The Experience TeaTM Story
me
I’m Roberta and I am a tea person. I used to be a bank person…but that was my former self (yikes 27 years of it). I have been a tea drinker for 25 years and have dabbled in specialty teas for the past ten years—always fascinated, but never quite sure what and why I was buying. I decided to buy books to learn more and found that this leaf is more interesting than I imagined which then led me to research “tea classes” through Google. The next thing I knew, I was taking Tea Specialist Certification classes with the Specialty Tea Institute.
I think I really didn’t even know tea until I started cupping good quality leaves in a gaiwan and/or professional cupping set. The first time I lifted the lid of my cupping set (after pouring off the liquor) and inhaled the intoxicating, steamy scent of the freshly steeped leaves—really sticking my nose down in the cup—I was completely hooked. Now that was a tea experience! What was I thinking all those years…using a tea bag?
The study of this subject involved learning about and tasting some incredible teas, but more captivating, learning how complex and intertwined tea was/ is with world history, cultures, traditions and rituals. The origins of tea, how it evolved and made its way through the world is just as absorbing as any reality show on TV!
Tea is not a one-dimensional drink: there are so many experiences one can enjoy with tea. I love it all— from the British inspired tea parties, to the Chinese gong fu tasting ritual, to the quiet morning preparation and enjoyment of my wake-up tea. Once you start scratching the surface of this leaf, you realize what it has to offer you personally, and, what an enormous impact it has had on world development and culture (but that’s a whole other subject).
I am now officially a “Certified Tea Specialist” having graduated from Specialty Tea Institute in February 2012. I’ll continue to take classes and travel through tea countries to keep my knowledge and experience growing. I must add here that through the Specialty Tea Institute, I have had the privilege of studying under some incredibly talented and seasoned professional tea people. They are a truly generous group of individuals for whom I have enormous respect.
the studio
I knew I wanted to work in the tea world, but didn’t really know where and what that would look like. As I thought about my own experiences buying tea, the one thing that kept nagging at me was the lack of being able to taste or engage with a tea professional at the point of sale. The tea world I was used to was much like the coffee world “hurry up and order because there are people behind you”. So here began my concept of a business that was as much about giving experiences as about selling tea. After walking a lot of real estate and looking at other tea businesses, I purposely focused on finding a studio space. It was important to me that Experience TeaTM be about the classes as much as the retail business. Studio space affords more flexible hours and structure—important for what we do. As a long-term resident of Issaquah, I was very lucky to find our studio space on Front Street—easy access, free parking and lots of fun neighbors.
the tea
The art and craft of making good tea is as complex as wine (I’ve said that before). True tea is white, green, oolong, black and pu’erh and all come from the same plant: Camillia sinensis. The cultivar (varietal) may vary (there are hundreds), but the process after the pluck is what really determines the final product. Besides the processing, the terrior— weather, growing elevation, soil, water, wind and sunlight all have an effect on the quality of what ends up in your cup. The other “teas” such as rooibos, yerba mate’, and herbals are infusions or tisanes. But, this is part of what we learn and experience in the classes, so come join us.
Experience TeaTM has about 100 teas and botanicals right now and I’ll add more as our customers request them and as interesting teas are presented by our tea sources. There is a vast spectrum of good quality loose leaf tea to experience!
