Every day, new patrons come to our teahouse looking for an alternative to coffee. Perhaps their doctor told them to cut down on their caffeine intake, or perhaps coffee wasn’t “working” like it used to, causing jitters and anxiety, accompanied by lower highs and even lower lows. Often, the search … Continue reading
We’ve all heard it. We’ve all tried to explain it. Sometimes the patron buys into your pitch about the merits of loose over bagged, but other times it can be like talking to a wall.You know what I am talking about here. You might be able to sell them on … Continue reading
If you are like me, finding a new tea shop is thrilling. So when I discovered TeaFountain in Mill Valley (San Francisco Bay Area), the clouds parted, celestial music played, and all things were right with the world. Nearly half the store is stocked with directly imported teas from around … Continue reading
While we last met on the path to Ilam—and to Ilam we shall return—today we venture just west to picturesque, mile-high Hile in adjacent Dhankuta District.It is here, in 2001, that the Jun Chiyabari tea garden was established. Although, to be honest, “pioneered” would be the better word to describe … Continue reading
Last weekend, my team and I exhibited at an eco-music festival in Malibu, California – Malibu Fest. For several months prior we planned and organized and planned some more, hopeful that tea sales from this show would make a dent in our monthly cash needs. I, along with 80 or … Continue reading
“In tea terms, Vietnam is a sleeping giant.” This is a judgement for us to take seriously. The French claim credit for planting the country’s first tea in 1825, but in typical French colonial fashion, these European invaders were deeply self-deluded. From of old, tea plants have grown wild in … Continue reading