From Around the World, Blends for Every Taste
By Hilary Grant
Here’s the shameful confession: I grew up on Lipton tea.
Please don’t blame me — the drab brown bags were the only tea my mother bought. And heck, with a few oversized tablespoons of sugar and lots of milk dumped in (a drink my Russian-born grandmother called “okra”), it tasted pretty good to a kid.
I discovered maybe-more-upscale teas like Celestial Seasonings once I left home. But it wasn’t until I was writing in Europe one summer, the year before graduating from college, that I experienced the wonders of fresh, loose tea. I was darn near rapturous over all the intense colors and flavors to choose from. Who knew?
These days, tea drinking is part of my daily diet. I have a travel-size mug of powerful green tea every morning, and bedtime sees me sipping a chamomile, lavender or other calming blend.
Even better, living in SLO County ensures that all the tea I need comes from locally-owned companies. Here are a few to choose from, all run by folks who have a passion for and understanding of the beverage that, according to Wikipedia, is the most widely consumed drink in the world after water.
Dragon Pearl Whole Teas
1030 Huston Street, Suites A & B
Grover Beach
(805) 489-6689
dragonpearltea.com
This exclusively Chinese tea company began five years ago in an unlikely place — a Grover Beach garage. That’s when biologist Judah Sanders and partner Dave Dahl were looking, says Sanders, “for something new and exciting to do.”
These days, the two do business from a spacious South County warehouse, and also travel to China a couple times every year. It’s there they carefully inspect the harvest and oversee the packaging of camellia sinensis leaves – considered the one true tea plant. All the tea arrives loose, and all originates from several farm co-operatives in Fujian Province. Sanders adds that Dragon Pearl teas are organically grown, hand picked in small batches, and begin their life on remote hillsides where tractors and other industrial equipment cannot operate. “We exclusively source directly from the farms,” says Sanders. “Fortunately, there’s a nearby processing facility which cures, sorts and packages the teas on site. So, our difference from other tea companies is our focus on freshness, quality and purity.” Most popular is the company’s Jasmine Dragon Pearl Green Tea – “once savored only by emperors and royalty” – which resembles jade-colored pearls that bloom open when hot water is added. Dragon Pearl also has white tea, the purest form of tea because it’s the least processed; oolong tea, made from more mature leaves, and black tea, excellent with chai spices, milk and sugar, or lightly steeped by itself. The company also offers a handful of gourmet tea accessories all bought in the famous tea market districts of Fouzhou City, the capital of Fujian Province.
Dragon Pearl Tea can be purchased from its web site and is available at many SLO County retail outlets and cafes. These include Spencer’s Fresh Markets, New Frontiers Natural Marketplace, Mee Heng Low Noodle House (downtown SLO) and Woodstone Marketplace (Avila Beach). Online prices start at under $10, and all orders for two or more items include a free steeping cup.
SLO Chai
P.O. Box 213
Cayucos
slochai.com
(877) 324-7832
This sweet and spicy tea had its beginnings in the Himalayan foothills of India – in 2000. More precisely, school teacher Joel Pace (now the company’s CEO and president) had spent a good deal of time in the region that year. There, he discovered chaiwallahs — roadside tea vendors who make and pour fresh, steaming chai into small ceramic cups. Indeed, Pace says that millions of Indians drink this special black tea every day, often flavored with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, clove and pepper. After his first child was born, Pace and wife Tamara started thinking about that trip – perhaps, they thought, they could start a business that would bring true, robust chai to the United States. The enterprise also, says Pace, would have to be one that promoted health, well-being and sustainability. Four years after that fateful journey, and many experimental batches later, SLO Chai was born. Fair trade and organic, Pace SLO Chai’s spices come from around the world, including South India, Vietnam and Egypt. Pace believes his drink also fosters mental alertness, strengthens the immune system and, with its touch of nutmeg, creates a sense of well-being.
He adds that SLO Chai is very different from mass produced chais found on supermarket shelves. “First, we use real spices, never extracts of those spices. Plus, commercial chais also go through several stages of processing, which completely take out the flavonoids. They’re also full of sugar and fatty coconut oils. So, they’re no longer a health drink, but an alternative to Coca-Cola.” SLO Chai’s most popular flavor is Vanilla Spice Latte, sold in liquid form in 64-ounce jugs. There are also loose black tea leaves, a 16-bag box of Yerba Mate, and loose leaf Yerba Mate for sale. Prices begin at $6, and, if ordering online, shipping is always free with no minimum order. SLO Chai is also at few farmers’ markets, including those in downtown San Luis Obispo and Templeton. It’s also at a handful of stores and cafes in Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz, and a custom blend is served at BlackHorse/Uptown Espresso & Bakery in downtown SLO.
Swan Sisters Tea
599 Kings Avenue
Morro Bay
(805) 772-4798
swansisters.com
Like Dragon Pearl, Swan Sisters Tea comes directly from organic small-farm producers in China. However, many of this company’s blends are enhanced with other natural flavors from around the world, including the United States. On this list is ginseng from Wisconsin, ginger from Hawaii and lavender from California.
Created and run by Eli Weisgerber, a graduate student in Botany, and Celestina Swanson, who previously traveled and studied in China. The two women came together over their passion for tea. (Weisgerber is also engaged to Swanson’s brother, so in a sense, they are sisters as well.)
Also like Dragon Pearl, the women travel to China on a regular basis to ensure the quality of their teas. “When I was an undergraduate in college, living off of coffee, staying up late studying, I just felt I needed a change, something lighter and more healthful,” says Weisgerber. Although she had sipped bagged tea, it was Weisgerber’s first taste of fresh silver needle white tea that made her sit up and take notice. “It was sweet and smooth, almost creamy. I’d always wanted to start my own business, and Celestina was then in China. She would bring back these beautiful loose leaf teas – which were, of course, always very fresh.” Over the coming months, the women immersed themselves in learning as much as they could about tea, and today, Swan Sisters offers a variety of traditional Chinese teas, as well as herbal (like Crescent Moon, made with lavender and mint) and blended brews (such as Earl Grey Special Grade, with orange peel). All are loose and priced by the ounce, with larger quantities sold to wholesalers. Weisgerber and Swanson have also made a commitment to the environment, the farmers they do business with, and the freshness and quality of the tea. Examples include composting unused tea leaves, and inspecting every new farm to ensure the safety and care of its employees. And because Weisgerber and Swanson know the people who grow their tea, and also know when it’s picked, they believe theirs is in the top one percent of the tea sold in America in terms of quality and freshness.
Swan Sisters Tea is available from the company’s website, with some teas starting as low as $5. The tea can also be found at New Frontiers Natural Marketplace and is served at Novo Restaurant in downtown SLO and the Steynberg Gallery, on upper Monterey Street.
