Have you tried loose-leaf tea? If you think tea is limited to the bags you buy at the supermarket, you are missing out! I have seen many "tea-haters" converted by a whiff and a sip of a loose-leaf tea.
My husband and I keep things fairly simple in the kitchen, except when it comes to tea. We are serious about our tea. We start and finish most days with a cup of hot brew or, in the summer, a refreshing glass of iced tea. And not just any tea will do! That's why we were so excited to meet Warren and Kara, the creators of the Toronto-based online business tea dot, at the One of a Kind Spring Show this year.
What stood out the most to me about these two is that they were really excited about their product -- even though we met them during the last few hours of a very busy four day long show. It's obvious that they love tea and they love creating it and sharing it with others.
tea dot's blends are created to showcase the "infinity of tea". 'Mango Party' and 'Mountain Oolong' are exotic. 'Tiramisu' and 'Butter Truffle' are luscious. 'Gojiberry Pomegranate' and 'Chamomile Calmer' are healing. And for the adventurous there are 'Leaves and Beans', 'Fruit Frost' (with popcorn!) and 'Drunk Irish Riser'.
Warren and Kara from tea dot were kind enough to answer a few of my questions about their company and their tea.
What, besides your love for tea, motivated you to start a tea business?
We have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. But we've always thought to really be successful with a business, you need to love what you do. We combined our love for tea, with our entrepreneurial desire, to start tea dot!
The Block is all about living local. Where in the world do you source your ingredients from?
We definitely are with you in living local. We strive as much as possible to source our packaging and materials from local sources. The one thing we are not able to source locally is our tea! Tea is grown in very specific climates, mainly tropical climates. So, unfortunately, it does not grow in Canada.
How do you formulate your blends?
We work with blenders who custom blend our teas. We start off by brainstorming which ingredients would make for a unique, healthy cup of tea. For example, one of our green teas is Gojiberry Pomegranate. Green tea on it's own has numerous health benefits; it's good for the mind, digestion and the list goes on. Gojiberries and pomegranates are both high in antioxidants, which is basically a daily defence mechanism. They are also delicious and very much on trend! We also added citrus to this tea, with lemongrass, for a bit of spritz. We work with the blenders to get the taste just right. Similar to how you would experiment with a new recipe.
Thank you, Warren and Kara, for letting us in on your tea creating process!
tea dot's online shop also features two different 'Starter Packs' for those who are new to loose-leaf tea. The kit includes everything you need to start exploring tea: 50 gram packages of six different tea flavours (which make approximately 20 cups each), one long handed tea-steeper and a package of 100 t-sac tea filters. You can also buy the accessories separately.
Have any of you readers tried tea dot's teas? I am dying to try the Lemon Basil oolong blend. Head over to their website and let us know which one catches your eye!
