Shadi Afshar

Shadi Afshar was born in the UK and moved to Texas at the age of five. Coming from a Persian heritage, she has been surrounded by tea all her life. Much of her family, including her father, work for Ahmad Tea London. Initially, she had little interest in the tea industry and focused her career in technology and then, later, in social media and marketing. It wasn't until she joined her father at the 2010 Fancy Food Show in San Francisco that she recognized not only her own interest in tea, but also the level of passion and conversation that exists in the tea industry. After making her dream move to New York in late 2011, she decided to work with her father at Ahmad Tea London and has loved every moment. She has gone from being a daily coffee drinker to an "English Breakfast in the morning and Mint Green tea at night" drinker. She enjoys learning about the proper etiquette of afternoon tea and then hosting tea and various delicious chocolates at her NYC studio for her friends. Let her know if you're ever in the city - she'll happily have a cuppa with you!

Faith Bailes

A natural visionary, Faith Ann, developed an ambitious goal - to create a trade show exclusively for the tea industry. With her infectious passion for tea, Faith Ann studied the market and spent three years networking with tea growers, associations, exporters, importers, and anyone dealing with tea-related items to sell her concept. In 2003, the first “Take Me 2 Tea Expo” in Las Vegas, Nevada, was launched and the world of tea was successfully united under one roof. She eventually sold her interest in the Expo and began freelancing, working with ITI, local restaurants, and STI, and writing for some publications. She is currently working with ITI as a sales and marketing consultant. Her current project is the Los Angeles International Tea Festival.

Tim Barribeau

Tim Barribeau is a freelance science and technology writer, and long-term tea addict. He has a deep and abiding love of food, photography, and gadgets in general, and you can find his writing at the Wirecutter, Imaging Resource, and PopPhoto.

Chris Bourgea

Chris Bourgea has been immersed in the tea industry since starting BourgeaTEA in October 2008 on his college campus as a way to bring gourmet tea to students. He interned at Honest Tea as a ROAD Warrior helping launch markets in Tennessee, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi when Honest Tea first started distributing through Coca-Cola. After graduating from Anderson University and selling BourgeaTEA in May 2011, he joined Adagio Teas in the windy city to help expand their retail operations.

Ed Brown

Ed Brown, an SEO Strategist with DBD Media in London, works on behalf of the Maybourne Hotel group, which is comprised of three of the best luxury hotels in London - the art deco jewel Claridge’s, the classically styled Connaught, and Knightbridge’s luxury gem Berkeley. All are well known for their exquisite afternoon teas.

Derek Chew

Derek Chew is the founder of Peony Tea Solutions (www.peonyts.com), an online Chinese tea shop in Singapore, whose motto is "Celebrating the contemporary art of tea." His goal is to simplify and demystify the art of tea so that anyone can brew it without feeling intimidated. There is a Chinese saying that "the tallest buildings are constructed from ground up." Although there is much to learn about tea, baby steps have to be taken. Derek hopes to simplify the process, but preserve the experience. On a personal note, the loves of his life are God, his family, literature, and tea - in that order. His plan is to devote the rest of his life to these four causes. On a frivolous note, he enjoys the odd occasional flirtation with the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA.

Erika Cilengir

A native Californian, born literally on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, Erika Cilengir grew up in the Highland Park/Mt. Washington area of the city, a haven for persons marching to a different beat. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Pomona College, Erika spent four months in Germany, studying German at the Goethe Institute in Luneburg, where she met her future husband. Erika then began her nearly 20-year career as a technical communicator in the computer industry and received a master’s degree in Communication from the University of Southern California (USC). In 1998, Erika made a career transition, moving into business analysis. She continues to work as an IT business analyst, but took a brief break from the corporate world in 2008 to pursue her dream of starting a tea house. After eight intense months of pursuing her dream, Erika decided it was not the right time to open a business and put her dream on hold. But Erika continues to be a tea enthusiast and makes a point of savoring at least one cup a day. Her positive associations with tea began many years ago when Erika regularly spent afternoons with a good friend and tea lover, sampling various teas, enjoying her company, and leaving feeling refreshed and relaxed. Today, steeping a cup of tea is one of the best ways Erika has found to take a break from the hustle and bustle of living. It is a healthy habit that complements her other healthy habits of running and eating well as well as her volunteer work with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Lisa Dong

A Hong Kong-based tea lover, Lisa Dong, well versed in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and English, spends her days teaching Chinese and educating people about Chinese tea.

Kate Dumont

Kate Dumont is a writer and artist living 'la dolce vita' in Sausalito, California. She has had a love affair with tea all her life when she began drinking tea at the tender age of 16. In a family of hard-core coffee drinkers, she felt like she was a cocker spaniel living with dobermans. When she was 18, she lived in Sweden for one year, where tea drinking was more common, found her tea bliss, and learned that there is more to tea than Lipton (tho her British friends love Lipton.) The clouds parted and the heavens opened when she lived in Los Angeles in the 1980s and took a tour of Chinatown; one stop on the tour included the Ten Ren tea shop…rose tea, oolong tea, white tea, jasmine, and all the varieties were available there. Right now she is on the hunt for the best Masala Chai.

Holly Erdogan

Holly Erdogan is a firm believer that tea soothes her soul because it’s done just that. From drinking iced green tea on a terribly hot day in the San Fernando Valley to snuggling up with a book and the perfect cup of hot tea in the middle of the day, she is absolutely in love with tea for all aspects of her life. Holly will be earning her Nutrition and Dietetics degree from California State University, Northridge in May 2011 and resides in Southern California. Holly grew up in a small town in Oklahoma where it seemed like the only tea people drank was good ole’ southern (highly sweetened) sweet tea. It wasn’t until moving to California in 2007 that her addiction to tea began. She loves the simplicity of a cup of tea, the healing benefits, and the pure, honest taste it delivers. Holly is planning to become a Registered Dietitian and teach the benefits of tea to our bodies to her future clients.

Dharlene Fahl

Dharlene Marie Fahl is the author of a "Tea Trilogy," three books connecting tea and spirituality with the inner journey of self-discovery, self-healing, and self-love. She has also written 101 healing prayers to enjoy while slowly sipping tea in sweet surrender. Her first book, now going into second edition, "Sereni-Tea: Seven Sips to BLISS,” will be available in June 2012 through Amazon with a Foreword by Dan Robertson. The other two books are forthcoming as e-books. Dharlene, a Level 3+ Certified Tea Specialist with the Specialty Tea Institute of America, traveled to China as a delegate in the China Tea Tour with the Tea Association of the USA in 2007. Dharlene Marie was also a participant in the first American Tea Masters Association program in San Diego in 2008 and a featured guest speaker at the first Indian Tea Forum in October of 2010 in Siliguri, India. She was hosted for over a month by Rajiv Lochan of Lochan Tea and Shiv Saria of Rohini Tea Estate and traveled to many parts of the Darjeeling tea-growing areas. Most recently, in 2011, Dharlene Marie spent time in the tea fields and factories of the Shizuoka tea-growing area in Japan. Dharlene is an inspirational speaker with several heartfelt presentations and tea demonstrations that she offers to companies, organizations, women's groups, churches, and now in senior centers with her new business called, Tea Talks. Her message is simple: “In the time it takes to mindfully sip a cup of tea, you can change your life and claim your bliss.” In her books, she explains how easily this can be done. Dharlene Marie has spent countless volunteer hours working with overweight teens and tweens as her personal mission to do something positive about childhood obesity. She is also a “poetess,” writing heart-felt, romantic, and spiritual poetry that she performs at spoken word events. You can find her on Facebook, where she is called RED, at www.dharlene-marie.com, and very soon at www.sensualiteas.com.

Jason Goodwin

Edgar Award Winner Jason Goodwin is the author of the Yashim thriller series set in 19th Century Istanbul, translated into over 40 languages. But it’s not how he began. In "The Gunpowder Gardens or, A Time for Tea: Travels in India and China in Search of Tea," Jason set out to explore the history of the tea trade on the South China coast, the tea auctions of Calcutta, and the tea gardens of the Himalayas. "The Gunpowder Gardens was the first book I wrote," Jason says. "It was a spectacular moment for travel-writing, and the story of tea was a fascinating subject." Shortlisted for the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, "The Gunpowder Gardens" takes the reader on a journey through the tea lands of India and China, blending a fascinating account of the history - and flavor - of tea with vivid travel narrative. With a memorable cast of characters, from Hong Kong’s Professor Tea to The Nose in Darjeeling, "The Gunpowder Gardens" is often funny, always vivid, and – in the words of The Sunday Times – "full of fascination." "Readers are fortunate," said the New York Times. "Jason Goodwin has been inspired … to devote his funny, evocative first book to the history and geography of tea … It has summoned up all the tea in China and India. And made one thirst for a spicy cup of the brew."

Dan Greenfeld

Dan Greenfeld grew up in Brooklyn and was an attorney for 35 years. Now he's a New York City potter-ceramic artist (a hyphenate he obsesses over) specializing in teapots - porcelain, wood-fired, wisteria handled - that are as functional as they are beautiful. His interest in ceramics was kindled seven years ago when he met his spouse, a ceramicist, artist, and creativity educator. Having no real knowledge of ceramics, but fascinated by the pieces she was making in her studio and from which they were eating and drinking, Dan began looking at ceramics in museums and galleries, and reading and asking questions about, and ultimately collecting, ceramics. Feeling he could never really understand ceramics without some experience in making them, Dan started taking classes and had the good fortune to receive instruction from some potters during his first trip to Japan. He progressed by taking workshops with potters whose work he admired, and refined his techniques, forms, and materials by using the wisdom and experience they so graciously and selflessly imparted. Dan chose to explore the teapot because he was challenged by the form's inherently conflicting aesthetic and functional issues. As his thinking evolved, he began to understand that a teapot of sufficient beauty and functionality could enhance people's lives. The teapot can be the focal point of a daily ritual (used in the best sense of the word) encompassing aesthetic contemplation, tea connoisseurship, considered and focused utilization of the senses, and most importantly, discourse and human connection - the essence of the tea ceremony.

Austin Hodge

Seven Cups Founder Austin Hodge is an entrepreneur with a focus on small international business development, dedicated to creative, sustainable, long-term business modeling. Austin is also a tea enthusiast and a Chinese tea student. Knowledgeable about import / export and international business with a focus on China, Austin is a Chinese government liaison with experience in e-commerce, retail / wholesale, and databases. In fact, Austin is many things to many people, including, but not limited to, Chongqing husband, father, grandfather, brother, perpetual student, geek, photographer, writer, blogger, blues musician, and food lover. Austin was the first American to be published in the Chinese International Tea Culture Institute's Journal; his paper there was republished in tea trade magazines across China. Also the Honorary Director of the Chinese International Tea Culture Institute, Austin has received the Global Puer Top Ten Outstanding Persons of China Award. Austin's company - Seven Cups - was the first American company to be granted a Chinese Trading License.

David Lee Hoffman

David Lee Hoffman has been traveling the remote back country of Asia for more than 40 years seeking out the world’s finest rare, organic, and wild pure leaf teas. He is the first American to work directly with tea farmers in China and to engage in joint ventures with old, established tea gardens. With an extensive background in vermiculture and soil fertility, he has worked in China with the prestigious National Tea Research Institute, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Department of Agriculture to help them implement organic and sustainable tea farming practices. 

Alexandra Hoover

Alexandra Hoover has been obsessed with tea ever since she visited her grandmother and watched jasmine flowers gracefully unfold in a mug. She drinks too many cups of tea a day and tries to make up for it by consuming more water than the average person ("tries" is the key word). She is a freelance writer who also creates reviews for a travel website and a Los Angeles community resource site. Alexandra has a degree in anthropology and would love to visit Japan to see an authentic tea ceremony in action.

Ifang Hsieh

A Taiwanese, Ifang (pronounced ee-fong) Hsieh immigrated to the U.S. with her family at the age of sixteen. After receiving a degree in computer science and engineering, Ifang started her career as an analyst and later worked as an IT manager responsible for the development of a major bank's online banking software. In 2008, Ifang decided to pursue a career change and spent eight months touring and living in Asia. Writing, traveling, and operas are Ifang's passion. Favorite destinations include Bogota in Colombia, Venice in Italy, the Jiangnan region in China, and Taiwan. Her favorite opera is Offenbach's "the Tales of Hoffmann." Ifang enjoys visiting tea rooms internationally, especially those that provide an eclectic selection of teas and are whimsically decorated.

Kulov

Kulov was born and raised in the Old Country. He started his annual tea festivals as Valentine's Day tea-time celebrations for his nieces in Holland a decade ago. The event has since grown into a public undertaking in the Los Angeles area, which celebrates and promotes tea through various cultural and educational activities such as workshops, lectures, tea ceremonies, art installations, and performances. Kulov does not consider himself a tea expert nor connoisseur, but loves to combine his appreciation for exquisite teas with his marketing and programming expertise in order to create unique cultural tea experiences that both educate and delight the general public. In addition to the tea festival during the springtime, he also organizes autumn tea bus tours. Kulov is currently based in Santa Monica, California, close to the beach for fresh air, as well as to the airport, so he can always easily access and explore tea cultures in other parts of the world. For more information, please check out www.kulov.com.

Melanie Lee

Melanie Lee is a freelance writer from Singapore who runs a tea blog at tealadymel.wordpress.com and has too much tea at home. She loves how her favorite things in life - travel, nature, history, and contemplation - are all so beautifully encapsulated in this one beverage. Melanie's favorite tea-related memories include breaking a teacup in Cameron Highlands, sunbathing at The Tea Factory Hotel in Nuwara Eliya, and blending green tea in Shizuoka.

Rajiv Lochan

Life provided Rajiv Lochan opportunity to experiment with tea, and that he did in Darjeeling and China, and now working on a project to find original tea cultivars which were brought from China to India to establish a parallel tea industry to cater to the needs of Imperial trade in early 1800s. After serving as a tea planter for 23 years, he started a tea business, which has helped him find more and more about tea, and finally made him into a tea researcher. Deciphering Chinese tea scriptures is the only key to success. Born in 1953 in Aligarh, in northern India, he planted about 1000 hectares of tea for his company which he served till 1997 and for his own small plantation, which he is using as an experimental plot in non-tradional tea growing area of Bihar, the land of Buddha. Promoting Indus Foundation to look after the educational needs of local children, who should grow to be better citizens, is the social aspect in his mind. www.doketea.in www.lochantea.com www.indusfoundation.com

Ryan MacMichael

A webmaster based in Virginia, Ryan is a recent east coast addition to the T Ching staff. Ryan’s own tea addiction started with a randomly purchased Sow Mee white tea from an Asian market when he was in college. Since then, he’s expanded his horizons and knowledge about tea, tea preparation methods, and tea production and is in the process of opening a tea shop. Ryan spends his spare time working on personal web projects and music, writing about veganism and animal rights, as well as hanging out with his wife, daughter, son, and basset/shepherd/bloodhound mix.

Tracy Monson

Tracy Monson is the owner and founder of Essencha Tea House & Fine Teas in Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduating with a degree in Film from the University of Colorado (Boulder), Tracy took a 2-1/2-year trip around the world, spending much of her time in tea-producing, tea-drinking cultures. A large portion of that time was spent in Japan, where she worked while studying ceramics, tea, and Japanese. Although she had always been a tea drinker, it was during this time that she began a true love affair with tea and its associated cultures, rituals, history, art, and aesthetics. After leaving Japan, Tracy decided to backtrack, taking another trip around the world, during which time she met and married her husband of 14 years. After her return to the States in the mid-90's, Tracy began a career in IT while pursuing her MBA. It was during this time that she began to explore the feasibility and viability of opening and sustaining a modern teahouse in Cincinnati. About a year and a half after graduation, she left her career and opened Essencha Tea House in March 2006. In addition to overseeing strategy at the teahouse, Tracy is the mother of three young children and spends what little free time she has outside the teahouse exercising, cooking, reading, and entertaining.

Guy Munsch

Guy Munsch is the co-founder (with Methee Thavornvongkajorn) of Zen Tara Tea. Started in 2007, the business began in a small space in the Historic Farm Women's Cooperative Market in Bethesda, Maryland outside of Washington, DC. Focused on finding the best quality teas available and growers who practiced organic and sustainable tea cultivation, Zen Tara Tea expanded to a 1,600-square-foot tea shop in 2010, complete with a dedicated room for tea blending and tasting events. Although a life-long tea drinker, tea was only a personal passion until Zen Tara Tea was created and proved to be a successful realization of his talents as a retail art director, designer, and preservation specialist for cultural heritage sites internationally. Guy and Methee travel frequently to Southeast Asia, visiting tea growers and heritage sites and bringing their connections with tea origins back to customers in carefully selected teas, tastings, and community workshops focused on tea history and culture.

Nancy Murphy

Nancy Murphy lives in Austin, Texas, where she works in high tech. She enjoys learning about tea, and in her spare time is working on her dream of owning a tea shop, although this may be a retirement career. She takes many opportunities to pursue her tea education, and continues to be touched by how open and welcoming everyone in the tea world has been. She has enjoyed exploring tea shops and markets in locations such as China, Malaysia, England, and France, and would love to take a trip to the tea estates in India, Taiwan, and China.

Zhena Muzyka

In 2000, Zhena was faced with the most difficult challenge of her life when her son, Sage, was born with a severe birth defect. Barely making ends meet, and with no health insurance to cover Sage’s mounting medical costs, Zhena was determined to earn the income necessary to support the needs of her son and finance the several surgeries to ensure Sage’s survival. With her degree in aromatherapy, her love of tea, and a small collection of money from friends and family, Zhena embraced her Ukrainian Gypsy ancestry and began peddling her teas out of a cart on California street corners. Believing that selling her tins of tea could alter fate, Zhena became a purveyor of hope and the founder of Gypsy Tea. Today Sage is a healthy, energetic boy and the company is an award-winning brand delighting consumers around the globe.

Joy Njuguna

Joy Njuguna is the founder and one of three managing partners of Royal Tea of Kenya, LLC, an American-based import company that is just over a year old. Her other two managing partners are Ardith Blumenthal and Shirlene Davis. Joy’s education in international affairs and politics has served her well in understanding the socio-political climate in Kenya and the U.S. Spending her formative years in the U.K. and Kenya shaped her for a career in international affairs and business. Her education and travels span three continents. Born into a political dynasty, Joy’s father, Samuel W’Njuguna, championed small-scale tea farmers for years and was instrumental in the privatization of the K.T.D.A. in the year 2000 as he rallied small-scale farmers to vote for and support the creation of a government-free tea cooperative that would end up with 65 factories and over 550,000 small-scale tea farmers. Learning firsthand what pricing structure can do for farmers, Joy often accompanied her father to their many farms to learn the business of tea and sustainable farming. Her grandfather, Arthur Komo, is still the patriarch of this tea family. Known as the oldest tea farmer in the world, Arthur still manages as the head of the family to oversee the ancestral land lush with tea. Joy is the COO of Royal Tea of Kenya. Ardith Blumenthal is Royal Tea of Kenya’s CEO, a seasoned top-level executive with experience in healthcare and nutrition. Shirlene Davis is the company’s Chief of Staff, with a background in health, education, and computer training. She heads up the social media networks and website development as well as staff hires and personnel training. All three women are connected by their love for Kenyan farmers, their need to educate the world on the quality of Kenyan teas, and their desire to put a human face on the teas.

Elyse Petersen

Elyse Petersen worked as a Global Tea Ambassador in Wazuka, Kyoto, Japan with the International Tea Farms Alliance. Through her time in Japan, she made many connections with tea farmers and was inspired by the passion farmers had for their tea. She is now the founder of Tealet, a marketplace that connects drinkers with tea growers around the world.

Michelle Rabin

Michelle Rabin is the founder of T Ching. Eight years ago, she left New Jersey where she'd been in private practice as a psychologist for 25 years, and moved to Hood River, Oregon with visions of tea in her mind, body, and soul. Her mentors, Robert G. Allen (N.Y. Times best-selling author) and Mark Victor Hanson (Chicken Soup For the Soul) taught her that she is limited only by the limitations she imposes on herself. It is her vision and drive that is the inspiration for this innovative new business. She was able to see, early on, the direction the tea industry was headed in this country and was drawn to every aspect of it. A former coca-cola addict, Michelle first discovered green tea as a healthier beverage choice to wean herself off of her coca-cola jones. Her love affair with tea began while studying the traditions of the Japanese and Chinese Tea Ceremonies. But it didn't end there. As a tea connoisseur herself, Michelle saw the need to educate consumers about tea. Her prediction is that once Americans can make a delicious cup of tea quickly, painlessly, and perfectly, their consumption of tea will significantly increase, bringing it in line with the rest of the world's enjoyment of tea. Second only to water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. The profound health benefits associated with tea consumption will have the potential to impact health and wellness in this country unlike anything before it. We're currently working on a new project and expect to launch it this winter. We'll keep you posted so you can be the first to participate in this exciting new avenue for tea lovers.

Regena Rafelson

Regena Rafelson was born and raised in the Columbia River Gorge, witnessed all the memorable weather events: Columbus Day Storm of 1962; floods from 1964 to 2006; the blowing of Mt. St. Helens in 1980; and the first visit of Thomas the Tanker Train. She has summitted most of the Cascade Volcanoes, including 6/7 of Mt. Rainier. Formerly an avid backpacker, and telemark skier, gravity has taken its toll. She is content with hiking the Columbia River Gorge, You could take a different hike every day for 75 days, all of them uphill at least one way." Fearing that her stepchildren will place her in an assisted care facility in Rockaway, Oregon, Regena has recently switched to tea after a thirty year affair with espresso. She is an English teacher at the high school level. On Tuesdays, tea is served in each class."

Bruce Richardson

Bruce Richardson is the owner of Elmwood Inn Fine Teas and its publishing division Benjamin Press. He has served on the Advisory Committee for STI (Specialty Tea Institute of America) and the Editorial Board of Fresh Cup magazine. You can read his Perfect Cup column in every issue of TeaTime magazine or hear him speak at professional tea events, such as the World Tea Expo. Bruce joined London's Jane Pettigrew in co-authoring "The New Tea Companion" for The National Trust of England, one of 13 books he has authored or produced. He teamed up again with Jane and Elizabeth Knight to photograph and produce a three-volume set of travel guides to tea in New York, London, and Paris, entitled "Tea in the City." His latest book is the 2011 edition of Okakura Kakuzo's classic, "The Book of Tea." Bruce was a member of the STI trade mission to Sri Lanka in 2003 and the 2004 mission to India. His photographs of tea workers and tea gardens in those two countries are featured in a traveling photography exhibit and the accompanying book and DVD "Looking Deeply into Tea," produced with his wife, Shelley. A lifelong educator, Bruce earned a masters degree in choral conducting and music education before turning his talents to composing great tea blends in 1991. For the past thirteen years, he has combined his educational skills and his tea talents by hosting a bi-annual Tea 101 seminar for aspiring tea entrepreneurs. MSN calls Bruce Richardson "a leading tea expert involved in tea's American renaissance for over 20 years."

Dan Robertson

Dan Robertson is the founder and owner of The Tea House (www.theteahouse.com) and World Tea Tours (www.WorldTeaTours.com) in Naperville, Illinois. He was born in New Haven, CT, raised primarily in the Midwest, and is a graduate of the College of Wooster, Ohio. He is a 25-year practitioner and instructor of the martial art and health exercise Tai Ji Quan. Before venturing into the world of tea, in 1985, Dan established FRAMEWORK Video & Sound, a video production company specializing in documentary and educational programming. Although he had traveled to the Orient previously, it was his career as a filmmaker that took him to China in 1994 and again in 1995 to produce a documentary on tea. With two years of preparatory work, he traveled extensively across China for two months, filming tea gardens, factories, teahouses, hospitals, universities, museums, and historical sites, interviewing tea experts in all areas. As an unexpected result, in 1995, he began his own tea business, drawing upon the resources and knowledge he had developed during his travels. Since then, he returns to China nearly every year to meet with suppliers, discover new teas, study, or research. Since 1996, he has organized and led the acclaimed China Tea Tour, during which tea lovers from around the world get first-hand experience in tea making, history, culture, and business. Expanding beyond the Far East, he launched World Tea Tours in 2007, offering tours to tea producing and cultural areas around the globe. As an importer, wholesaler, blender, and purveyor of premium teas and accessories, he is involved with many aspects of the tea industry. He is a regular contributor to various tea trade periodicals, web blogs, and tea news services. Known for his informal and engaging style, Dan shares his passion for tea, lecturing around the world for businesses and educational and private groups, most recently presenting at the India Tea Forum in October of 2010. An authority on tea culture, history, production and trade, Dan conducts professional tea-tasting classes and instructs courses in the Chinese tea ceremony. His DVD - The Art of Chinese Tea – The Tea Ceremony - is a demonstration and tutorial on the gongfu style of tea making.

Naomi Rosen

Naomi Rosen is the owner of JoysTeaspoon.com, a Las Vegas-based retail site featuring premium loose-leaf teas, organic spices, and accessories. Naomi recognized the ease of getting together with family and friends over a great meal and a fantastic cup of tea. Subsequently, Joy's Teaspoon was launched in April 2010 to make fine teas and quality ingredients easily accessible and a little less frightening to prepare. Naomi presents Tea/Spice 101 and tea-pairing sessions throughout Southern Nevada and California, has spoken at the college level, and is a founding member of the Las Vegas Tea Festival. Naomi lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband, John, two little people, JJ and Gavin, and two drooly basset canines, Rosco and T.G.

Francis Tan

Francis Tan’s first attempt at cooking was a souffle at age 13, and she has never had one fall (yet). Ever since then, she has scoured the web for new recipes and is very excited to share her huge stash of bookmarks with the world in a new email newsletter on CurateHub.

May King Tsang

May King is the founder of MayKingTea and is one of the Top 50 Specialty Tea Institute’s globally recommended certified speakers on tea. As a BBC (British Born Chinese), May King has been drinking tea for as long as she can remember, ever since her parents took the whole family out for Yum Cha (Dim Sum) in Manchester, UK. Her professional passion for the beverage though came from a business opportunity that steered her in the way of coffee (!). Staring at the menu of one of the biggest coffee chains, she realized that tea was actually her passion and so her tea journey continues to this day. After many years as a professional presenter, May King has combined her passions of both teaching and tea to produce a collection of tea-tasting classes that are relaxing, refreshing, and fun. As an experienced public speaker, May King has spoken at various engagements in Australia and the UK covering a wide range of tea-related subjects, including the history of tea, tea's health benefits, and identifying quality tea. An advocate of social media, May King has also been interviewed and has spoken to various groups on how social media can work for small businesses. And yes, May King is her real first name, you know, as in MayKingTea.

Maria Uspenski

Maria Uspenski's love of tea was fostered at an early age by her Russian family. Later, as an undergraduate student in Paris, France, she was introduced to many more varieties than the traditional black teas of her childhood. During stints as a ballet dancer and athlete, Maria began to discover the health benefits of tea. Fast forward to 2010. Maria is now the Founder and CEO of The Tea Spot, educating the public as well as her two daughters on ways to enjoy tea to enhance a healthy lifestyle. Her message is simple and powerful - tea in its freshest form renders exceptional flavor, unmatched health benefits, and is eco-friendly. A certified woman-owned and operated business, The Tea Spot produces innovative and patented products to modernize the loose-leaf tea experience. The award-winning Steepware® line promotes the ease of loose tea preparation. The Tea Spot’s line of microblended loose teas includes organic and Fair-Trade Certified™ estate teas as well as handcrafted signature blends. The company is committed to clean, sustainable, and fair manufacturing standards. Maria’s inspiration to start The Tea Spot grew out of her passion to foster wellness for cancer survivors through full-leaf tea. She had the entrepreneurial skills necessary to put her plans into action. Her 20 years in management, marketing, and product research and design came from her work with IBM, Control Data Corporation, and EcoSoftware, a computer systems engineering firm that she founded and operated. Under Maria’s leadership, EcoSoftware sustained a consistent 30 percent annual growth rate during its eight-year existence. Lockheed Martin named it their “Supplier of the Year” in 1999. Maria sold the firm in 2000. An MIT mechanical engineer, she is listed on three U.S. patents - one for her work with IBM and two for The Tea Spot’s line of Steepware™. Her engineering and business expertise now make it easier for us all to steep up the perfect cup of loose-leaf tea. Based in Boulder, Colorado, The Tea Spot’s culture of social entrepreneurship incorporates a culture of giving as it grows - ten percent of every sale is donated in-kind to cancer and community wellness programs.

Diane Walden

Diane Walden has been a life-long entrepreneur. After over a decade in the wholesale industry with customers including Wal-Mart and K-Mart, she and her husband became interested in specialty tea in 2004 and, in the summer of 2008, opened their specialty tea concept, California Tea & Coffee Brewery, in Temecula, California, the second tea-centric company Diane has co-founded. Her husband, Vern, is the inventor of a patent-pending, one-minute brewing technology for loose leaf teas and tisanes used in the store on a daily basis, which has already received interest from well-known companies and publications in the specialty tea and coffee industry. Diane may be reached at 951-693-5727 or 951-506-1433.

Brendan Waye

Born a Newfoundlander and raised in the high arctic among the Inuit, Brendan was slurping sweet milky tea from the time he was old enough to hold a cup. Through his travels as a rock and ice climber, Brendan had the good fortune to see tea taken by many other cultures around the globe. On a climbing excursion in Pakistan in the mid-90s, he discovered authentic chai and was so mesmerized by the beverage that he started to brew his own version of chai after returning to Edmonton. This chai-brewing operation now goes under the moniker, The Chai Company. Then, on a trip to Prague in 1997, Brendan stumbled into a teahouse that blew his mind – a bohemian, eclectic lounge offering hundreds and hundreds of tea varieties for sipping or to buy. The seed was now firmly planted, and on a hot May morning in 1999 on a dusty street in Edmonton, Brendan opened his first teahouse and called it "Steeps – the Urban Teahouse". It was Canada’s first true sipping lounge for the masses. With his late brother, Paul, he went on to open five more stores in Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. At the same time, The Chai Company was growing and expanding and satisfying the palates of chai latte lovers all over western Canada. After more than a decade immersed in the tea business in Canada, Brendan has now completed all the levels of the Specialty Tea Institute's (STI) Level 3 professional tea series and is now one of Canada’s few designated Certified Tea Specialists. Today, you will find Brendan through his informative website (theteaguy.com) and helping other people find a good home in the world of tea.

Robert Wemischner

Pastry chef and culinary educator, Robert Wemischner has always been intrigued by the flavor potential of ingredients, from turmeric to tea and from cumin to coffee. Author of four books, most recently, 'The Dessert Architect,' Wemischner began his career to great media acclaim in the food business in the early 70’s as the owner of a pioneering gourmet-to-go shop in Beverly Hills. He then went on to open a similar operation in Baltimore and in the early 90’s returned to Los Angeles and began teaching the pastry and culinary arts in earnest. Drawing upon his exposure to classical cooking at a young age during informal apprenticeships to chefs in France, he has been imparting his knowledge to a diverse audience of students as a teacher of baking and pastry for the past 16 years at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. He has also vigorously pursued freelance food writing and has been a valued and regular contributor to 'Sante,' 'Food Arts,' 'Angeleno,' 'Pastry Art and Design,' and 'Robb Report' magazines, among others, writing on a wide variety of food and food business-related subjects. He is also the author of 'The Vivid Flavors Cookbook,' a groundbreaking book about fusion cuisine, 'Gourmet to Go' on the business of specialty food retailing, and 'Cooking with Tea,' an exploration of the culinary potential of the leaf. Over the past 25 years, Robert has presented on baking, pastry, and other food-related topics to professional organizations, including the International Association of Food Professionals, Retailers Bakery Association, and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, and continues to consult and present to food service professionals and media for companies such as Lipton Tea/Unilever and independent operations. including start-ups in the baking, food service, and restaurant fields. He has also been guest chef on board Silversea Cruise lines to Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand, where he presented on tea, cooking with tea, and tea and food pairings and also escorted tours to tea manufacturing plants as part of the shore excursion programs. Most recently, he was the guest chef aboard Crystal Cruise lines' luxury trip through the Baltic; on board he lectured on desserts and cooking with tea and worked side by side with the ship's chefs to create a menu of his signature desserts with appropriate beverage pairings. In addition, he presented on cooking with tea at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas in June 2010. This year, Robert participated in the first annual Los Angeles International Tea Festival and was the only mainland chef to participate in the Taste of the Hawaiian Range locavore event on the Big Island, where he cooked with Hawaiian-grown tea. He will also be presenting a cooking with tea workshop at Siptea in Santa Monica.

Tiffany Williams

Tiffany grew up in Southern California, drinking herbal, black, and chai tea. Herbal teas kept her immune system strong. Black and chai teas helped her stay awake during her math lectures at Claremont McKenna College, where she earned a degree in Economics/Mathematics. During her junior year, Tiffany participated in a Japanese tea ceremony. A delegation of Japanese college students toured the world, performing a Japanese tea ceremony to promote peace. After graduation, Tiffany accepted a position as an English Conversation teacher in Tokyo, Japan. She spent one year in Japan, teaching English, drinking tea, and seeing historical sites. Japan exposed her to loose-leaf tea, Japanese tea, and English tea time. Returning to the U.S. a few years ago, Tiffany found it difficult to find loose-leaf tea. She decided to start Boutique Teas. Boutique Teas will offer a selection of unique loose-leaf teas rarely found in the U.S.

Kev Woodward

After 30 years living on the doorstep of the Peak District in the UK and after several years of preparation and saving, Kev Woodward, his wife, and their three cats moved to France in 2009, from where Kev continues to run the business he set up in 2002 offering a wide variety of web-based design, writing, and SEO services. His strengths lie in the coding of a web site, using clean coding that complies with current web standards and building sites that are search engine friendly. A number of the niche sites he has produced have hit the top of Google on the strength of the coding and content alone. Kev also has a life away from the computer, enjoying teas from www.innteas.com, being in the great outdoors, climbing, road biking, mountain biking, and walking, with a preference for mountains rather than farmland as you can probably guess from the photo!

Shirley Yan

Shirley Yan is a student at Wuyi University, where she is majoring in Chinese tea culture and economics. The university takes its name from the Wuyi Mountains, home of the famous Big Red Robe oolong tea. Shirley loves tea not only for its health benefits, but also because of her fascination with the art of tea making and tea drinking. In 2011, Shirley had the opportunity to participate in the Chinese Tea Expo, which was held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, where she was able to demonstrate her own love for Chinese tea culture. For Shirley, tea, as a cultural bridge connecting East and West, is a symbol of harmony.

Adam Yasmin

Adam Yasmin is a Los Angeles native and the founder of Teaometry - an independent tea company purveying organic and wild-harvested teas and promoting self-discovery through Gong Fu tea. He is also a professional musician, photographer, traveler, and student of various esoteric arts. Visit www.teaometry.com.

Edwin Yeo

Edwin Yeo is a random Singaporean who recently discovered an interest in tea. In particular, the diverse tea cultures and tea-making techniques around the world are highly appealing to him. He is keen in exploring the lesser-known aspects of tea cultures and hopes to have some new adventures during his tea journey.

Jack Bukowski

Dr. Jack Bukowski is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, a physician (rheumatologist), a scientist, and chief scientific officer of the Nutritional Science Research Institute (NSRI). He has been researching the immune system for over 30 years and became interested in tea when he discovered that tea boosts the immune system's ability to fight colds and flu.

Sandy Bushberg

Sandy M. Bushberg is one of the original founders of T Ching and a member of the board of directors. Having been in the healthcare field as a psychologist for over 20 years and as a clinical herbalist, Sandy has a long-term vision of promoting health and wellness and devoting himself to reversing the destructive trend of declining health in this country. He is driven by the realization that if more people don't start to do something soon to begin reversing this rapid decline in our health, then our nation's economy will be overwhelmed by the growing costs of healthcare. His interest in tea as an inspiration for promoting health was piqued during a trip to Southeast Asia where he began to study the myriad health benefits of tea. During the ensuing years, Sandy has done in-depth research about tea - its history and health benefits, both physiological and psychological/spiritual - and has obtained certification as a Tea Specialist through the Specialty Tea Institute. Sandy's strong vision and creative insights have been key in the development of Tching.com.

Charles Cain

Charles is an entrepreneurial executive with extensive business development experience and a unique perspective on the U.S. Tea Industry. Since 2004, Charles has opened and tested four different retail models (two approaches to traditional tea retail, a tea café, and a tea restaurant), launched a tea-based E-Commerce site, built an international wholesale program, and developed a tea shop-franchising operation. Today Charles is leading Adagio Teas' expansion into Tea Retail and advising on the company’s E-Commerce and international wholesale operations. Adagio Teas operates the most popular tea website in the U.S. and manufactures a custom line of packaged loose tea, bagged tea, ready-to-drink iced tea, and teaware products.

Chris Cason

Chris Cason is the author of hundreds of tea articles, as well as the book "A Guide to Tea." Chris' work has been featured in the U.S. National Archives as well as in many other museums and publications. When he's not writing about tea, Chris is the co-founder of New York City's tea sensation, Tavalon Tea, where he is also the tea sommelier and editor-in-chief and creates unique blends, delicious tea treats, and intoxicating tea cocktails.

Joanna DeRungs

Joanna DeRungs, a native Oregonian, has been involved with tea, horses, communication, and leadership most of her life. She worked with horses and intuitive natural horsemanship on a family farm as a girl, honing her communication and leadership skills. Later she used those same skills (written, verbal, and non-verbal communication and natural leadership) to advance through the corporate legal and technical world. She founded a technical and business consulting firm in 1993 to help professionals with their new electronic tools and bring their communications into the digital age. While leading the success of her firm for over 15 years, she felt there was more she could do. After buying and restoring a farm, she returned to work with horses, studying the field of Equine Assisted Experiential Learning. She then added her own element of experiential tea and food tastings. Joanna has found a way to help others take steps toward regaining their authentic nature and build an awareness of their own internal communication tools through the development of Natural Whisperings (SM), a company centered on experiential work with people, tea, food, and horses (NaturalWhisperings.com). Although to some this may seem an unlikely combination, she says the same experiential work can be accomplished regardless of the partner. “Some people are less intimidated by a cup a tea and a plate of beautifully prepared food than by a 1,000 pound horse, but it all works out the same in the end.” During this process, poetry began to flow while Joanna was enjoying her morning cup of tea. She won her first tea poetry contest in 2009 and has not put her pen down since. She writes nature-inspired, reflective, and tea-inspired poetry, which she shares with us on T Ching.

Pearl Dexter

Pearl Dexter is the editor and publisher of TEA A MAGAZINE ®, now in its twelfth year of publication. It is dedicated to a worldwide audience, informing, educating, and entertaining its readers with articles exploring the history, culture, consumption, and dramatic health benefits of the venerable beverage. Its raison d'être was the passion for the way of tea (she calls it "pachado"). Her tea enthusiasm and spirit are felt throughout the magazine, and is carried over in her lectures on many aspects of tea. In 1999, Pearl founded The TEA Schoolâ„¢. It was established to give people who are serious about tea a firm foundation on the subject. Many of the school's guest speakers have included distinguished leaders in the tea community. Also in 1999, Pearl co-authored TEA with Presidential Families. It gives a fascinating look at the tea history of America's first families. It is lavishly illustrated with photographs, prints, and original works of art—many never before published. Her second book, a compilation of tea poetry, debuted in November 2003. And her third book, a compilation of recipes, Scones, Shortbread, and more, released in March 2006. Pearl has lived in San Francisco, New York, Washington, D.C., Providence, and London, and has travelled throughout Europe. Visits to Sri Lankan, Indian, and Azores tea estates afforded her the opportunity to learn about tea from bush to cup. Working with everyone in the tea business, from small tea-room owners to the president of large companies like Lipton, she keeps her finger on the pulse of the fast-growing specialty end of tea. Although tea is just a beverage to some, to Pearl it is a way of life. For further information, contact TEA A MAGAZINE ® 3 Devotion Road ~ Scotland, Connecticut 06264 1.888.456.8651or Email: teamag@teamag.com

Rebecca Doverspike

Rebecca Doverspike graduated from Beloit College with a degree in Literature and Religious Studies. She currently works at a non-profit cafe in Appleton, WI and spends her time trying to translate the stories she hears of people's lives into reflective prose. As a long time coffee lover, she's really enjoying exploring the world of tea and contributing to a community of writers on this lovely subject.

Donna Fellman

It was the ceremonies of tea that first intrigued Donna Fellman and moved her to look deeper into tea. It was the wisdom of the spirit of tea, informing our traditions and rituals, that inspired her to learn more about this enduring drink. And it was the discovery of the world of tea and a healthful beverage that infused her life with a sense of well-being and centered energy that motivated her to share that knowledge with others. As director of the Tea Education Alliance (T·E·A), she offers professional consulting and staff training programs, and publishes educational materials about tea. She is the co-author of Tea Here Now, (Inner Ocean Publishing, December 2005) exploring tea as a lifestyle and written for everyone who wishes to infuse uncomplicated spirituality and mindfulness into his or her tea drinking. And she is Chairman of the Specialty Tea Institute's Education Committee where she is working to expand the structure as well as cohere the educational core of the STI Tea Certification Program to meet the needs and demands of the rapidly growing tea industry. She studies chanoyu, the Japanese tea ceremony through the Urasenke Foundation.

Aaron Fisher

Aaron Fisher graduated with a Bachelors degree in anthropology and philosophy. He then spent the next decade traveling through more than forty countries, primarily in Asia—living for some time in India, Japan, and China before finally settling in Taiwan where he currently resides. He is the Senior Managing Editor of all English Publications at Wushing Publications, Ltd. Wushing is the largest name in Asia with regards to the publication of tea and tea culture books and magazines (with a broad base in Chinese art as well). For several years, their Chinese books and magazines have set the standard throughout the Chinese speaking world. One tea magazine, "Tea Art, Puerh Teapot" has a distribution of over 50,000 copies. It would be difficult to find a tea shop in Asia without Wushing books. And they have recently entered the English speaking market with "The Art of Tea Magazine", which is distributed to more than thirty countries. The magazine offers more than 150 pages of in-depth articles per issue, on everything from cooking, spirituality, teaware and Yixing to tea processing, the tea market, and preparation—all written by the most renowned tea masters on Earth. "The Art of Tea" is the only magazine of its kind, for the tea connoisseur. Mr. Fisher will also be publishing two books this year, and translating several other important tea works in the coming years. He is the founder of a school for English, Music and Art, spending his free time there, working on his own paintings, or drinking tea.

Tyler Gage

Tyler Gage is the President and Co-founder of Runa, a social enterprise that sustainably produces and markets guayusa tea from the Amazon. Runa has partnered with over 600 indigenous farmers in Ecuador to produce and export guayusa from Ecuador that carries both Organic and Fair Trade certifications. Tyler has researched ethnolinguistics, fair trade business development, and indigenous botanical traditions throughout Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Belize, and Costa Rica with a focus on cross-cultural translation. A graduate of Brown University, Tyler enjoys spending time with his Siberian husky, and frequently gets up at 3:00 AM to participate in guayusa tea ceremonies with the indigenous communities he partners with.

Sarita Gomez

Sarita has wonderful memories of her grandmother’s cooking, but remembers only being given tea when she was sick. Many years later, Sarita’s sister-in-law and niece invited her daughters and her to a Christmas Tea at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. Dazzled by the elegance and the detail, Sarita became curious about the tradition of Afternoon Tea. She bought every book she could find on tea and entertaining with tea, started perfecting her own tea menu, and became interested in tea etiquette. After receiving her certificate in travel and tourism, Sarita worked as a tour guide, which she considered a dream job. After marrying and starting a family, Sarita began working for the Burbank Unified School District in the English as a Second Language Department. She also taught Spanish as a second language. Then, several years ago, Sarita was given the opportunity to teach an after-school class for kids on “Manners and How to Have a Tea Party.” A year later, she was asked to teach Tea Etiquette and Etiquette 101.

Dianna Harbin

Dianna comes from a long line of tea and medicinal herbal tisane drinkers. She fondly remembers the Spring tonics, wild greens, and “English tea” that her paternal grandmother prepared for her. Dianna Harbin's passion is tea education and sharing tea in community with others, especially puerh tea. Dianna founded the Long Beach Tea, Los Angeles Tea, San Diego Tea, San Francisco Tea, and Santa Barbara Tea enthusiast groups on Meetup.com. The groups aim to help people learn about tea, teach about tea, support California tea businesses, and build community through the sharing of tea. Her latest effort, California Tea Meetup, helps California businesses network with Meetup groups. Dianna is organizing a new version of Tea Appreciation Day, an annual international effort to honor and support the tea trades. Dianna is a Specialty Tea Institute Certified Tea Specialist and Recommended Certified Speaker and is in the initial group of STI Level 4 attendees. She is a practicing Clinical Laboratory Scientist and holds Bachelor Degrees in Cultural Anthropology, Microbiology, and Medical Technology. Dianna resides in Southern California.

Adela Hasas

Born in Romania but raised in Southern California, Adela is a proponent of all that is natural. She is a Master Herbalist, Nutritional Consultant, and Holistic Health Practitioner. However, she approaches natural health with healthy skepticism, as a result of her respect for stringent clinical evidence and the scientific process. Adela lives and works in beautifully sunny Palm Springs, does freelance writing on the side, and is happily writing her very first book (though she’s definitely not quitting her day job). Adela dove head-first into the world of green tea when she began working at Sencha Naturals, a Los Angeles-based company that is home to Green Tea Mints. Her love of all things sencha is still very much alive today, and her current favorite concoction is ceremonial matcha. There’s just something about green tea. Once you fall in love with the green, no one can intervene!

Naja Hayward

Naja, owner of Naja Tea, began her love affair with tea as a young girl, observing her grandmother preparing her morning cup of freshly steeped chamomile tea and savoring each sip. Through her grandmother’s morning ritual, Naja came to see tea as a symbol of the lifestyle she cherished. This impression was only strengthened as Naja grew up and traveled the world, noticing that tea was a source of goodness for so many people: where there was tea, there was laughter, intellectual stimulation, love, and delight. Naja studied the history of tea and its many social traditions, but she also craved a fresher, more modern tea experience. When Naja visited Boston in the winter of 2003, she sensed for the first time that having her tea and drinking it too was, in fact, possible. During a brief afternoon break from meetings, she stumbled upon a unique, contemporary tea bar on Newbury Street where she enjoyed a simple, yet refreshing, cup of Bancha green tea. It was a vibrant tea lounge, full of people who seemed content with the day. Some were reading intently, others were working diligently on their laptops, and others were in the midst of conversation with friends. The energy was infectious and truly inspiring. She walked out of that trendy spot feeling satisfied and motivated, and compelled to design a company that would make others feel the way she felt that afternoon.

Zach Hodgson

Born and raised in Southern California, Zach Hodgson is proud to be part of the T Ching family, working from his new home in Seattle, Washington where he currently makes his living as a freelance photographer and graphic designer. You can find some of his work on his personal web site at www.ZachHodgson.com. His love for tea goes back several years and his affection for photography goes back even further. He received his first camera, a 110 Instamatic, as a gift from his parents when he was only a small child. He received formal training in both the graphic and photographic arts in college, where his professors were quick to point out his natural talent for composition. In 2007, Zach received a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design, and left college with a life-long love for learning and new experiences. He finds himself most often enjoying P.G. Tips black tea, Yerba Mate, and Sencha and Genmaicha green teas as well as an occasional masala chai, often out of one of his mother's hand-thrown mugs.

Daniel Hong

Daniel Hong is a Chinese tea farmer, tea master, and tea exporter, as well as the owner of the Hong China Tea Company (www.hongchinatea.com). His favorite tea is Tie Guan Yin.

Charles Kellogg

Charles Kellogg grew up drinking tea while watching sumo on television with his mother. Throughout his life, he consumed tea and took it for granted. In 2003, he took a sharp turn down life's long road and relocated to Japan to study traditional folk arts. While there, he became fascinated with the cultures and arts encompassed in the Japanese Tea Ceremony. After returning to the United States, he began working for Lupicia Fresh Tea, a tea specialty retailer based in Tokyo, Japan. He continues to learn about tea, tea culture, and tea people.

Elizabeth Knight

Elizabeth Knight is the author of several bestselling books on the subjects of tea and entertaining including Tea with Friends and Welcome Home. Her latest book, Tea in the City: New York - a tea lover's guide to sipping and shopping in the city has just been published. She writes for magazines such as Romantic Homes, Tea & Coffee Asia, and Tea A Magazine. Elizabeth is a frequent guest on national television and radio programs including WNBC's Today in New York, WOR's Food Talk, The Travel Channel, The Home Shopping Network and QVC. Sharing her love of tea and entertaining with others has been the basis of Knight's business, Tea With Friends, www.teawithfriends.com. As the tea sommelier for the historic St. Regis Hotel, Elizabeth is much sought after for speaking engagements and workshops. She regularly speaks to national retailers including Bloomingdale's and Marshall Fields, cultural institutions including The British National Trust, historical and botanical societies including The Missouri Botanical Garden and schools including New York University. As spokesperson for the 40th anniversary of Royal Doulton's china pattern, Old Country Roses, she created and presented consumer programs in stores across the U.S. Her latest offering is a series of guided walking tours through New York City based on her new book Tea in the City. For the first time, Knight will share her expansive knowledge of Manhattan's “must sip and shop spots.” This unique experience is steeped in the expertise of one of the country's leading tea authorities.

Mark Kronquist

John-Paul Lee

John-Paul Lee has been exposed to the food service industry since his early youth, coming from a family of restaurant entrepreneurs. John-Paul’s mother founded a highly successful restaurant chain based in Seoul, Korea during the early 1990’s, expanding the franchise to 16 units within a four-year span. In 2001, he and his family acquired a struggling restaurant in Arlington, VA. John-Paul spent the next two years revamping the business as co-owner and General Manager, and sold the restaurant at a profit in 2003. During this time, he also worked full-time as a consultant for Accenture. With a background in Finance and Computer Information Systems (CIS), he served as a liaison between the client and Accenture, translating business needs into technical requirements. In 2004, prior to launching Tavalon, John-Paul spent 9 months in Europe and Asia studying tea markets. He continued his research in the U.S. conducting market surveys to determine tea blend preferences in targeted consumer groups, store locations, and impromptu tea-tastings to get real customer feedback on newly created blends. He also served as General Manager of a local tea house in Manhattan to strengthen his hands-on understanding of tea retail operations. John-Paul is an accomplished and recognized entrepreneur who was recently honored with the Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award 2010 by the AABDC. America.gov also placed him on the list of entrepreneurs who successfully started a business in their teens/20’s alongside Bill Gates (Microsoft), Russell Simmons (Def Jam Recordings), Michael Dell (Dell Inc), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Kevin Plank (Under Armour), and Larry Page/Sergey Brin (Google). John-Paul obtained a BS in business administration from James Madison University. He also holds certifications from the Specialty Tea Institute of America and is a Siebel-certified consultant.

Rachel Linton

Rachel Linton is a seventh grader who enjoys school, math, and being on the Mock Trial Team. Her other hobbies include reading (especially fantasy books and Shakespeare), Girl Scouts, and singing along with her CDs. She also plays the piano. Rachel loves cats, both her own Abyssinian and those she works with at the local animal shelter. She also loves tea (not quite as much as cats), especially the Cinnamon Apple variety. Rachel currently resides in Southern California with her parents, twin sister, and cat Juliet.

Sarah Linton

Sarah Linton is a seventh grader who enjoys running Cross Country and Track. Other hobbies include collecting stamps, listening to music, and making friendship bracelets. She is also a dedicated Girl Scout and violinist. Sarah loves school, and especially enjoys math and writing. Only recently has she discovered the joys of tea. Sarah lives in Southern California with her mom, dad, twin sister, pet Abyssinian cat (Juliet), and bearded dragon lizard (Spirit).

Ankit Lochan

A graduate from St. Pauls, Darjeeling, Ankit Lochan has tea in his veins. Starting his tea career at the ripe old age of 15, Ankit has developed a keen sense of the value of this local product. Having been trained at Doke Organic Tea Farm, he has become the main tea sourcing brain for Lochan Tea Limited. Our strategic location at Siliguri gives us an edge over others since this place is the centre of tea growing areas of Assam, Dooars, Terai, Darjeeling and Dinajpur districts of North East India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Bangladesh. All 500 million kilos of tea produced in this area passes through this town and 100 million kilos is sold through the Siliguri Tea Auction, of which we are an operating member. The small tea growers movement has led to the establishment of scores of Bought Leaf Tea Factories (BLF), which in addition to single estate teas gives a wide spectrum of choices for a buyer, sourcing teas from this town.

Laura Logsdon

Laura Logsdon has lived and traveled all over the world. While living in New Zealand as a child, she fell in love with the ritual of stopping everything and slowly sipping a warm cup of tea. As an adult, Laura lives in Los Angeles, where she works in the entertainment industry. In her free time, she travels the world with her husband on a quest for the perfect cup of tea.

Assistant Managing Editor

Susana Mojica

Susana Mojica is a sun-loving California native currently living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She studied organic agriculture in Northern California and has a deep understanding of nature and our relationship to it. She is fascinated by the synergistic relationships we have created with plants. When arriving in Milwaukee, she was fortunate to find Rishi Tea and expand on her knowledge and love of plants. Over the past three years, her esteemed teacher and tea mentor, Joshua Kaiser, has had a profound impact on her road to understanding the way of the leaf. She now helps run the Mail Order Division at Rishi Tea and is able to expand on her knowledge of tea while helping guide many on their own personal tea quests.

Nini Ordoubadi

Nini Ordoubadi is an Iranian-born designer who founded Tay Tea in 2003. A New Yorker for over thirty years, Nini has developed a unique and evocative line of hand-crafted tea blends that are coveted by aficionados. Nini's singular and artistic approach to tea blending draws direct inspiration from the ancient tea rituals and ceremonies of the Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa, India, and beyond. Her personal and deep cultural connection with the East is a limitless source of creative inspiration. Tay Home, Nini's teashop in Andes, New York, opened its doors in May 2005 and quickly became the social hub for the town and environs. The growing popularity and following of the shop is due mainly to its owner's charisma and the storeʼs fresh and ever-changing décor. Tay Home promotes the work of local artisans and has a well-edited collection of teaware, tea gifts, home furnishings, and garden accessories. But all these take a back seat to the main attraction, which is, of course, the tea. Tay Tea Bar serves various hot and cold teas daily, and the beautiful canisters grace the shop with their distinct and colorful labels and whimsical names. Nini has also used her tea-blending skills to design custom tea collections for exclusive clients, such as Henri Bendel, Emerson Resort and Spa in New York, and The Fontainebleau Spa in Florida, among others. Her brand has grown and developed steadily, and is frequently highlighted in the media. Tay Tea blends are currently available at prestigious retail stores, such as ABC Home in New York City and Mayflower Spa in Connecticut.

Jennifer Petersen

Jennifer Petersen, aka Cuppa Countess, owner of the Carnelian Rose Tea Company and Tea Trade Mart, is in her fourteenth year as a tea entrepreneur. Always curious about the hospitality of tea, Ms. Petersen appreciates the simplicity as well as the sumptuousness of tea. She has observed the customs of several countries including Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, and Mexico. Ms. Petersen is a respected, results-oriented teacher of tea and trains those who wish to create businesses related to tea. With afternoon tea themes developed around menus served at world-renowned (and sometimes off-beat) establishments, she features tea recipes and tea menus provided by the chefs and culinary staff at those lodging and hospitality venues.

James Norwood Pratt

James Norwood Pratt published his first book on tea in 1982 and is widely acknowledged as an instigator and prophet of America's present tea renaissance. With numerous columns, articles and interviews in overseas tea periodicals and books which have been translated into French, German, Czech and Chinese, he is perhaps the world's most widely read author on the subject today. He was made Honorary Director of America's first traditional Chinese tea house, was instrumental in creating APTI (precursor of the current Specialty Tea Institute), has been editor-in-chief of two tea magazines and leads tea tours to China and India. In 2005 he was chosen International Juror in India's first-ever tea competition. His entertaining talks and tea classes reach growing audiences each year and James Norwood Pratt's "New Tea Lover's Treasury", his now classic "bible of tea", remains the most comprehensive compendium on tea in English. Besides his "International Tea Dictionary" for the tea trade, his works in progress include "All About Black Tea: For those who've given tea a thought but not a try." T Ching will preview selected excerpts.

Sam Ritchey

Sam is Tea Sommelier for TeaGschwendner, the world's largest specialty tea retailer. He is a self-described ambassador for tea, sharing his passion one cup at a time with those curious about the most popular drink on the planet. Traveling far and wide in the name of tea, Mr. Ritchey has visited gardens in Nepal, India, and Japan, engaging with dozens of artisanal teamakers along the way. While he brings the insight of these journeys to his tastings and workshops, his true expertise has been built in Chicago.

Milton Schiffenbauer

Dr. Milton Schiffenbauer is a microbiologist and assistant chairman of the Department of Biology at Pace University's Dyson College of Arts & Science in New York City. Dr. Schiffenbauer's current research focus has been looking at the antiviral, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties of white tea.

Phyll Sheng

Phyll is a tea and wine enthusiast who enjoys drinking and discussing the them. He mostly brews his tea using the Chinese gongfu method. Phyll maintains a blog on tea and wine (mainly). He also co-moderates a lively wine discussion forum called Winexiles, in which passionate members come from all walks of life and professions. He writes independently out of personal enjoyment, and he owes much of his knowledge to many people he has met and will meet in the future. Phyll resides in Los Angeles.

Joseph Simrany

Mr. Simrany is president of the Tea Association of the USA, Inc., the Tea Council of the USA, Inc. and the Specialty Tea Institute (STI). In this capacity, Mr. Simrany tracks trends, disseminates information, and represents the interests of the wholesale and retail tea industry on a broad spectrum of issues. As president of the Council, he leads the industry's educational and public relations' efforts relative to communicating the many attributes of tea to consumers. Joe Simrany first came to the tea industry in February of 1991 after 25 years in the biscuit industry, most recently as vice president of marketing for Sunshine Biscuits, Inc. At Sunshine, he was instrumental in evolving the company from a manufacturing driven strategy to a consumer driven strategy. In addition to significantly strengthening the companies' share and profit positions, he spearheaded the effort to expand and update the companies' product lines. Prior to his time at Sunshine, Mr. Simrany was a product group director at Nabisco Brands, Inc. where he was employed for nearly 20 years in a marketing and sales capacity.

Pankaj Singh

Pankaj Singh grew up in India, where he graduated from the prestigious National Law School. He then finished his Masters in European Legal Practices from Universitè de Rouen in France and Max Planc in Germany, specializing in European patent laws. Pankaj has authored several articles on international law and human rights in journals and magazines of international repute. He has also worked with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and Ex-Yugoslavia in The Hague and the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. Presently, Pankaj is a partner in Mantra Estudio in Mexico; the company provides a platform for all major Indian brands in Mexico and Latin America, working to find markets, strategic alliances, and distribution channels for those brands. The Mantra Estudio imports teas from all the major tea estates in India, China, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. As a partner in charge of business development, Pankaj takes due care to offer award-winning, loose-leaf tea each season that is organic, fair trade, and hand-crafted. He also promotes awareness and understanding of tea, from bush to cup. Pankaj speaks both French and English well and has a working knowledge in Spanish. One of the mantras Pankaj lives by is: "Do yourself a favor - drink pure, single-estate, organic Darjeeling tea!"

Kristin Sloan

Kristin Sloan is a dancer with the New York City Ballet and founder of thewinger.com, a community oriented dance website that shows the lives, insights, and personalities of professionals, students, experts and pioneers in the dance world. Growing up, Kristin's mom was always drinking tea, but it wasn't until she was accepted into the New York City Ballet and felt the rigors and physical demands of being an elite athlete that she came to realize the benefits that tea could offer her. Kristin hopes to help T Ching readers understand the importance of health and nutrition for athletes as well as help dancers understand the performance and health benefits of tea.

Jane Terjung

Hiding out with her husband in the artist-strewn organic hills of Topanga, California, Jane is struggling with the "joy" of retirement. She spent 20 years developing software for aerospace, video games, stock brokers, and on-line banking, but now feels moved to write in a language that something besides machines can understand. A UCLA alumna with a mutinous daughter recently graduated from UC Berkeley, she is now trying to channel her inner healthy tea-drinking person, who has been mugged and left for dead by her coffee-swilling evil twin. Despite ominous predictions in the tea leaves, she is pretending to get her act together and has recently become the proud owner of an ISBN number! Check out her website for the details (and more), or go straight to Elide Books.

John Weisburger

Dr. Weisburger was a commissioned officer in the US Public Health Service, assigned to a research program at the National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD. He was concerned with the mode of action of chemical carcinogens in general, and arylamines in particular. Some of these chemicals were important occupational carcinogens, and in more recent years it was discovered that they occurred in the environment of every consumer of cooked meats, since the cooking process generates heterocyclic amines. Between 1961 and 1972, Dr. Weisburger was also concerned with effective means to test for environmental carcinogens, as Head of the NCI Carcinogen Bioassay Program. With the discovery at the Oak Ridge National Laboratories that carcinogens could be mutagens, he organized national programs to develop rapid in vitro bioassay systems to test for carcinogenicity. Dr. Weisburger later left NCI to become Director of Research at the American Health Foundation. Dr. Weisburger is known for his research on the mechanisms of chronic disease causation, as a sound basis for prevention. The main theme of the research deals with disease prevention, the definitive approach to disease control. In particular, the research involves studies of the association between specific lifestyles anywhere in the world, and the locally prevailing chronic diseases, the area of geographic pathology. A number of chronic diseases stem from inappropriate oxidation reactions and the formation of reactive radicals. These can be prevented by ensuring the presence of antioxidants, such as are provided by vegetables, fruits and the beverage tea. Dr. Weisburger states that regular exercise is also a part of a healthy lifestyle. Based on sound research as described above, people anywhere in the world need to be provided with guidelines as to healthy lifestyles as a means of health promotion. This is important in view of the high cost of medical care to the individuals concerned, their families, their insurance carriers and their governments.

Peter Wescombe

Peter Wescombe is an Australian entrepreneur and humanitarian who has been living and working in Asia for over 25 years. During this time, he has traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia as well as India and China. His main business experience has been in the printing industry and export business and his positions have included that of International Marketing Director for a prominent Thai publishing company and Managing Director of a Swiss-owned, Taiwanese publishing company. When he moved to Taiwan several years ago to set up the aforementioned Taiwanese company, he was introduced to the amazing world of Chinese tea and tea culture. Since then, he has developed a passion for Chinese tea and the beautiful, artistic culture it embraces. Consequently, it has become his desire to share this with others. Toward this end, Peter has stepped out in a new direction this year and started the Zi Chun Tea Company (http://zi-chun.com), through which he hopes to provide an opportunity for others to experience and enjoy the wonderful world of Chinese tea. Peter has also been actively engaged in humanitarian work, charity projects, and missionary-related activities in many Asian countries during the past 25 years. He is the founder and chairman of the Family International Services Association of Taiwan, or FISAT (www.fisat.org.tw) – a national Taiwanese social service charity association.

Adam Yusko

Adam is an academic studying mathematics and currently applying to graduate schools. He got interested in tea because he was drinking an excessive amount of coffee, and found in tea a hobby outside of mathematics on which he could spend his excess energy. Adam is the author of The Sip Tip - a tea blog focusing on Chinese and, more recently, Japanese teas - and an avid collector of Hagi Yaki.