Why Drink Tea?

• Tea tastes great. It is a simple beverage, just water and leaves, but it contains worlds. Like all things of beauty, it is both plain and complex. The detailed practice of the Japanese Cha No Yu tea ceremony is meant simply to lead one fully into the present moment. The deeper into tea we delve, the more interesting it becomes. Still, for us, a pot of tea is at heart a daily ritual, a great, but elemental pleasure.
• Tea is whatever you would like it to be. You are in control. It doesn't come premixed in a can or bottle; brew it to suit your taste and mood. Enjoy it as is. Add milk, honey, sugar, lemon, herbs, spices, or ice. When drunk alone, tea slows one's day and invites contemplation. Drunk with friends, a pot of tea encourages camaraderie, the comforts of shared experience. There is a tea appropriate for any time, any situation, and any circumstance.
• Tea is a bargain. Even rare teas that cost $300 a pound are only pennies a cup when brewed. For less than the cost of a can of soda, tea offers all the complexities of a fine wine. Each of our teas is the product of a singular culture, rich in tradition. Each cup offers an adventure.
• Tea is good for you. Throughout its history, tea has been associated with important health benefits. New studies point to evidence that these healing properties have a scientific basis. While all tea is healthy to drink, green tea contains the highest level of polyphenols (flavonoids), known for their antioxidant activity. Besides antioxidants, tea contains vitamins, minerals, and two mild stimulants, caffeine and theophylline.

Why Drink In Pursuit of Tea True TeasTM?

• We sell only true teas, carefully processed leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant -- tea leaves in their most natural state, with no added flavorings, perfumes, or sweeteners. We do not include herbal, medicinal, blended, or flavored teas in our selections. Although we often enjoy these, our focus is finding loose-leaf teas to be enjoyed for their natural flavors and aromas. We seek out these great teas and secure them before they can be blended with inferior quality lots. The tea farmers who supply us draw from centuries of tradition to offer you a tea with integrity.
  

• The alternative to tea from small farmers is chemically grown, mechanically harvested and processed, uniform teas of low quality. They hold no interest for the connoisseur. There is little adventure in a cup of bagged tea, blended for consistency. Cultural history and geography are lost; all mystery evaporates with them.
  

• We do not rest in our pursuit of great tea. Teas, by nature, are inconsistent. Life is inconsistent. This is something we celebrate. Weather and other conditions in picking and processing create new, un-reproducable teas each season. Each pot, indeed, each steeping of each pot of our tea should be a unique experience, full of life. Rather than blend for consistent mediocrity, we continue to seek out the best teas from each region, each year.
  

• An ancient beverage, tea has been drunk for pleasure and health for thousands of years. Even before it is brewed, a tea leaf is steeped in legend, history, geography, and politics. Because our teas are not blended, they maintain their inherent diversity and complexity. Each tea promises a new journey, full of wonder and peace. Savor our teas and pursue the moment.

• What is true tea?
  Tea is the dried leaf of the Camellia sinensis plant. Indigenous to both China and India, the plant is now grown in many countries around the world. Teas that do not contain flavorings or additives are those we call "true teas."