea reaches out
Two devastating earthquakes occurred in Nepal between April 25 and May 13. Words fail to describe the loss of life, damage to thousands of sites secular and sacred, injury – and the difficulty for victims accessing fresh water, food, medical attention, and basic supplies.
Youth choose TEA
When I started T Ching back in 2006, it was a direct result of my growing awareness about the health benefits of tea. Those of you who ever clicked on “about us,” are aware of this mission: “T Ching was born out of a concern for the declining state of health in the United States and abroad and the recognition that drinking tea was a simple and effective
Ten years of tea lovin’
Los Angeles is well known for hosting events, galas, extravaganzas, concerts, and festivals, but the TEA LOVERS FESTIVAL can now boast an entire decade dedicated solely to tea lovers. Kulov Communications did it again the first weekend in May in Pasadena, Ca with grand success!
Tea infused candy the next big thing?
I’ve been reading about tea for years and working with tea for years. The absolute breadth of possibilities with tea is amazing and one application is in candy-making. We carried tea-infused bars when we had our store in Temecula years ago, but it’s been
Speaking of tea
On our trip out to Doke Tea Farm in Bihar, we picked some leaves that were transported back to Siliguri. They get left out for 18 hours then frozen for no fewer than 18 hours. They are then rolled and dried using a very innovative process involving a hair dryer and a wooden box lined with metal.
A brief outline of standards for Specialty Tea
Since last November, I have been talking to a broad spectrum of people about standards for quality. Through these discussions, I have interacted with a wide and varied demographic – from consumers to producers and every group in between. What has been most surprising to me is just how many people had only a vague idea about what
Importance of seedling
There are an infinite variety of tea bushes found around the world. With the aid of modern science, planters have been looking at harvesting tea from certain types of bush found desirable for their specific needs. Some of these specifics are:
The specialty tea manifesto
The tea industry is a fifty billion dollar a year business whose fastest growing sector is called ‘Specialty Tea.’ ‘Specialty Tea.’ must be defined to establish value and give meaning to the term.
US League of tea growers membership drive
Brookhaven, MS – The US League of Tea Growers (USLTG) is excited to announce we will begin accepting members in April 2015! There are a number of levels to meet membership needs, and by becoming a member you are providing the much needed funds to assist in the mission of the league:
ITCC at WTE in LB . . . and other acronyms
For tea lovers attending the World Tea Expo in Long Beach May 6-8, ITCC (International Tea Cuppers Club) will host their 6th Annual Cup Warming event. This year, the tea tasting social will be conducted on the main events stage on Friday, May 8, from 1:00 – 2:00.
Tea travels
Tribute teas were prepared for the emperors. To do that, the leaf plucked had to be of the finest type which were then shaped by the most skillful fingers of the artisans. It was this message that Austin Hodge carried to India during his first trip to India during March of 2015. His message was heard loud and clear by the Tea Board of India and Tea Research
The fading tea fields of Sri Lanka
During this year’s sourcing trip through Sri Lanka I took a passenger train from Ella to Colombo. The train was packed with locals in transit and tourists lining up along the window sills to snap photos of the picturesque countryside of the island nation.
The memorial service for Steven Smith
My dad, born in 1917, was a guy who used handkerchiefs. Along with hats, handkerchiefs were his constant companions. I remember on a bad allergy day, he would wave the hankie out the window while driving the car to help dry it out. One particularly stuffy day in Florence, Italy, we noticed cars pulling over and letting us pass. Apparently a white flag
The online tea companies bubble!
I have been closely associated with the tea industry for 17 years now. The change in the speciality tea industry has been one of the most noticeable new achievements for our small tea world.
The next wave for tea?
This morning I read an article by Jacob Jeber, son of Phil Jeber of Philz Coffee. If you haven’t heard of Philz yet, you probably will very soon. They just received a huge infusion of venture capital from people who normally invest only in technology, people like top executives in companies such as Yahoo.
He will be missed
It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of Steve Smith on Monday. As I was unaware that he had been suffering with liver cancer, I was caught completely off guard by the news of his death. I’ve felt a cloud hovering over me all day. I can’t stop thinking about this wonderful man and his contribution to tea both in Oregon,
World Tea Expo Excitement!
Here we go again! Education, enthusiasm, entrepreneurship, and yes, excitement as the World Tea Expo approaches once again in Long Beach, California!
Last chance to vote for T Ching!
Don’t you hate those on-line surveys which ask you to do one thing, and just a click and a half later you are in a maze of self-help windows? Just one tentative click – and Whooooosh. The survey to nominate the Bests,
The tea boat to China
Today I sold my car. Tomorrow I’m going to pack up my house and put all my belongings in storage. At 9 AM the following day I’m going to get on a plane for Taiwan. I plan to spend several days there finding tea farms and teaware, and then take an actual boat across the Strait of Taiwan to mainland China.
Let your voice be heard
t’s that time of year again. The World Tea Expo is holding its nominations for the BEST in 10 distinct categories:
TBF: Real fake Anshun?
With its endless mountains, abundant rainfall and pure environment, China’s Southwest Guizhou (Gway Joe) province is a perfect location for growing tea bushes. However, despite a long history of tea cultivation, the province is little known in the West. Even within China it takes a distant back seat to other places like Yunnan, Sichuan, Fujian and Zhejiang.
US Tea Growing: new agribusiness brewing up a storm!
Mt. Vernon, Texas – Can you grow tea in the US? Yes! A recent tour of Southern US tea estates by growers, educators, retailers, and enthusiasts proves that a giant is about to awaken. According to consumer goods research firm, Packaged Facts, domestic tea sales at restaurants, grocery stores, and shops are up nearly 32% from 2007. Sales last
Bihar: the untapped potential
When the Indian Tea Board declared four blocks of the Kishangunj district, namely Pothia, Thakurgunj, Bahadurgunj, and Kishangunj itself (from the far northeastern corner of Bihar bordering with North Bengal and Eastern Nepal) in 1999 as a non-traditional tea growing area
What is commodity tea?
In my last post I discussed the various definitions of specialty tea with little to no resolution of what ultimately defines specialty tea. Since then, I have spoken with many leaders in the tea industry who have given me the idea that one may be better able to understand specialty tea if they first understand commodity tea.
Tea is a rising star
It is with great pleasure that I report on the American Botanical Council’s Tea Report: 2014 has been a banner year with record breaking numbers in the U.S. Of particular interest to me is the strong showing for loose leaf green and white teas.
Sisters in tea: Siliguri and Lincang
There is no doubt of the fact that Yunnan is the natural apogee of tea in the whole world given the location of world’s oldest tea tree in Fengqing, and tea trade routes going back several millennia.
western quality season
Sri Lanka’s Dimbula region always inspires me. This beautiful region is found in the western part of the island. While the Dimbula region is home to some excellent tea producing sub districts such as the Golden Valley, upper Kotmale,
Taiwan tea competitions
Recently I’ve had the recurring thought that part of my personal mission related to tea is to let the world know that Taiwan is the heart of specialty Oolong Tea in the 21st century. This is not a new idea, but it somehow it has felt particularly poignant lately.
Tea review: Doke autumnal 2014
This tea comes from a small producer in Bihar, south of Darjeeling. The flat tea garden, next to a river (a power plant outlet), is everything else than the almost eponymous “Darjeeling Himalayan vales” – and yet it can already rival with some of the finest Darjeelings.
An insider’s look at the Turkish tea industry and beyond
While the most ubiquitous role for women in the tea industry has been that of plucker, women are gradually moving from the field to tea company C-suites. Here in the United States, a number of prominent tea companies…
Inquiring minds ask questions about specialty tea
A wonderful, kind, amazing man, known as The Candyman, David Klein, the originator of something you’ve all probably enjoyed – Jelly Belly jelly beans – invited me to join his Internet board of entrepreneurs recently. There is an interesting and wonderful interactive
Innovative water heater for single serve
Every once in a while a new idea is put into action and the result is nothing short of miraculous. Miito has an innovative prototype that I can’t wait to get my hands on. This ingenious induction wand marries form and function to create an
Biodynamic tea at New Moon Farm
Lunar planting has long been practiced within the realm of agriculture. Planting by the cycles and rhythms of the moon is simple, tangible, and connecting. The influences can easily be seen in animals, plants, and soil. These effects remind us of the interplay
What is specialty tea?
Among my peers in the tea industry there are many discussions taking place about the definition of terms like specialty tea and the use of terms like “real tea.” In his recent post, A Call for Standards, Austin Hodge brings up this very subject – which can take you down a rabbit hole of tradition and semantics.
Topping choices
I thought I would never write another tapioca milk tea-related post in this lifetime! Then last month in Pasadena, California, while driving through a shopping plaza’s parking lot
Tea varietals
Many a “tea master” certification program will tell you that there’s a rule to what is and is not “tea”: All “true tea” comes from the same plant. This rule is an easy way to distinguish tea from herbal infusions/decoctions.
Tea as a tool for good
If the phrase “you are what you eat” holds true, then perhaps the same standard can be applied when tea enters the equation. Tea is not only one of the most consumed beverages in the world, but behind the scenes, there are thousands of hard-working
Adding spice to our lives
Chai Iced Tea, Chai Latte, Chai, Chai. The name seems to be in every coffee or tea shop these days. The word Chai is a Hindi word that means funnily enough means tea. The cup of tea with spices that we have come to love and know, is the way many millions of Indians enjoy their cup of tea.
K2K:Kolkata to Kunming
On 25th November 2014, I attended the 10th edition of K2K Forum – Kolkata to Kunming – took place in Kunming, in the Yunnan province of China. The twin sister cities host the forum alternately, and this was the fourth time for me since 2010.
tea in a coffee world
For me, the Thanksgiving holiday included an incredible day of driving along the Coast Highway in Southern California from Oceanside and down through the little towns that hug the Pacific Ocean at some of its’ most beautiful coastline like Carlsbad, Cardiff, Leucadia, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar and La Jolla.
Gifts for the tea-o-phile
Giving gifts can be wonderful for both the recipient and the giver. Think about some of the cherished gifts you have received . . . isn’t it delightful how a thoughtful gift brings to mind the one who gave it? On the other hand, when you think of silly – or thoughtless – gifts
Tea’s third wave – call for standards
In the spring of 2014, Jesse Jacobs of Samovar Tea, wearing a cream-colored canvas apron over a fashionable t-shirt, announced the coming of the tea industry’s Third Wave. Can the tea industry really be on the verge of entering into a movement equivalent
Natural tea farming – Part 3: running in the family
If big profits are not his motivation, what fuels Gao Ding Shi’s dedication to natural methods of tea farming? Indeed, Mr. Gao has great reason to be sensitive to this issue: personal tragedy.
A call for standards
The last decade has seen a boom in what the industry calls ‘Specialty Tea’, but if you ask for a definition you will come away confused. What is so special about ‘Specialty Tea’? Not much.
How tea retail works
With the growing interest in tea, many tea lovers have chosen to follow their passion in becoming a tea retailer. Some may have dreams of wealth and fame, but the honest truth is that it’s a hard business and the only thing keeping them motivated is their love for tea.
ENOUGH: Growing tea naturally, Part 2
Enough: It’s a concept I came across several times on my recent journey to Taiwan, in meeting small-scale tea farmers and their families: the desire to have just enough, not more.
Natural tea farming
We are about an hour out of crazy-hectic central Taipei, Taiwan’s super-modern capital of 8+million. It couldn’t seem further. This is truly lush, thick Nature. We drive up a steep and winding road through ever-smaller villages and into ever-thickening forest
how to choose the perfect matcha
For those new to matcha, it can be a challenge to understand the different varieties of matcha and determine which one is right for you. We hope to help you with this guide
The world of tea comes to Xiamen
The Second Annual ITCC Cup Warming at the Xiamen International Tea Fair was held before an audience with a voracious interest in tea. With distinguished presenters
tea blossom
October 2014 saw me back in Xiamen for the tea expo but my mind was still wandering with tea blossoms which we were to enter into a technology sharing agreement with China in Beijing on October 20th.
What is the best tea in the world?
Last month my company represented independent tea growers in the North American Tea Conference Gold Cup Competition in Niagara Falls, Canada. With great excitement
One-minute tea brewers: part 2
The first post I wrote on this subject talked about brewers currently on the market and the one we are getting ready to introduce to foodservice.
Building a teahouse
I’m at a very exciting part of my life, because I’m getting to do something I’ve always wanted to do – create a teahouse. After a year of rapid growth my tea import company,
An historical event in the heart of Oolong country
Promote Sustainablity – Get Great Tea – Click here to view our campaign to preserve small-scale tea production. Support us, and get your share of tea, and help spread the word!
Fear and loathing on Wuyi Mountain
Austin Hodge has already written a fantastic article about Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong that contains all the historical information you could reasonably want to know about the topic. I suggest you all read it before proceeding.
Taiwan tea drink culture
This is the take-out drink store that is just next door to my apartment in Taichung, Taiwan. It also happens to be my favorite of its kind. The main
Caffeine-free tea? Treasure or nightmare?
I read with tremendous interest the recent article featured by World Tea News about the young neuroscience major who is trying to create a non-caffeinated tea.
By-the-cup commercial brewers – here they come!
It went something like this: The Affinitea, the Teapresso, the SteamPunk, the BKon, the Trifecta, and now several more on the way. From big companies to small – not necessarily in chronological order – but close.
Back Seven: Meet Rajah Banerjee
This post was first published on the T Ching blog almost seven years ago, on October 25, 2007. Please read yesterday’s post, by Rajiv Lochan, wherein the author establishes Banerjee’s influence on the tea industry even today.
Record Price: Makaibari
When something sells extraordinarily well, eyebrows are raised. This is probably the base of branding, and it is exactly what Makaibari did –
Global Tea Hut: an exploration of red tea
You may be surprised to know that Red Tea is the most popular type of tea in the West. How is it that most Westerners drink Red Tea without ever having heard of Red Tea? Simple. It just isn’t usually known by that name in the West.
Innovative tea space
Retail establishments are getting more creative. In the Pearl district of Portland Oregon, there is a terrific shop called Christopher David. It’s an interior design shop, and a floral market, and a cafe. It’s such a great space
Steepist: Think inside the box
Four beautiful pouches of whole leaf tea, complete with load-your-own environmentally friendly tea bags, arrived on my doorstep a few weeks back, from Steepist. I was reminded that a wag once said, “Freedom is the absence of choice.”
American Chinese teaware
The art of gong fu cha, the Chinese tea service, is generally practiced using a specialized tea set. Collectively called cha ju (or equipage by people who insist on using French), the instruments of gong fu cha encompass a whole spectrum of diminutive, elegant, precisely-crafted little bits and bobs.
Tea of the Pacific Northwest
I embarked on my first journey into the Pacific Northwest with my Tealet family Mike and Rie. We drove from our home in Las Vegas with the hopes of learning about the history of tea growing in Oregon and Washington and to connect with tea lovers
The last horse trail: Jungpana
On 27th June 2014, I revisited Jungpana, where I lived for about six months between October of 1992 to March of 1993. Along the journey with me was Xiao Juan, of China. Xiao Juan was very much interested in seeing this tea estate:
To the storefront
Shopping at Costco is hardly anyone’s favorite chore. From the moment of arriving at the parking lot, to unloading bulky purchases, the entire trip is glutted with drudgery. Yet we find ourselves again and again at Costco,
Pesticides? Not in my tea!
Those of us who are part of the organic movement are painfully aware of the hazards of pesticides in our foods. Because we perceive tea to be a healthy beverage, we might not think about pesticides being associated with the produce.
The Appu and the Omelette
When learning about tea I was sent to Westhall estate in Nawalapitiya to learn the field practices from a very senior planter. He and his wife hosted me at their bungalow – I was their creeper* – for a short period of time.
Where’s the tea?
Tea Vodka? Tea ice cream? Tea chocolate? Almost every section of the supermarket has a tea product representing taking one’s tea “outside the cup.” This ubiquity doesn’t stop with food products.
A brief history of boba
Two tea establishments in Taiwan claim to have invented tapioca milk tea the drink, not tapioca balls the ingredient.
Irresponsible tea “news”
As is my wont, I was strolling around the World Tea News and found a post entitled “Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Green Tea?”
How a new tea garden is discovered
People often ask me how a tea grower can start to sell their tea through Tealet. Although we didn’t have a set procedure for vetting growers in place when I first started to connect with our original network of growers, we have realized the importance of digging deep to learn the true story of the garden before promoting their teas.
Three Years Medicine: Aged White Tea
When I moved to China in 2010, I had already been interested in tea for about seven years. I had served tea to lots of people all over the world in a purely gregarious sense, and also in a professional capacity
Life by the Cup
An inspirational quotation; exquisite description of a tisane, blend or whole leaf beverage; a story rich with character and conflict; revelation; reflection; as well as exercises for the reader’s growth make up each chapter in this remarkable how-to book.
Convenience over everything?
My husband and I were reading a foodservice survey done about a major coffee chain which concluded that consumers valued taste, cleanliness, and convenience almost equally.
The other best tea blogs: A series – Part 2
Today’s post is the second in my series to learn more about the finalists for the title of Best Tea Blog at the first annual World Tea Awards. In this post, I spoke (via email) to Jen Piccotti, the creator and voice of An International Tea Moment…
White tea phenomena
This summer, when I traveled back to China, I found white tea had become popular. When I visited friends, almost all offered me white tea. They also told me that white tea was good for health.
Sipping to save
Sri Lanka has achieved another ‘first of its kind’ tea. Ethically and environmentally friendly tea products are gaining momentum the world over.
To fund or not to fund, that is the question
Once again, World Tea News turned me onto an article about tea research being threatened by the Arizona Representative Matt Salmon (R).
Chabbesey . . .
Destiny takes you to places. On 28th June 2014, we landed on a parcel of land where we closed the missing link between India and China. Xiao Juan of
Following the Japanese spring tea season
During the Amazing Tea Race, a dash through seven countries to follow the story of the Spring Harvest, I noticed the most sense of urgency to get freshly harvested product to the market in Japan.
Kaizen
Kaizen is the Japanese word for continuous improvement. Continuous improvement is key to the success of a business, as well as to the success of the people in the business. This past week, I had the opportunity to shadow one of the…
Reassurance that the tradition of a proper afternoon tea is here to stay
June is quite a busy month for me … and it’s not over yet! In my role, I’m constantly getting calls about sponsoring this event or that charity.
Walking the floor . . . over tea
No, this is not about the caffeine in tea. It’s about walking the floor at World Tea Expo, to see what we could see. And there was a lot to see, hear, smell and taste.
Dragon boat concubine
Last Monday was the fifth day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar – Dragon Boat Festival – a national holiday here in Taiwan. I rode up to tea country and visited my friend
The other best tea blogs: A series
On Friday, May 30, T Ching was honored as a finalist for the title of Best Tea Blog at the first annual World Tea Awards.
Long Beach and Queen Mary
For me, the Queen Mary was not a haunted ship. Instead, it was a boon, where I became an American celebrity wearing a golden sherwani, escorted by the red haired Tealet fairy, Elyse Peterson.
The World of Tea wins at World Tea Awards
For over a month, the staff at T Ching has been walking on air with anticipation! With T Ching having been nominated as one of the top tea blogs for consideration at the World Tea Awards event held on Friday, May 30, we were giddy with excitement.
Longjing: what the real prices were in 2014
So let’s look at the real wholesale prices for Longjing tea, at least the first tea of the year, which is the most prized. This is the tea that is harvested before the Qing Ming Festival, which usually falls in the first week of April.
An error in the reporting of Longjing prices
Every year there is much talk about the price of Longjing, 2014 being no exception. Most of the talk is hype, reporting the extraordinary prices that some Chinese businessman or government official has spent for Longjing.
Dong Fang Mei Ren
Actually, it’s a funny story. It happened in Taiwan during the Japanese Ruling Era. It is said that there was a tea farmer who was very lazy and did not take good care of his tea.
The tea industry is what you demand
I just finished a two month long journey to visit 14 different growing regions and meet with over 30 tea growers.
Kenya tea party: a photo essay by the Teaguy
The team that taught the tea farmers how to make hand crafted tea. From left to right, Paul Bain, Ian Bain, Grayson Bain, Buddha Dev, Brendan...
An honest review of the Honest Tea book
“Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the people doing it.” ~ Chinese proverb posted at the entrance of the Honest Tea headquarters.
China revisited
The 22nd Xinyang Maojian International Tea Cultural & Business Conference was opened on April 28, 2014 in Xinyang, Henan province of China.
Icewine tea!
Icewine tea is a special wine-infused tea found in Canada. It’s extremely fruity, sweet, and light, but with a strange but refreshing coldness to it, like eating a fruit salad off a glacier.
Lost in translation – Three tea names that should not be translated
Translating is hard work, particularly when the translation is from an eastern to a western language (or vice versa), where grammar, structure, vocabulary, and usage are totally different…
Where are they now?
Could it be true? I started writing for T Ching in 2009? Time flies! And life moves on. It made me wonder about some of the companies and tea entrepreneurs I have written about over the years and where they are now.
Phoenix Mountain Single Tree Oolong
During April in North Guangdong province at an altitude of 4,500 feet, 100-year-old Oolong trees are harvested for their young shoots, which are then oxidized to 45%, fired under medium heat, and meticulously crafted all along the way. These single-branch cultivars…
Mineral springs
Free Trade makes an entrepreneur ready for war. I learned this costly lesson visiting Harrison, Mineral Springs, and Lebong tea estates.
A haven in hojo
These days, whenever I travel, I scout for tea places to hang out in. One of my favorite overseas tea spots is Hojo Tea in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I’ve been there four times so far.
Customer service can make or break a tea business
Great companies live and breathe great customer service. Although it’s often noted that it’s easier to keep an existing customer than to gain a new one, it’s amazing how many companies wing it and hope for the best…
2014 spring harvest: the race is on
Every year around this time, tea lovers frantically contact their tea brokers, favorite online tea retailers, or local tea friends to see how they can get their hands on the freshest tea of the year: the First Flush.
Only in Canada, you say? Pity.
Growing up in Canada, Red Rose Tea was definitely the tea of choice from the time I was a child.
Mecha: Japanese bud tea
Imagine a green tea that’s been made with only the early buds of the tea plant. Doesn’t it sound luxurious?
ITCC Explores Defective Tea
Continuing with it’s tradition of exploring the finer aspects of our favorite brew, the most recent ITCC Cupping Event focused on gaining a better understanding of the effects of the processing steps in tea making.
Do you support fair trade? Which one?
Fair trade is one of the product certifications consumers frequently take note of when making a tea purchase.
How to succeed in tea
If I’ve learned one thing from seven years of opening stores and selling online in the U.S. tea industry, it’s this: To be successful in tea, you need to pick a customer and rock his / her world.
Arighato Gujaimaso
From the moment you get up in the morning, go to the toilet to get ready, have breakfast, catch the train to Minamimakhuari station and take the bus to the venue of Foodex 2014 in Makuhari Messe, the chant of “Arighato Gujaimaso” is heard constantly.
the journey to your cup
The challenges of farming tea are similar to farm challenges everywhere, but how do those variables affect the brew in my cup?
Starting an online tea store in the land of coffee
I started working on the idea of opening an online tea store in my country, Colombia, about a year ago. It’s something I’ve wanted to do out of my passion for tea rather than because I see a big market for it, or think that I’ll get rich doing it.
Toothsome tea is boba tea
A friend from Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley recently grumbled about how she had to resist patronizing more than ten tea establishments during her 15-minute daily commute home.
Honest Tea is actually honest
I don’t drink bottled tea. I’m not a tea snob – yes I am – I just don’t drink bottled anything. However, I will admit, if my KOR water bottle’s empty, I’ll buy whatever has the least sugar in it. Sometimes, that’s Honest Tea.
A matter of honest tea
I was fortunate to start my education as a tea retailer with some of the most authentic people in the industry: the founders of the International Tea Farms Alliance.
Ten thousand miles without a cloud
Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud was the title of a book which recounts the steps of a woman retracing the footsteps of Huang Shan, the monk who took Buddhism from India to China during the 8th century.
From Russia with (tea) love
Every tea drinking country seems to have an interesting history with tea. As the recent Olympics and Sochi fade from view, it is worth remembering that few countries have traveled a more interesting path to tea than Russia.
Earl Grey: a classic with a long history
Earl Grey may be my favorite flavored tea ever. You either love it or hate it. My husband can’t stand Earl Grey. It’s like chai in that way. There seems to be no neutral ground.
UNBAG the green tea Kit Kats! Uji Matcha celebrated
In The New Yorker article entitled Flipping Supreme, the owner of Unique Hype Collection, an NYC retail establishment, recounted one of his business ventures:
Pillar of tea research: Mr. Zhang Tianfu
If you ask students of Chinese tea to name who they regard as the most influential person in the tea industry, one of the names that turns up most frequently is likely to be Mr. Zhang Tianfu (张天福), commonly known as The Pillar of Tea Research (茶学界泰斗)
The classics of tea: the modern tea sage, Wu Jue Nong
“If Lu Yu was the God of Tea, I think it would not be an exaggeration to say Mr. Wu Jue Nong is the modern tea sage” – Lu Ding Yi, Former Deputy Vice Premier of China
Tea pairings: it’s science!
A consistent conflict I hear about in the tea world is that tea retailers have difficulty attracting people to true tea and tea education.
The alchemy of tea
Merriam-Webster defines alchemy as: “A medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base metals into gold, the discovery of a universal cure for disease, and the discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life.”
Exciting times for tea
In November of 2009, contributor to this blog, Charles Cain, told us he had discovered the “Starbucks of Tea,” a race that seemed to be taking shape in the industry. And he said it was . . . Starbucks.
ITF 2013
Ninety billion US dollars and we grow one-third of the world crop and take home about one-tenth of the world turnover, although our teas are good.
The demise of Tongmu Lapsang Souchong – part 4
Cheap tea will not become a thing of the past in China. However, there is a rising desire for better quality tea that is beginning to drive the market trends.
A serendipitous journey to the Ancient Tea Horse Road
A week ago, my husband and I took the train from Culver City to Exposition Park, home of the Natural History Museum. During the mere 7-mile trip, I anticipated the museum’s latest exhibit, Traveling the Silk Road…
The demise of Tongmu Lapsang Souchong – part 3
Which brings us back to Lapsang Souchong, the strong smoked version of Zhenshan Xiaozhong. The accurate name in Chinese is Yan (smoked) Zhengshan Xiaozhong, which is the most familiar in the West, at least in the present day.
The demise of Tongmu Lapsang Souchong – part 2
The trade of black tea accelerated with the opening of the port Xiamen in 1684. In 1732, Liu Jing, the mayor of Changan county, currently Wuyishan City, set an area of 600 sq kilometers with Tongmu at the center as the only authentic area where black tea was produced.
Nirmal Sethia, A tea visionary
Mr. Nirmal Sethia is the founder of Newby Teas, an international tea label that has won around 85 awards from the North America Tea Championship and the British Great Taste Awards since its establishment in 2000.
Artisan tea: a closer look at tea production in Taiwan
In our previous post, What Is ‘Artisan’ About Artisan Tea?, a discussion was initiated about what actually is involved in the making of tea that...
Tea family – ambitious journeys to connect
Connecting with the story of the tea – its history, cultivation, and production – is the motivation of many of the tea people whom I have encountered on my travels.
Kids and tea? You bet!
Leave it to the Brits to investigate tea and its beneficial effects on children. Apparently, years ago, over 50% of all kids drank tea daily.
The demise of Tongmu Lapsang Souchong
Tongmu Village, high in the Wuyishan Mountains in Fujian Province, is the birthplace of black tea. It is Lapsang Souchong that made this area famous, with it’s strong smokiness giving rise to a fixation for many people, including Sherlock Holmes, the very archetype of obsession.
In with the new; out with the old
Are you pooh-poohing herbal infusions? Yes, most of us have worked very hard to educate our customers as to what tea is and isn’t.
How I went from stressed out chef to matcha tea entrepreneur
If you had told me last year I would soon be running a Japanese matcha tea shop, I would have thought you were crazy. You see, unlike a lot of other Japanese tea enthusiasts I know, I haven’t spent years studying the finer points of Japanese tea ceremony.
K2K and Darjeeling
Kunming of Yunnan, and Kolkata of Bengal, are now declared sister cities. This adds another jewel in the crown of Darjeeling!
Are you serious?
Once upon a time, there was a health-conscious thirty-something named Sarah. Sarah read that catechins and flavonoids are Very Good For You.
The proof keeps piling up
I was reading an interesting report in the World Tea News about the various studies that are currently being conducted to further document the...
Sustainable tea gift packaging – Branded designs for holiday and corporate gift sets
With the holiday season beginning earlier every year, it’s never too soon to start planning for ways to take full advantage of the growing popularity of tea as a must-have gift for holiday shoppers. A beautiful tea gift set…
You can grow tea too! Inspiration from the american camellia belt
I first started working with tea growers through a University of Hawaii tea research project. In response to my shock that tea could grow in Hawaii, my mentor, University researcher Stuart Nakamoto, told me,”if you see any Camellia bushes or flowers in your neighborhood, you can grow tea”
Tea sheeples: Why we need tea education in the United States
Everything I know about tea, I learned. Deep, right? I began my tea journey with Bigelow’s Constant Comment. No, I’m not getting on my “bagged tea tastes like crap” high horse here. I drank it for years and was happy…
Xiamen – a destination for tea business..
Looking for more avenues of consumption, the Indian Tea Board landed in Xiamen to attend the Tea Fair from 10th to 13th October 2013 along with six producers from Darjeeling, Assam, Bengal, Bihar and Nilgiri.
Wulong, the treasure of Taiwan
Last month, World Tea News published a fascinating article about Taiwanese tea.
Eco-Cha: A tale of two teas
Editor’s note: This week at T-Ching is devoted to Taiwan tea. Today’s post reviews two teas, a black and an oolong; Monday featured an interview with a tea farmer; Tuesday’s article is about what goes into artisan tea; on Thursday, we’ll examine some of the current literature about tea, and Friday will feature one of the best of the best of previous posts about Taiwan.
What is artisan about artisan tea?
As people interested in premium teas, we have all been exposed to the term “artisan” used in many contexts. This begs the question as to, what actually defines a tea as being artisan?
Interview with Mr Lee, a tea farmer in Lugu, Taiwan
On a summer afternoon, I stepped into Lee's Tea Estate to interview its owner, Mr. Lee, an experienced tea artisan in Lugu, Taiwan. When the...
27 steps of Wuyi tea art
Oolong tea is considered by some connoisseurs to be the ultimate in the art of tea. Not just its manufacture but also the way in which it is enjoyed.
Historic house of tea
Fascinated by the tea plant, and the history of tea for one entire decade now, I know there is still much yet to learn.
Small scale Kenyan tea growers need your support
As a guest, and resident tea sommelier for JusTea, I am finally heading out for my first trip to the Kenyan tea fields after a successful launch of some of the country’s finest orthodox tea – a country that is legendary mainly for its CTC black tea.
Tea and the monsoon season
There are many ways to appreciate tea, and for some what starts as the enjoyment of an occasional cup turns into an obsession, a vocation, or both.
the arrogance of western medicine
My best friend is retired and likes to cut out articles from various newspapers that he thinks I would be interested in. He recently gave me an article from the Wall Street Journal titled “When Food and Pills Clash.”
What’s Bitcoin & what’s tea gotta do with It?
In the Summer of 2011 I developed an extreme interest in technology when I was introduced to the world of collaborative consumption and decentralized economies.
The Chinese tea shop
As part of my self-education, I sourced out another tea merchant in the Vancouver area. This time I wanted to go to a more traditional tea shop, so...
Interview with Taiwanese tea farmer Kevin Liang
The story of Kevin reflected the recent tea development in Taiwan. Young people abandoned tea farming business and left for big cities for an easier job.
Counterproductive measures in tea
Four billion kilos of tea is produced annually in the world which is consumed by seven billion people living on planet earth, with no inventory of stock to carry over. This statistic is growing in every direction – north, south, east, and west.
Change a life for 5 cents
Last week I wrote a post about the horrors of being a tea picker in India.
Setting up a LUPICIA store in Singapore
One of my childhood ambitions was to be a teashop owner. How very lovely that would be to be- sipping and selling tea as part of work.
Does all tea really come from the same plant?
One axiom that is typically taught to new tea students is that “all tea comes from the same plant.” If these students continue to learn about tea and study Chinese tea in any depth, they will discover that this statement is almost as wrong as the old belief that black tea and green tea come from two different plants.
Thai tea – from opium fields to tea fields
Richly steeped in history, our beloved beverage, tea, has known a bit of a darker side that tied into the opium trade; but as in all darkness there is light.
Can we help tea pickers around the globe have a “living wage”?
I was delighted to see Naomi’s post on T-Ching, as I had read the same article about female children living on tea farms being sold into slavery
Heard of this Chinese tisane beverage?
The advertising jargon printed on Jia Duo Bao Herbal Tea’s six-pack plastic wrapping reads, “Keep Heatiness Away, Drink Jia Duo Bao.”
05 tea: a unique tea experience
I began my journey to seek out tea merchants in my local area to see if they would be willing to share their experiences about tea and how they became involved in the business of tea.
Tea cupping versus tea tasting
As a writer for Seattle Coffee Gear I have participated in coffee cuppings with Seattle-area roasters.
This Generation Doesn’t Want to be Relaxed Into a Tea Stupor?
This tea takes 5 minutes to brew? [frowny face] Sit down and relax with a pot of tea for half an hour?? Thirty minutes??? OMG!!!!
Judging the future
Again this past August I was honored to be asked to lecture at the Hong Kong Intl. Tea Festival and to serve as a judge for the Intl. Tea Competition.
Visualizing tea quality
Since Tealet launched its tea cupping evaluation form, we have received over 40 full evaluations for teas produced by independent tea growers.
Sourcing sustainable teas
When I first launched Joy’s Teaspoon, my original plan was to carry only certified organic and Fair Trade products.
Darjeeling tea & China
Darjeeling tea was not known in the 1850’s, when tea planting first began in the area. A lot of hard work took place through the 1900’s, when 89 gardens were running at full steam.
Tieguanyin- a love that didn’t come easy
Last month after I wrote about my love for Dancong, I felt guilty. In fact I felt a deep pang of guilt almost every other day.
Would you like some tea with that beer?
It’s all a matter of taste – some love it, others find it abhorrent. But the trend in American microbrews cannot be denied – tea is now hot in the beer space.
An Interview with Tony Gebely
When Tony Gebely visited China and Southeast Asia in the mid-2000s, a new love for tea developed. He turned that new passion into a small business,...
Seeking tea education
As I begin my journey and explore the world of tea, I feel it is important for me to seek out local tea merchants and ask if they would be willing...
Tea in Germany: U.S. Food and Beverage Industry take note
A quiet – and very positive – revolution is underway in Germany. Tea is slowly chipping away at coffee’s stronghold at the table and doing so with a finesse that is truly admirable…
New findings or old information rehashed?
Ever wondered globally how many websites are devoted to tea? Unlike politics and religion, tea incites rather acquiescent discussions.
Darjeeling teas in dire peril
The gold mine for the Indian tea industry – Darjeeling – has been stolen by the so-called “keepers of the hills.”
Growing tea in the US?
Growing tea in the United States is not a new phenomenon. It ís recorded that tea seeds first entered the U.S. in 1744 and to this day a string of companies have done research to find if there is a market opportunity to develop tea as a crop.
2013 ITCC World Tea Expo
On opening day, June 7, 2013, an ever-growing audience of 60 tea enthusiasts gathered in hall no. 256 of the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas.
A tea party in a shark tank
Entrepreneurs find each other, maybe especially tea entrepreneurs, be it on Twitter, blogs…they just do. There is a Facebook page for people who have been on the TV show Shark Tank.
Have some pesticides in your tea…….?
Every once in a while a truly disturbing story about tea comes to my attention. This one features Celestial Seasonings I'm afraid. Apparently they...
The woman with the tea garden
Working with tea has allowed me to meet some of the most intriguing people. These Welcome to Amba Estate, Sri Lankapeople often share common traits: a passion and drive to spread the good tea word; they are attempting to provide…
The New York Times does tea!
Holy Toledo! The New York Times has a whole page on tea: Everything from how to be a tea snob to the history of the world’s most consumed beverage to the health benefits of tea to the World Tea Expo. Tea Has Arrived! Move over triple latte…
A walk down the tea aisle
For many readers of this tea blog, checking in on the tea industry means attending events like the recently held World Tea Expo or reading the latest issues of the Tea or Fresh Cup magazines. If your interest in tea has brought you in contact…
Exploring Fujian teas
For nearly 5,000 years, tea has been an integral part of Chinese life, eventually spreading worldwide by sea. The coastal Fujian province was one of the first places that developed and provided tea to the foreign market. The southern Fujian port of Xiamen (ancient Amoy)…
Quality standards for tea – A collaborative effort
Tea is quickly becoming the hip connoisseur product, following a path that is very similar to that blazed in the wine and coffee industries decades ago. With a growing demand for high-quality teas, it is difficult to understand, as a buyer, how to determine which…
Tea with a local twist
In my last post for T Ching in December, I wrote about our plans to move our retail store from a plaza to an old downtown tourist area. However, after spending more time looking at the layout of the space and the traffic flow on…
U.S. Tea Growers Organize at the World Tea Expo: The United States League of Tea Growers
The World Tea Expo has come and gone, but I am still reveling in my memories of all of the wonderful people I met and the tea I slurped. I had a Japanese puerh for the first time, met with fellow bloggers who I have “known” for…
Vegas is hot, but tea is hotter!
As the 11th World Tea Expo kicks off in Las Vegas, with long registration lines, smiles and hugs for old friends, people scurrying to classrooms, and huddled in-depth conversations, it is easy to see that tea is still hot and…
Tea and wine: Vintages and terroir
A common lament from foodies, farmers, and culinary writers is that many of us have become too far removed from the origins of our foods. We have no tangible connection to the land, the farms, and all of the uncertainties…
2013 International Tea Convention in Pu’er, Yunnan
From May 25-26, Pu’er City played host to the 2013 International Tea Convention, organized by the Fifth Edition of the China Chamber of Commerce, welcoming, among others, a large delegation from America…
Empowering tea retailers through online cupping sessions and auctions
The tea industry, one of the oldest in the world, is long overdue for innovation. Activists discuss issues such as the balance of power in the supply chain, buyers’ response to the scarity of tea, resource management, and sustainability…
David’s Tea: The new “Starbucks” of tea?
I’m always on the lookout for new tea blends – encountering a new tea blend piques my curiosity. A few months ago, when I was in San Francisco attending the Fancy Food Show, I visited a mall and noticed a small…
Tea Pesticides and the Sustainable Future
Even though I have written about pesticides and tea before, I wanted to address the subject again because once again the issue is in the news with Celestial Seasonings getting busted by the same group that busted…
The missing tea history of Darjeeling
Recently, Jonathan Kane Houldsworth from New Zealand contacted me via Facebook about a Robert Fortune film that was produced by an Australian company. Mr. Houldsworth is associated with Dilmah Tea, but the spirit…
Building a transparent tea industry, one year in
The tea world is in a unique state right now. Specifically, it is in a stream of momentum towards progress from its socially unjust past. This change is coming from consumers who want to connect with the origins of their…
I am zen
Recently I sent some tea samples to one of my favorite restaurants here in Los Angeles. Cafe Gratitude is a vegan restaurant that originally started in the San Francisco Bay area about eight years ago. They only sprouted…
A different kind of tea bag
When we launched Joy’s Teaspoon, all of our teas were offered solely in tins. The tins were simple – silver with air-tight lids – and we carried three sizes. They were also recyclable and easy to re-purpose, easy…
The evolution of tea – Part 2
When we last left off, we were speaking of the Sage of Tea, Lu Yu, who wrote one of the most comprehensive treatises on tea, Cha Jing, or The Classic of Tea. We know that tea during Lu Yu’s time (Eighth Century) referred…
Tea, tech, and pop culture
I’ve spent the past month traveling to events, pouring tea, and sharing the stories of tea culture direct from the farm as marketing activities for my startup, Tealet. These events have taken me from San Francisco…
The mysteries of Chinese tea
It has been twenty years since I first became obsessed with Chinese tea and it has not lost any of its magic pull for me throughout the years. In fact, I am probably even more obsessed today than I was twenty years…
Tweaking your tea catalog
This month marks our seven-year anniversary, so I thought it might be fun to look back at which teas were the most popular at the beginning compared to our top-selling teas today. After running a comparison from 2006…
World Tea & Coffee Expo 2013 in Mumbai
From February 15-17, Mumbai was host to The World Tea & Coffee Expo 2013, which featured over 100 exhibitors from eight countries and highlighted the tremendous potential of the Hot Beverages sector – both in India and…
The story behind our smoky tea blends at The Tea Spot
At The Tea Spot, we handcraft a pair of organic smoky teas that we are unabashedly fond of – Russian Caravan and Smokejumper Ginger. Both black loose-leaf teas also come with a tradition, as well as a story steeped…
Recycled packaging in a material world
Sustainable packaging in the tea world is still in its infancy. I see examples of it from various purveyors and companies, but few and far between. If you are a big tea company, you can probably invest in compostable…
Consistency vs. quali-tea
Tea production goes through a number of steps during which individuals with varying skill levels determine the final taste of the tea. At each step of the journey, from the selection of the tea plant varietal for the growing region…
My tea story
When I meet someone who’s “into tea,” it is enlightening to find out exactly how their journey with tea got them to where they are now. How did they get from Lipton to a fine Bi Luo Chun? When did they transition…
Spring – The dawn of a new year
As I am writing this, Chinese New Year (CNY) is almost upon us. For us ethnic Chinese, CNY is the most important date on our calendar. It is a time for family reunions, gatherings, festivities, rest, and relaxation. In Chinese…
In search of the Indian end of the old tea horse road, or Cha Ma Gu Dao
The first two Sundays of 2013 were spent in search of our (the Indian) end of the “old tea horse road” – a story that will now be covered by the CCTV’s “Tea Road” project. This took me to Daling Fort on the silk route leading from Lhasa…
U.S.-grown teas – Exploring a new frontier with James Norwood Pratt
I first encountered James Norwood Pratt at his Tea Sommelier lecture at the Los Angeles Tea Festival. I was inspired by his understanding of the New Tea Lover and the renaissance of tea appreciation in the United States…
Wild tea in wild Las Vegas
I’m on a mission. You see, I teach tea classes here in Las Vegas. My partner, Ashanti, also loves to teach and the two of us could talk for hours about tea … if it weren’t for our very energetic offspring. Our tea classes range from informational Tea…
NASCAR legend Joe Nemechek embraces tea both personally and professionally
When I was given the opportunity a week ago to interview NASCAR legend Joe Nemechek about his new tea venture, I was intrigued. NASCAR racing is not a subject I know much (read: anything) about, so this was an…
Slimming with tea
Can you really lose weight with tea? I get asked this question all the time. For the entire month of January, with our San Diego Tea Meetup group, I have featured a weekly series on tea and health at the newly opened EnlighTea Cafe…
Transparency in the tea industry
In almost every aspect of our business and political culture, transparency is becoming a value identified as critical to reforming practices that have become toxic. Still, in the financial sector, the lack of transparency is seen…
Reeling in the customer with eye-popping packaging
As a marketer, one of my (more fun) tasks is to review and analyze product packaging. I’m lucky to work in an industry where design and creativity are just as important as functionality. My experience has led me to…
A visit to Sri Lanka’s oldest tea garden – Loolecondera
“His first and last love was tea” reads a plaque at the Ceylon Tea Museum. In 1852, James Taylor arrived in Sri Lanka with the mission to explore the agricultural possibilities of tea on the island. The life of such a pioneer tea planter…
The innovation that will transform the tea industry
As the New Year commences, we either look back to reflect on the past year or we start putting forth our wish list for the year ahead. For those of us in the tea industry – or more precisely in the specialty tea…
The evolution of a tea fairy
Since founding Tealet, I’ve learned that building a community for a new brand and product is one of the most difficult jobs of a startup; it’s a game of creativity and…
Darjeeling Tea and Tourism Festival 2012
On December 20, 2012, the second annual Darjeeling Tea and Tourism Festival opened its 20-day stint in Chowrasta, which included a charity tea auction organized by the India Tea Association. The auction was conducted…
Will coffee outpace tea in China?
Sadly, rather than creating their own symbols of success, such as artisan-crafted gaiwans, young, upwardly mobile Chinese are choosing instead to adopt the western trappings of success, most prominently iPhones and Starbucks…
The retail tea journey: Finding our new home
Last month, my post was about looking for a new home for our retail store. This month I’m happy to say we found it … or rather, it found us! When it’s right, it’s just right. Before the clock strikes midnight on…
The changing tea landscape in China
Just got back from China yesterday. Every time I travel to China, I’m amazed at all the changes taking place. Development and new construction continue at a dizzying pace. A view in any direction from virtually any major city…
The end of time?
There are a lot of things that need to come to an end – the world, however, not being one of them. Seeing as we all woke up with the blessing of another day on December 21, 2012, perhaps it is time to reconsider competition…
Starbucks will bring better quality to the tea market
The news that Starbucks purchased Teavana for six hundred and twenty million dollars was stunning. The tea industry doesn’t seem to know what to make of it. There had been a very lively and interesting conversation…
The journey of a tea newbie
I admit it. I’m a tea newbie. In fact, I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve only just recently learned where tea comes from, the difference between Earl Grey and English Breakfast, and, well, how to brew tea properly. For some, this…
Hong Kong International Tea Fair and Competition
This past August I was honored to be invited to participate in the annual Hong Kong International Tea Fair as both a presenter and a judge in the International Tea Competition. Organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development…
The life of a Twinings tea master
As a tea hobbyist, I always like meeting people from the tea industry to gain insight into their work. As fate would have it, I recently made the acquaintance of Mr. Theerasaj Phangmuangdee (or Dew, for short)…
How I poured tea for George Takei
Two weeks ago I received an email from the Program Manager of the 500 Startups accelerator my company Tealet is currently participating in. She mentioned that a VIP…
Tea tourism and K2K
Sometimes doors open themselves. On November 20-21, 2012, I was in Kunming, China to attend an inter-governmental meeting with an active business forum at which I was asked to speak on tea…
Moving on with tea
We are about to close the door on one phase of our tea life and move onto another. For us, this has been a place to learn about and refine what works in tea retailing. Now we are looking at new locations that we believe…
Amidst the openings and the closings, the dream lives on
Lots of buzz in the world of tea these days! And we love it all! Some stores are closing, some are opening, some are being acquired, and some are still living in the heads and hearts of tea lovers…
Teaometry (or how I came to start a tea business)
In my last post, I mentioned Teaometry and how it stemmed from the larger Sacred Teaometry. Well, things are progressing in pleasant ways thus far. The immediate response from my peers and friends of…
The importance of staying connected
A few months ago, a hardware failure prevented me from accessing the Internet for two whole days. As I was not vacationing in the wilderness or at sea, this inadvertent loss of connectivity did not confer peace…
Liuan Guapian – Introducing a lesser-known member of China’s Top 10 Famous Teas
The title itself seems like an oxymoron – how can a Top 10 Famous Tea be lesser known? But that’s the fate that befalls all quality green teas in China not named Dragon Well or Green Spires Spring (Bi Luo Chun)…
The motivations of the new tea lover
At the Los Angeles International Tea Festival, I had the great fortune to attend a seminar given by James Norwood Pratt at which he spoke about a tea renaissance in the United States, which is energized by the “new tea…
Tea tourism
On the morning of October 12, I was at the Wild Mahseer resort in the Balipara area of Assam with Dan Robertson and Mark Mercier when I read something very appalling in a 2006 issue of Tea Today – a monthly…
Our customers are our business
Of all the businesses I have been involved in during my long career, retailing is the most fun. What makes retailing fun are the customers. I’ve never met so many fascinating and genuinely nice people…
Why a tea fest in Las Vegas?
My tea enlightenment began in 2005 in Chicago. I brought it back home with me to San Diego, but never ventured out into the local tea scene. It seemed enough…
2,000 cups of tea a day
A short five-minute drive from the American University of Sharjah in Sharjah, UAE (that’s the United Arab Emirates, a small nation that borders Saudi Arabia) is the Royal Tea Cafeteria. Over the past seven…
Get your festival on this October
This coming weekend, October 27-28, visit the Los Angeles International Tea Festival and delight your palate with teas from all over the world. Meet the who’s who of specialty tea – can you say celebriteas…
The pushback
Teaopia was a much better concept than Teavana from a customer’s perspective, although the idea for Teaopia was hatched after its founder was lured into a Teavana outlet at a Tampa megamall…
Life as a global tea ambassador
People ask me, “What is a Global Tea Ambassador?” It’s an interesting title that had me wondering as well when I first assumed it last year after I began working with the International Tea Farms Alliance. The title was actually a joke at first…
Xi Fang Mei Ren
Three teas – Darjeeling, Dong Fang Mei Ren (from Taiwan), and Jin Jun Mei (from Wuyishan) – are very similar. Their shared characteristics can also be seen in Zhong Hong…
Pinterest for tea businesses
Social media is a powerful medium for tea businesses. I have spoken about the power of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn in previous posts. This time it’s Pinterest’s turn…
Down and Out at Bird Pick
Tea seems to bring out the George Orwell in me. In fact, Orwell was quite a fan of tea. The famous journalist and author even wrote an essay called “A Nice Cup of Tea,” which I described in a T Ching post last year…
Will global warming affect the tea industry?
It never ceases to amaze me how much denial exists about global warming. I was listening to the radio the other day and discovered that politicians continue their denial of this critical climate change. It’s shocking on so many levels…
Dear Zhena
Having a plan is as powerful as imbibing a cup of tea. You must brew your business much as you would steep a cup of precious Pu-Erh or Yin Zhen. The loving care the workers take with the leaves is the loving care you…
Exploring the Hawaii-grown tea industry
I was first introduced to Hawaii-grown tea a little over a year ago as an MBA student at the University of Hawaii. During a consulting project with the College of Tropic Agriculture and Human Resources, my partner…
The history of tea in Taiwan: A fractured fairytale
If tea drinkers were asked to list their favorite teas and then told afterward that their tea choices provided a peek into their personalities, many would concede that there are plausible connections. Personal in nature, our choices might reflect taste…
A tea delegation to Taiwan
At the end of June 2012, Indian Tea Board Chairman Bhanu led a high-powered tea delegation, comprised of members of the ITA, UPASI, DTA, and Exporters Association, to Taiwan. I was lucky enough to be a part of this…
Too much information, not enough tea
At our business, I am the official Tweeter. Part of that is having people / companies follow you and deciding if you want to follow them back. One company I follow is Entrepreneur Magazine. Lately, though, I’m reconsidering…
The evolution of my tea complaints (it’s a good thing)
Based on my anecdotal evidence, high-quality tea is coming into its own. In fact, I would even go so far as to say there is a c-change happening in the tea industry. I felt it this past January as I crisscrossed the United States…
Tweet for tea
Imagine for a moment that you are standing in front of a vending machine. You tweet your friends about tea, and viola, the machine serves you up a can of iced tea…
ITCC Cup Warming at the World Tea Expo
There was a lot going on at this year’s Tenth World Tea Expo in Las Vegas. The event brought people together from all across the globe, so it was quite fitting that the ITCC have a social gathering at the event…
A tea man without tea
It so happened that I lost my luggage on my flight to America and I was feeling rather naked. But the tea community at the World Tea Expo 2012 in Las Vegas last month accepted me as is. In fact, my fellow tea people…
Bottling tea
When my first partner and I started looking at what we wanted to include in our concept back in early 2004, one of the options was bottling a tea beverage I had developed. We visited two reputable bottling companies in our area…
Culture and commerce: A travelogue of ceremonial comparisons
Our 2012 Tea Lovers Festival in Los Angeles stretched for an entire month – from May 4-27 – so I thought I would be too exhausted from producing it to attend the World Tea Expo this year, which had moved its dates…
Tea aisles and everyday smiles
My mornings, afternoons, and evenings are consumed with tea. When I have a friend over, I brew tea. After a refreshing walk, it’s time for iced tea. After a long, hard day at work, I’m ready for a warm, sweet, chocolaty tea…
Reflections in Tea: A touching tribute to the people of Japan
Late on March 8, 2011, my husband and I welcomed our second son, Gavin, into the world. He was healthy and perfect and we were ecstatic to finally get to meet him. Hospital cable is limited and I have always been a bit of a news junkie…
Beating summer torpor
For us, summertime usually means a fairly significant slowdown in guest visits, as many of our teahouse friends go on vacation and engage in other activities. We’ve also had to face the perception that (high-end) tea doesn’t really…
World Tea Expo – A view from inside
Each year, our company – along with several hundred other manufacturers in the premium tea space – exhibits at the World Tea Expo held in June at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This year was special to many of us…
Facebook for tea businesses
In a previous post, I talked about the power of LinkedIn for growing your tea business, so in this post I thought I would talk about Facebook. I want to share two Facebook approaches…
Introducing Argentinian tea aficionados to Indian tea
Diego Morlachetti runs a school of tea in Rosario, Argentina, which is a licensee under the auspices of the American Tea Masters Association (ATMA) based in San Diego. The ATMA, which is run by its legendary Executive Director Chas Kroll…
Dünya Çay Evi – Showcasing tea’s global reach
To understand the genesis of Ilgaz Bilhan’s Dünya Çay Evi (World Tea House) venture, it helps to know what inspired Ilgaz to devote his time and energy to realizing tea’s potential to bring people together. During a visit…
In an effort to become more transparent …
I don’t blend all of my teas. There … I’ve said it! I haven’t been keeping it a secret. I swear. Anytime someone asks me via email or at a tea event, I am always upfront about the fact that I don’t create every blend…
Stories about my favorite oolong teas
I love oolong teas for their flavor, complex character, sweet aroma, and stories. Chinese folklore seems to have a story for every tea invented. I enjoy learning how royalty from China and abroad have discovered teas…
Why the rising price of tea in China is not entirely bad news
If you have any interest in tea – and most probably you do or you wouldn’t be reading this – you likely have read about the escalating price of tea in China and the rest of the world. As a tea lover, you may be concerned that your favorite Dragon Well…
Your cuppa more dear?
The folks at T Ching have spent the better part of half a decade promoting tea as a delicious beverage, touting its health benefits, its comforting ritual, and its spiritual history. Tea has such tremendous variety that there is a tea…
If strength is your weakness, Assam is your tea
The Tea Spot’s Assam loose-leaf tea and Steepware were recently featured on the Anderson Cooper Show in a segment where we learned that Dame Judi Dench drinks only Assam tea. Assam is the tea many of us wake…
Growing up in a tea family
Last year, 26-year-old Zi Zhao Guai decided to join his family’s business, Nam Wan Tea Co. Pte Ltd in Singapore. In 1906, Zi Zhao’s great great grandfather, Jing Zhe Guai, a tea master…
Shui, shui, shui …
Lui da cha shan, or Six Famous Mountain Tea Co., of Yunnan, which manufactures premium pu’er teas in Menghai, Xishuangbanna prefecture, recently commemorated their tenth anniversary and I was honored to be invited…
Tea: The Magazine
A few months ago, I got an email from Dan Bolton, the wizard who revamped the World Tea News newsletter. He shared with me that the oldest print tea magazine, Tea: A Magazine, originally founded by Pearl Dexter, an early T Ching contributor…
“Cup warming” – A tea-tasting social
I enjoy the time I spend on my own in our cupping room, studying, scrutinizing, and slurping as I evaluate current and new teas. As part of the job, I’m afforded the opportunity to get to know familiar teas in more depth…
The day China Daily came calling
We at California Tea and Coffee Brewery are tea geeks who just kind of “go for it” everyday in our own little loose-leaf world. That’s why it was such a surprise and honor when we received an email from the largest daily newspaper in mainland China…
What the tea industry can learn from Apple
Tea, more than a mere beverage, has been a way of life – particularly in the Chinese culture – for thousands of years. It is also the second most-consumed drink in the world, after the insurmountable behemoth that is plain water…
Price bubble in Dan Cong tea?
The Dan Cong market may now be experiencing an economic bubble like the Puerh tea bubble that burst in 2007 and damaged the Puerh tea industry. Two years ago, you could buy a very nice Dan Cong variety for $20 dollars/kilogram. In today’s market . . .
Tea is always in season at the Boulder Farmers’ Market
Well, it’s that time of year again. The weather is beautiful – most often sunny – and everything appears to be a fresh shade of green. Come mid-Spring, we’re enjoying the year’s first Farmers’ Market here in Boulder…
Tea + coffee: A love story
A coffee lover and a tea lover follow their dreams and set up a specialty café, Smitten, together. They also happen to be husband and wife…
Collaborations: Continuing to spread the tea love
Over the past few years of working directly with the U.S. tea industry, I have observed that tea companies do not really collaborate when it comes to their marketing to and education of tea lovers / consumers…
Enlarging the audience for tea
As a long-time convert to the pleasures of drinking tea, I have been thinking a lot lately about the best way to introduce tea to a new audience. We each have our own story of how we came to tea…
Why LinkedIn is good for tea businesses
According to Wikipedia, LinkedIn is a business-related social networking site used primarily for professional networking. Many business opportunities have become available to me and my business via LinkedIn…
Developing a tea-drinking culture in Mexico
It has been almost a year since I began working in the tea industry and during that time, I have managed to persuade a few people to change their drinking habits. The most important person I have influenced is my wife…