Interview: Alex Ahearn

Alex Ahearn (Photo courtesy of Alex Ahearn)

I'm so excited to bring back tea industry interviews! Today I have an interview with an amazing tea friend Alex Ahearn, who has been studying tea from an early age. His knowledge and passion for tea is infectious, as is his convivial personality.

Alex recently published his beautiful book Flowers + Tea, an amazing combination of poetry, flower photography, and tea evaluations. It's an eloquent expression of his love for tea, and I highly recommend it. He has also published two baking books that incorporate tea as well as gluten free ingredients, Please Bake It and  Please Bake It (Again). Learn all about Alex and read his tips and ideas on tea drinking, below.

How COVID-19 Is Affecting Tea Vendors

It's a difficult time for everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I've wondered how tea vendors have been faring in this unprecedented environment. I recently published a post about how Chinese Tea Vendors were doing during the pandemic, and I decided to check in with a few tea industry friends, to see how COVID-19 has affected their tea businesses.

I spoke with a few tea vendors and online sellers. I wanted to get a sample of individuals working with brick and mortar tea stores, and also those selling tea online. I had the pleasure of speaking with:

Elena Liao, co-owner of Té Company
Kevin Gascoyne co-owner of Camellia Sinensis.
David Campbell owner of Tillerman Tea
Martin Connelly owner of Little Red Cup Tea Company
Theresa Wong, owner of T-Shop
Ana Dane of In Pursuit of Tea

They gave many observations and insights on how COVID-19 is affecting their tea businesses. Read about the concerns, issues, changes in sales, and surprises they've come across, below.

Interview: Nazanin Yousefnejad of Tea Thoughts

Nazanin Yousefnejad, Photo Courtesy of Tea Thoughts

Tea people are the nicest people I've come across, and today's interviewee is no exception. You may have seen Nanzanin of Tea Thoughts on Instagram posting her beautiful tea photos, or perhaps you've visited her adorable online store (I love her pins!!) or ordered her Steep It Real box. I'm so pleased to present our interview!

I had the pleasure of receiving January's Steep It Real box, and I've been enjoying it all month long. I love that the tea themed products are all useful, fun, and high quality. She even includes hand-made items. There was only one tea included in the box, but it's a full-size package and very high quality. I much prefer this over boxes that give you many sample sizes of lower quality teas and blends, many you don't really want.

Learn all about Nazanin and her passion for tea, her wonderful creative side, and her personal tea rituals in the interview below.

Interview: Zhao and Ronald of Tea.L

Zhao and Ron (photo courtesy of Tea.L)

As I've gotten older, I've become picky about my skincare. I'm always looking for natural products that don't have any harsh ingredients. Recently the folks from Tea.L reached out to see if I'd like to try their tea-based skincare products. A company that sells natural products made with tea? And we're talking, real, loose leaf tea with minimal processing? I was all-in.

I've been using the eye cream, face lotion, and body lotion for a few weeks, and I've really enjoyed them. I love the texture and scent (they really smell like tea!), and my skin feels super-soft. Over these last few weeks questions about the products have popped into my head, so I thought it would be fun to do an interview with founders Zhao and Ron. Below you'll find out all about why they made tea-based skincare products, the importance of using real tea, and the beauty of tea and self care.

Interview: Tatjana and Tom of Teapro UK

Tatjana and Tom, photo courtesy of Teapro UK

Instagram is by far my favorite way to connect with tea people, I love looking at all the creative tea photos! One account that always entertains and amuses is Teapro UK. Founders Tatjana and Tom are incredibly whimsical and artistic. They do a great job of illustrating the joys of tea. Teapro UK is a virtual tea shop where you can browse tea and teaware, or order tea subscription boxes. Our interview below gives you a peek into the life of two tea-entrepreneurs, and how they keep the creative juices flowing.

Interview: The Renegade Tea Estate

Georgian white teas, photo courtesy of Renegade Tea Estate

I love learning about the many passionate tea growers and producers around the world, and today I'm excited to present an interview with a fairly new tea company, Renegade Tea Estate. Western Georgia (the country, not the state) used to be a large tea producing region before the industry collapsed in the 1990s. But the passionate young tea growers of Renegade Tea Estate are trying to rehabilitate Georgian tea. Read all about this new tea venture, the challenges they faced in rehabilitating a tea farm while learning how to grow and process tea in our interview below.

Interview: Shalini Agarwal of Glenburn Tea Estate

Photo Courtesy of Shalini Agarwal

This week I am pleased to present my interview with Shalini Agarwal, who leads the wholesale operations for the Glenburn Tea Estate as the president of Glenburn Tea Direct. Learn about what it's like to grow up surrounded by tea, the challenges of selling Indian tea in the US, and find out about the seminars she's participating in for next week's upcoming World Tea Expo, below.

Interview with Ashley Lim of Mansa Tea

Ashley Lim, photo courtesy of Mansa Tea

I recently had the chance to meet Ashley Lim, Founder of Mansa Tea after sampling a few of her pu'er teas. Her story was quite intriguing and she kindly agreed to an interview. Learn all about how growing up in a family of tea enthusiasts has shaped her love of tea, and continues to influence her company, below.

Interview with Vikram Mathur Of Yatra Tea Company

Photo courtesy of Vikram Mathur

I'm pleased to present my interview with Vikram Mathur, owner of Yatra Tea Company. I first had the opportunity to try Yatra tea at the 2018 World Tea Expo, where I assisted with a tea pairing workshop. I enjoyed the teas I tried, and I was curious to learn more about the company. I recently connected with Vikram, and he graciously offered to answer a few questions. Learn about his tea journey, how he is helping the Indian tea growing community, and what inspires him in the interview below.

Interview: Jason McDonald, Co-Founder of The Great Mississippi Tea Company

Photo courtesy of Jason McDonald

I'm so pleased to present my interview with Jason McDonald, Founder of The Great Mississippi Tea Company. I've come to know Jason through attending his seminars at World Tea Expo, and he's a brilliant tea farmer and all-around super nice guy. He runs The Great Mississippi Tea Company with his partner, Co-founder Timmy Gipson. They have created a successful tea garden with incredibly innovative practices. Learn all about what they are doing in our interview below.

Interview: Brandon Friedman of Rakkasan Tea Company

Brandon Friedman (photo courtesy of Rakkasan Tea Company)

I'm pleased to present an interview with Brandon Friedman, co-founder of Rakkasan Tea Company, a vendor trying to make a difference in the industry. Rakkasan works with small farmers in post-conflict tea-growing areas such as Vietnam, Laos, and Rwanda to help the economy of the area and bring their teas to US customers. Learn more about their mission, why this goal is so important to the founders, the challenges they face as a new tea company, and more, below.

Interview: Kevin Gascoyne

Kevin Gascoyne (photo courtesy of Kevin Gascoyne)

When I started diving deeper into learning about tea, Kevin Gascoyne's name popped up regularly. I pored over the book he co-wrote, Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties which basically became my 'tea bible', and read numerous articles he's written over the years. I knew the tea house Camellia Sinensis he co-owns was one I needed to add to my list of places to visit. I've had the pleasure of meeting Kevin briefly at various tea events, and at this year's NY Coffee & Tea festival I realized I needed to ask him to schedule an interview. I was nervous speaking with someone who has done so much, and knew so much. But talk with Kevin and you'll instantly realize he's the guy you want to hang out with; drinking endless cups of tea and chatting about all manner of things. We recently had an hour-long phone conversation where Kevin's passion for tea came through in everything we talked about. We discussed his new collaboration on the Tea Studio project, his favorite tea memory, his opinion on tea education, and so much more. Highlights from our interview are posted below.

Interview: Bruce Richardson of Elmwood Inn Fine Teas

Photo Courtesy of Bruce Richardson

As a fan of tea history, I first came across Bruce Richardson's name as the co-author of a book I reach for often, A Social History of Tea. Since then I've noticed his name pop up on numerous books, lectures, tea history sites, and as the co-owner of Elmwood Inn Fine Teas with his wife Shelley and son Ben.

Last month I had the pleasure of speaking with Bruce face to face at the NY Coffee & Tea Festival, and knew he'd be a perfect person for a blog interview. As expected he's very knowledgeable about all things tea, but also fine art, music, and travel. Read below for our interview, including one of his most memorable tea adventures, and a special personal tea ritual.

Interview: Joe Muscaglione of Cha Gardens

There are many similarities between the tea and wine industries. Terroir, processing, local expertise, and a keen palate are just a few variables. I recently started corresponding with Joe Muscaglione, a well known wine sommelier that decided to jump into the world of tea. He has helped to set up tea programs in restaurants in Las Vegas, and also currently sells tea online at Cha Gardens. I was fascinated by the overlap in industries, so I knew we had to do an interview. Learn a little bit about the similarities between tea and wine, and the unique tea from the Daba mountain below.

Interview: Tyas Huybrechts of The Tea Crane

Photo courtesy of Tyas Huybrechts

Tyas Huybrechts is not just someone that sells tea. He is a Belgian ex-pat living in Japan, teaching Japanese tea culture, and living the beautiful tea life. He also sells tea at The Tea Crane but, as he says, "I don’t actually consider myself a tea vendor, but rather something closer to a missionary spreading the value that tea can bring to our lives." These are the wise words of Tyas.

I'm excited to bring you our interview below. He explains the beauty of Japanese tea culture quite poetically. Find out what teas he recommends for Japanese tea newbies, the challenges of teaching the Japanese tea ceremony, and many more beautiful facts about his tea adventure.

Steep Thoughts: Ravi Kroesen

I'm so pleased to present my interview with Ravi Kroesen of Royal Tea New York. Ravi has worked at quite a few great tea companies including The Tao of Tea and Bellocq, and is now the Director of Tea Operations for Royal Tea New York.  I recently met Ravi at an evening of tea and cheese pairings, and knew I had to learn more about his tea journey. He has had quite a few fascinating adventures. Read on to learn more about his experience.

Steep Thoughts: Avantika Jalan of Mana Organics

Avantika Jalan

There are many tea companies that support sustainable organic farming, but there is often no explanation of what this really means. I recently had the chance to learn more about Mana Organics and taste their organic Assam tea (review will be posted tomorrow). I was curious to learn more about the company, and was able to correspond with Avantika, co-founder of the company, 'agri-specalist', and tea grower. Read on below to learn about Avantika, organic tea farming, and the challenges it poses in India.  

Steep Thoughts: David Campbell of Tillerman Tea

David Campbell of Tillerman Tea

I'm excited to bring back interviews to the blog, and I've decided to call them Steep Thoughts since we get to go behind the scenes and learn more about folks in the tea industry.This week I'm excited to present David Campbell and his company Tillerman Tea.  The company features beautiful Taiwanese teas from growers that are sustainable and environmentally friendly in their practices. Learn a little bit about David's experience and passion for tea in our interview.

Interview: Learn More About Bitaco, unique Colombian Tea

All photos courtesy of Bitaco

Have you ever tried Colombian tea? I've mentioned Bitaco before, and I thought they'd be the perfect company to feature so everyone could learn more about them. I'm very excited to present this interview. You'll learn everything from their unique soil and climate conditions, to how they are helping local communities through tea. My questions have been thoughtfully answered by Juan Guillermo González, their International Sales Director.

Interview: Gabrielle Jammal of Tea Sommelier at the Baccarat Hotel, NYC

Gabrielle, left, I'm on the right

A few months ago I had an amazing afternoon tea experience with Jee and Lisa at the Baccarat hotel. We instantly bonded with the tea sommelier Gabrielle, who's passion for tea is clear from the moment you meet her. We had such fun chatting about tea, that we've even found time to meet for lunch away from the hotel. I thought you'd all be interested in learning a little bit about Gabrielle and what she does as a tea sommelier for the hotel. I'm happy to present our interview below.