Tea Writers Plan to Kickstart Global Magazine for Premium Tea Drinkers

Cultivated by tea experts and tea writers from around the globe, the new Tea Journey magazine connects growers in 35 countries with consumers worldwide who are seeking authoritative tea knowledge to make informed selections and properly prepare fine tea. Retailers understand that tea knowledge leads to increased consumption of specialty tea but much of the information available in English is focused on marketing sachets and tins. Tea Journey shifts the conversation to a personal level with stories about exceptional artisans and extraordinary tea gardens. A third of the content originates with respected Chinese-language publications like Cha Dao Life and Pu’erh Magazine as well as Korean, Japanese and Hindu tea titles. The publication will launch in June upon the successful completion of a Kickstarter campaign. The inaugural issue will establish a bridge between tea journalists and experts in the tea lands and those in the west in a way no other publication has before. "Tea Journey is like a digital caravan of story tellers who travel to origin and return with authoritative, elusive and exclusive articles, photos, and video that will help our readers discover their tea destiny," according to Dan Bolton, founding editor and publisher who is leading the collaborative effort. "It serves a growing marketplace for fine tea and is backed with decades of publishing experience and an unprecedented network of devoted and respected tea authorities." See introductory video by James Norwood Pratt. If funded the mobile magazine and website will publish three 150-page print-ready PDFs annually. These include the April (Origin) issue, the August (Tea Review) issue, and the November (Gifting) issue. During the weeks between issues, subscribers receive full-featured articles and multi-media content on the Tea Journey blog. Content can be viewed anytime online at www.teajourney.pub or via custom apps for Apple iOS available on iTunes and the Android store. Tea Journey is formatted for print, but out of respect for the world's forests it is distributed as a digital publication. The mobile magazine includes sections with tasting notes to develop your tea expertise, interviews with tea growers and tea masters, and profiles of artisans in teacraft and teaware. There are profiles of collectors, scientists, antiquities scholars and tea blenders. Targeting established tea lovers, thirsty for a deeper connection to culture and origin, each issue helps readers discover and refine their taste in tea – helping them select, correctly prepare, and serve the finest teas from around the world.

To help the collaborative venture – self-financed by editors, writers, tea consultants and tea experts – get off the ground, the publication is rallying supporters through a Kickstarter campaign that begins at midnight April 3 (Qingming). Charter subscribers who donate to the campaign receive their choice of exquisite teas from a growing list of Founding Sponsors that include: Camellia Sinensis, Seven Cups, Mighty Leaf, Mad Monk Tea, Tealet, CrafTea, ITI, Tea Squared, Jalam Teas, Tea Total, Tetulia, Lochan Tea, Teatrade, Hong China Tea, Smacha, Young Mountain Tea, Yuomi Tea and the Australian Tea Masters. Tea Journey remains a work in progress with about half the inaugural issue complete. (Click here to download the prototype.) The names of every charter subscriber (in the order they subscribed) will appear in the finished edition along with a tribute to the Founding Sponsors that generously provided the Kickstarter rewards. Tea lovers are invited to learn more about the publication and the Kickstarter campaign by contacting Dan Bolton, [email protected], and companies interested in becoming a Founding Sponsor should contact Suzette Hammond, [email protected]. Help spread the word at http://www.teajourney.pub/social.