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Quite simply, we are passionate about tea.
We want our customers to experience tea as we do – by
drinking fresh, distinctive, artisan teas that possess
exquisite flavors and heady aromas. Tea Trekker teas are
carefully sourced – and have been for the 35 years that we
have been selling tea.
We work with tea importers and tea growers in Asia that we trust to
provide us with top grades of authentic, well-made tea. We
never purchase tea 'blind' - we always taste each batch of
tea before
we place an order so that we know exactly what we will be
receiving.
When we ‘cup’ tea samples that we are considering, we
evaluate the tea as we have been taught by Asian teachers:
1.
for appearance ( the leaf needs to look the way it should for the
class of tea that it is )
2.
for color ( the color must be right for the type of tea that it is
)
3.
for aroma ( it must beckon and beguile from the cup )
4.
for flavor ( one sip must tell us unmistakably what kind of tea it
is
and what country it is from )
For all of our tea, we always want to know the following:
1.
where the tea was grown: what region, village, tea farm, etc.
2.
when the tea was plucked: what season of the year
3.
how the tea was grown and processed
As often as we can, we travel to tea-producing countries to source
new teas and to learn as much as we can from the tea
growers and producers about how their unique teas are
grown and manufactured. We believe that it is essential to
understand how and why tea is made the way it is made in
each distinctive tea-producing country, and to experience
the tea drinking customs of each of these countries to
fully grasp the unique qualities of each tea.
We have seen the hard work and dedicated commitment that is
required for tea growers and producers to bring their
hand-made, high-quality teas to market each year. In an
age in which new financial opportunities entice young
people in rural tea villages to leave home for jobs in the
cities, TeaTrekker.com supports and encourages the work of
small tea farmers and artisan tea producers, so that the
next generation of growers can remain in their home
villages, produce their amazing tea, and be economically
viable. Not only do we purchase these distinctive teas for
our customers, but we also are involved in educational
work to advance tea knowledge here in the USA.
For those who want to obtain a great tea education, pick
up a copy of our book,
The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide
( Ten Speed Press, 2007.) Our goal was to use the
experience we have gained in our work to introduce readers
to the great teas of the world and show why each tea is
unique. We have shared with readers and customers the tea
knowledge that others have shared with us. It’s a good
read ( and was nominated for both a James Beard Book Award
and an IACP Cookbook Award in 2008 ) that is even better
when accompanied by a great cup of tea !
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