Summer in the Northern Hemisphere is ending and tea production in the seasonal areas of China, India and Georgia is coming to a close for the year, while production in the seasonal areas of Argentina and other producing countries in the Southern Hemisphere is just awakening. This in mind, I’m reminded of the many phone conversations I’ve had with tea buyers, blending companies and brand owners about the freshness of… read more...

Popularity: 85% [?]

Finding and Filling a Gap / The Business of Tea

Reading business plans for upstart tea companies is one of my favorite occupational duties. On an average I encounter this pleasure about 3 times per month. Each time I sit down to read one I’m nearly overcome with a sense of excitement and anticipation. By the time I’m finished reading the mission statement and a few paragraphs of  the general plan… read more...

Popularity: 92% [?]

Defending straight, unflavored, teas in today’s market comes naturally to me. I hold these unadulterated leaves close to my heart and find them filled with endless variations on what seems to be a growing portfolio themes. Straight teas are the base for all tea products and I hold that a working knowledge of these is very helpful when judging flavored teas.

That said, let’s take the positive note on… read more...

Popularity: 100% [?]

For most of us, it’s a small jump from broadening our palates to developing a working vocabulary for describing and remembering specialty teas. Certainly we have the traditional tasting vocabulary with such descriptors as ‘bakey, harsh, thin’,  etc., to refer to when cupping teas for defects, but these leave much to be desired when tasting teas with a customer or analyzing a cup with the intention of writing an… read more...

Popularity: 85% [?]