We are investing a lot of time and research into having our baristii properly serve tea and herbal tisanes. I've consulting a number of sources (Doug Palas from Intelli, Silas Moulton, Mark Mooradian of MEM Imports, and Norwood Pratt to name a few) and we carry tea from those sources as well as barismo's new offerings from Taiwan. There is a lot of conflicting info on how to do tea and I found it necessary to do research and seek some expert counsel. If there's no one at your shop who wants to really focus on tea, and the shop is positioning itself as a high quality cafe, it seems like a good idea to work with Rishi, Tea Source, MEM Imports, or someone similar who can provide you with already "dialed in" brew instructions, set you up with nice bulk AND retail packaging, and offer a variety of price points for their tea and tisanes. If anyone wants to chat more about this you can email me at annenyc@aol.com. I'm no expert but I have been spending alot of time sorting through wholesalers and tea research since our store opened in August and would be happy to share learning and perspectives!

Hi I'm Tea. Yes that is my nickname given to me by a nephew (he took the letters out of my name Teresa. I have a culinary arts degree and have loved tea all my life. In fact I also host tea parties from time to time where I not only serve new teas but cook all the food as well. Making dishes with tea and with coffee is very exciting. There is a proper way to serve tea even in a coffee shop. However not everyone enjoys tea so thanks to members of my family who love coffee I also am making a point to learn just as much about coffee as I do tea. I am finding that baking with both adds a new element and tastes great. What an extra good way to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee then with a yummy baked good. Hope to learn much through my place of work at Jolinda's in Stevenson, WA.

Has anyone come across a black tea flavored with cherry and black licorice. A friend of mine bought some for me in 2000 when I was going to have have my daughter (who is 9 now). My mom, daughter and myself love this tea. It was purchased in Portland, OR I believe but do not know where. I have to this date been unable to find this wonderful tea. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. Thanks