I was recently reminded of the start of my affinity for my favorite tea when we had the opportunity to visit with David Lee Hoffman and his lovely wife, Bea.  David, who is the subject of the Les Blanc film, All In This Tea, had Bea serve me (and, I’m sure, hundreds of other Americans [...]

People ask me how we came up with the name “Tavalon” and I always answer by saying that I locked myself in a room for 30 days and did nothing but brainstorm.  All joking aside, naming the business was probably one of the most difficult tasks during the start-up phase.  Many entrepreneurs have this problem [...]

Yes!  Tea is the most versatile and delicious beverage in the world.  Yes!  Tea has historical significance throughout many cultures.  And Yes!  Tea can be a simple remedy for many ailments. I was recently reminded of this when my niece, Megan, made me an extremely tasty tea that eased my tummy turmoil.
I had been suffering [...]

Everyone talks about the good old days, but in truth, I am still too young to have a firm opinion as to whether the past might have been better than the present.  But what if there were a way to travel back to an older tradition?  Korean teas might just offer a way.
Upon first learning [...]

Consistently ranked among the Top 10 tea-producing countries in the world and frequently in the Top 5, Turkey today is a tea powerhouse on both the production and consumption sides of the equation.  However, that has not always been the case.  From the time the first tea seedlings were imported to Turkey from Japan and [...]

Keemun, or Qimen tea, is a China Famous Tea.  China Famous Tea is the modern name for Imperial Tribute Tea.  These teas were claimed as an exclusive provenance of the emperors in the last four dynasties: Tang, Song, Ming and Qing.  Each emperor had his favorite teas delivered and recorded as a tax payment owed [...]

While traveling and enjoying the incredible weather up here in beautiful British Columbia this summer, I’ve taken notice of a growing trend percolating throughout this great province of ours. The menu boards in teahouses and cafés are now offering an incredible array of tea-based lattes.  Even in some of the most off-the-beaten-track hovels, there is [...]

Why is it that the keys to building customer loyalty are so obvious and yet so few companies do it well? Any consumer can tell you what they want from a retailer, and most of them will also tell you that the majority of companies do a pretty poor job converting customers into passionate fans. [...]

In 2005, I was working for a consulting company called Accenture.  I enjoyed the job, but didn’t love it, and was always looking for a way to break out of the corporate rat race.  I was working and living in London for a client engagement and frequented Covent Garden for coffee on the weekends.  Then [...]

I am always delighted when I see tea touted, referenced, or revered in books, music, TV, or film, particularly if it is done in a clever, amusing, or silly manner.  So when my husband - who is a musician and is always scouring the web for unusual music-related items - sent me a link to [...]