It’s time to look back at 2011 and analyze the trends we’ve seen this past year in Southern California regarding specialty tea. We are in a demographic that is totally “Starbucks drive-through commuter” and we are known to cities like San Diego and Los Angeles as a “chain store town.” … Continue reading
Several months ago, one of my customers asked me to design a new tea for their discerning customers to enjoy during the holidays. They wanted something exciting to add to their extensive menu and set them apart from the nearby coffee houses and restaurants. As I sat to brainstorm ideas … Continue reading
This year’s edition of the Indian Tea Forum, held in Siliguri, West Bengal, at the foot of the Darjeeling hills, was a spectacle of sight, sound, scholarship, and socializing involving some of the leaders in the N.E. Indian tea industry. I was honored to be asked again to present at … Continue reading
The Chinese Tea Expo 2011, held December 16-18 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, was an official event organized as a part of the “Year of Chinese Culture in Australia.” Aside from the various governmental entities involved in the organizing and sponsoring of the tea expo, including the Chinese … Continue reading
Whenever I encounter a caravan of food trucks in the city, like the one I saw across the street from a major museum not too long ago, I usually take a quick look at the menus, spend a few minutes to see just how exotic the dishes are, and then … Continue reading
Last year, by the middle of the afternoon on Christmas Eve, shoppers seemed to have completed their last-minute gift buying. Our tea shop was pretty much picked clean, except for one of our larger gift baskets that remained by the front window. Weary employees kept their eyes on the slow-moving … Continue reading