Tea of the Week: Zhi Tea's Ancient Forest

When I was at Zhi Tea's shop in Austin, I was able to smell thier Ancient Forest tea in an open canister.  The aroma even of the dry leaves was amazing, rich and complex.  I just had to buy it. It is wildcrafted in Vietnam from tea plants that are estimated to be 500-800 years old.
Liquor -- Deep, warm amber

Aroma -- Rich, with a hint of caramely sweetness

Body -- Medium

Flavors -- Unusually low astrigancy for a black tea, with a note of maltiness. 

People In Tea: Brenda Meyers, Sterling Tea

I was able to score a phone interview with Brenda Meyers, founder and owner of Sterling Tea, a local company that specializes in small batch blends of loose-leaf tea. She is a definite people person, and a delightfully gregarious speaker. He here are the highlights:

Q: What got you into the tea business?

A: I started drinking tea when I was 8 years old. I had a wealthy aunt in Michigan, and I would go over to her house, and she would serve me tea in her fine china. It was just Liptons or Red Rose, but I got to use the fine china and no one was afraid I was going to break it. I grew up in a coffee centered household, but I always drank tea. Eventually, I started collecting tea cups. My aunt gave me part of her tea cup collection. In 2006, I opened a tea house. I was repackaging mostly German teas, with the goals of getting Rockwall interested in loose leaf tea. At first, you could hear the crickets, but over time, the interest grew, one person at a time. I love doing the “show and tell,” education work. I started blending my own teas in 2008. It is trial and error, like baking a cake. We have over 60 different blends, and the outlets are growing. We are at Central Market, tea rooms, coffee shops and high end gourmet stores. People may be drinking my teas and not even know it, as we sometimes sell to people who repackage tea for themselves.

Q: Tell me a little bit about Sterling Teas

A: We are a Go TEXAN company. I am very big on using local ingredients when possible. For instance, we use Texas Pecans. We by US produced ingredients (such as Washing State apples, and West Coast peppermint) wherever available. We are also an all-woman company

Q: Do you have a favorite tea? (either yours, or someone else’s)

A: I love to pair my jasmine pearls with dark chocolate, especially in the afternoon. I love the floral hint.

Q: Do you have a favorite teapot or teacup?

A: My favorite teacup is the one my best friend gave me. She knew I loved tea, and gave it to me before I started the tea company. This is that teacup.

Q: What do you love about tea?

A: I love everything about tea. Tea people are the nicest people in the world. I’ve never had a mean customer. We are a growing clan. I do demonstrations weekly, and I find that a lot of people identify themselves as a tea person or a coffee person. More and more people are trying to add tea to their daily lives.



If you are local to the DFW area, you can meet Brenda in person at one of her demonstrations. Brenda’s next demonstration will be:

Central Market, Forth Worth – March 4 – 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Get a free sample of sterling tea, and get tea instruction, and general tea info.

Sterling's Apricot Oolong and Yerba Chai

Drinking Tea in Plano

When we were in Plano, TX, I visited with Denise Brady (better known as Nee Nee), owner of Nee Nee's Tea Room.  It is a family place, with pictures of Nee Nee's grandchildren up on the wall.  Denise has built the business from the ground up over the last four years.

She creates all her own recipes, and is most well known for her chicken salad and her scones.  We sampled a scone.  It was tender and delicious.

Her goal: Delighting tea drinkers.

The evidence: Her favorite tea pot.  It is actually a music box that plays when the pot is lifted to pour.  She holds down the button when she delivers the pot to the table so as not to spoil the surprise.

Why does Denise love tea?  She says, "I have always loved the experience of the tea room.  It is fun.  I never experienced loose leaf teas before I first visited a tea room."

She now serves loose leaf tea from Sterling Tea, a local producer of hand-blended teas.  She also serves Stash teas.  

Drinking Tea In Plano

Yesterday, I was in Plano, Texas, where I stopped in at the Into My Garden Tearoom for a quick pot of Earl Gray (they do Stash teas).  I was able to visit with one of the co-owners, Jennifer Minor, who showed me her two favorite teapots.  They both had an Alice in Wonderland Theme.

  Since last October, Jennifer has introduced Alice in Wonderland tea parties in the tea room.

Why does she love tea?  Jennifer says, "I love tea.  I don't really like coffee, but I like how the coffee culture lets you slow down.  Tea can do the same thing.  I discovered English Breakfast and went from there."