Janis Hashe

In a time when the global population is eager for information on ways to boost the immune system, “probiotics” is once again in the news. Marketing claims for yogurt and fermented foods, including kombucha, have made the word familiar to many consumers.

The 73 million Millennials and 61 million members of Gen Z have already reshaped American markets in multiple ways. The tea industry is no exception, and manufacturers and retailers who want to capture bigger shares of these demographics need to be very savvy about the preferences of these younger consumers.

Terroir, climate change, and current trends drew attention to the many overlapping aspects of tea and wine at last week’s UC Davis colloquium, the fifth organized by Katherine Burnett, Ph.D.

Twenty years ago, siblings Ahmed Rahim and Reem Rahim Hassani launched Numi Organic Tea out of a tiny Oakland, Calif. apartment.

“Thinking outside the box” becomes “re-thinking the box’s outside” when it comes to cutting-edge tea packaging. Savvy manufacturers and retailers have realized great design draws the customer’s eye, even before they’re aware of the quality of the product within.

Fairbanks, Alaska is likely not top-of-mind as a tea hot spot; but that didn’t deter Sipping Streams Tea Company founder Jenny Tse, who was born in Hong Kong and raised in Fairbanks. Her vision for the tea house began in the summer of 2004 when she “began to notice how tea brought different people together.

This year’s World Tea Expo featured an impressive group of tea experts from across the U.S.

Peter Luong is not a tea mystic. The founder of San Francisco’s Song Tea & Ceramics knows and values the subtle, complex characteristics of tea, but displays a polite skepticism about the many claims for its physical and mental health-enhancing abilities.

What do blockbuster film <em>Black Panther</em>, basketball superstar Steph Curry, and Sophie’s Cuppa Tea have in common? One word: Oakland. The <em>other</em> city by the bay has come into its own—<em>Black Panther </em>opens and closes in Oakland, Golden State Warriors great Curry is an international name, and Sophie’s exemplifies the premium tea destinations popping up all over town, catering to a diverse clientele.

Victoria Boyert was taken to a “tea club” by her mother at age 7. “I was very excited.