New Tea Partnerships

Coffee has always been our 'bread and butter'...well, that sounded confusing.  Let's try again...

Tea has not always necessarily been our 'cup of tea'...

Ok, forget the figurative speech.  Though we love making awesome coffee, we desire to extend our mission by offering a wide range of quality products, which includes tea as well.  (phew)

To date, we have always attempted to source fair trade and organic teas; however, they have never been through strategic partnerships.  As I mentioned in a previous blog post, we believe relationships have the best potential for empowerment and we want to apply that to our tea sourcing methodologies as well.

I am excited to announce two new tea partnerships: Bridging Hope and The Hale Tea Company.

Bridging Hope:

Samuel is a Chinese tea purveyor, farmer, and connoisseur who started Bridging Hope, a tea company that strives to empower its farmers (sound familiar?).  I had the privilege of meeting him in July on a trip to southern China where he had us sample a range of teas at his tea shop, including Pu'er tea which is integral in Chinese culture.  Samuel also took us to many tea farms teaching us about this incredible commodity.  I learned so much from Samuel, including the different processing methods for teas,  what quality practices ensure high tea quality, and how to brew it properly.  I got to taste tea from a few other people in China, and Samuel's stood out high above the rest!  It is amazing getting to meet someone half way around the world who has a similar mission to you.  Our first offerings from Bridging Hope will be a Chinese Black Tea and a Jasmine Green.  We plan to integrate a White Tea as well as the famous Pu'er tea at a later time. 

The Hale Tea Company:

The Hale Tea Company is a local tea supplier that is nationally recognized.  Their drive towards sustainability and passion for quality tea has captivated us as we strive to renovate our tea offerings.  Local.  Quality.  Sustainable.  Sounds like something we could get behind.  Our first offerings from The Hale Tea Company will be their Rising Sun Rooibos and their Honeybush, both herbal teas. 

Though we love coffee, our first love was the mission and serving people which is why we are ecstatic to offer ethically sourced tea.  Let us know what you think!

Sincerely,

Philip