Steeping Together

Kelly joins us this week as we attempt to unravel the mystery behind tea drinkers’ longstanding love for Pu’erh, one of the most ancient tea types.For a complete transcript of this episode visit davidstea.comTo shop our website and discover your next favourite tea click here. about the guest: Kelly MillerKelly Miller has been tea-obsessed for nearly a decade. What is the source of her obsession, you ask? It all started when Kelly visited a DAVIDsTEA store for the first time to buy a gift for a friend. Intrigued by our Birthday Cake tea, she gave it a quick sip. And just like that, Kelly, the tea sommelier, was born. THAC (Tea and Herbal Association of Canada) Certified, Kelly currently works as the Research & Development Lead at the DAVIDsTEA headquarters. Her generous and exploratory nature makes her an indispensable member of the team as she continuously pushes for new flavour innovations. Since her first introduction to the world of tea, she has tried over 10,000 teas AND her personal collection exceeds 1,500 unique teas and blends! Please give it up for Kelly, everyone!

We sat down with Jenny, Executive Director at the ETP, to get a better understanding of how our industry is working together to create a fairer and more sustainable tea industry for workers, farmers and the environment.Today's Episode is brought to you by Silk Dragon Jasmine (Organic) Jenny Costelloe: about the guestJenny leads the Ethical Tea Partnership’s (ETP) global team to drive long-term, systemic change across three areas in tea: economics, equality and environment. She’s passionate about mobilising ETP’s global team to develop programs, run pilots and influence policies, and create transformative change across tea supply chains to achieve ETP’s vision of a thriving, socially just and environmentally sustainable tea sector. In 2016, Jenny was appointed Ambassador for the World Economic Forum’s “New Vision for Agriculture” after her role as Director of Country Partnerships at Grow Asia (a World Economic Forum focused on sustainable agriculture in ASEAN). To call Jenny’s accomplishments impressive is an understatement.  DAVIDsTEA is looking forward to joining key players in the industry, like Jenny, at the leading tea sustainability conference in June 2022 with the Ethical Tea Partnership and IDH - The Sustainable Trade Initiative. This event will explore the sector’s most significant and challenging issues and will investigate learnings to improve the sustainability of tea now and in the future. To learn more about ETP click here ETP is hosting TEAM UP 2022 and there is still time to join! They are looking forward to joining some of the key players in the tea sector at the leading tea sustainability conference with the Ethical Tea Partnership and IDH - The Sustainable Trade Initiative on 21 June 2022 in London: TEAM UP 2022: Sustainability Solutions.  The event will explore the sector’s most significant and challenging issues and will look at learnings to go forward to improve the sustainability of tea now and for the future. They'll be joined by Oxfam GB CEO, Danny Sriskandarajah, CEO of the Kenya Tea Development Agency Foundation Sudi Biko Matara, CEO of Rwanda's National Agricultural Export Development Board, Claude Bizimana, the Managing Director of  Taylors of Harrogate Andy Brown, CEO of ekaterra John Davison, Unilever's Senior Social Sustainability ManagerWinfridah Moraa Nyakwara, Dr Paula Hamilton, Head of Collective Action Ethical Trading Initiative and many more! There is still time to join them for this one day event, either virtually or in person at RIBA, Central London: https://bit.ly/38q4gpEFor a complete transcript of this episode visit davidstea.com

We acknowledge that there is no DAVIDsTEA without a healthy planet. So, who better to define what that means to us than Nadia, our Director of Tea Sustainability & Content?For a complete transcript of this episode visit davidstea.comTo see what we are doing to promote a sustainable future click here. To shop our website and discover your next favourite tea click here. About the Guest: Nadia De La VegaNadia De La Vega's tea journey has been anything but linear. Growing up in Mexico, tea was not a common beverage... but luckily for Nadia, her mother would brew loose leaf black tea every morning. She completed her science degree in Montreal, where her love for food pairing and recipe development came to be. Joining the DAVIDsTEA team in 2012 (and we are SO glad she did!), she put her superpowers to use to help develop tea-based recipes. As the Director of Tea Sustainability and Content at DAVIDsTEA, Nadia and her team primarily oversee sustainability initiatives and tea knowledge across the brand while ensuring all tea information is authentic, fun and relatable. You can normally find her drinking a cup of Orange Pekoe or Organic Jasmine Black Pearls, while working on impact initiatives and indulging in some serious tea talk!

Carolina Levy, owner of tea company Soy Té, shares insight from her personal experience of bringing tea to Mexico.Today's Episode is brought to you by Cherry BlossomCarolina Levy: about the guestSay hola to Carolina Levy, our first international guest! She started her tea company, Soy Té, 10 years ago after travelling to rural Mexico for work. She was inspired to source local ingredients in an effort to reduce food waste, and to broaden cultural appreciation for tea and herbs in her home country of Mexico. Carolina explores tea through rituals and tools such as Gong Fu Cha and tea pets, and uses sensations and emotional cues to educate and interest people in more traditional tea culture. Her secret to connecting with others through tea? Making it accessible! Through TikTok, leading online tea-tasting sessions, and simply sharing conversation over a cup of tea, Carolina invites people to try new things or to experience familiar flavours in different ways. From cold brew to frappes and flavoured tea lattes, Carolina's enthusiasm for all things tea (and beyond!) was the inspo behind the name of her company, Soy Té, which translates to "I am tea" in Spanish. How fitting!To learn more about Soy Té click here For a complete transcript of this episode visit davidstea.com

Want to sip outside the box? This episode’s for you! We’re exploring all the different ways to make a cup with Freedom, our Social Media Lead and resident rule-breaker. For a complete transcript of this episode visit davidstea.comTo shop our website and discover your next favourite tea click here. About the Guest: Freedom TaylorMeet Freedom! He first joined the DAVIDsTEA team back in 2011 with our Spring Collection starring a ton of seriously stellar hits like Goji Pop, Movie Night and Lime Gelato. If you happened to shop in our retail stores between 2011 and 2018, chances are you browsed displays designed by yours truly. This delightful human bleeds teal and can often be found drinking a huge mason jar of iced tea while writing jokes for DAVIDsTEA’s social media accounts (that’s his new gig and he like totally digs it). Obsessed with mixing teas together, nostalgic flavours, colourful iced teapops and experimenting with layered lattes, Free (FYI we call him Free because well, he embodies it oh so well) proves that tea rules are meant to be… adapted? PS. Freedom and the term “fun steeper” are pretty much synonymous because he’s actual living proof that it’s okay to think outside the cup. In fact, here at DAVIDsTEA, we encourage it.

We invited Tao Zrafi, the Traveling Bartender & Mixologist, to share his secrets on the best ways to mix tea with alcohol.Today's Episode is brought to you by Blood Orange Boost Tao Zrafi: about the guestTao Zrafi is a mixologist, bar program consultant and globetrotter. If you’ve ever been to any of Montreal’s popular cocktail bars, then odds are you’ve probably tasted one of Tao’s concoctions. After moving to Canada from Tunisia at the age of 20, Tao made a life-changing decision to test his luck in the bar industry, something entirely new to him by the way! He never even had a sip of alcohol until he was 23… but he quickly became fascinated by the art of mixology. Tao worked at various restaurants and bars across North America and even entered numerous competitions. He eventually started making a name for himself and found his unique style that resonated with the masses. Unfortunately, restrictions implemented throughout the pandemic put a hold on his plans but that didn’t stop him from making new ones. Instead, Tao focused on consulting, sharing his knowledge, launching pop-up shops, and planning his lifelong goal of creating his own funky bar project. And so, he did! Keep your eyes (and taste buds) open for what Tao has in store next…To learn more about Tao Zrafi click here For a complete transcript of this episode visit davidstea.com

Did you know the type of water you use to steep your tea makes a difference? Find out how on this week’s episode with Quality manager and Straight Tea Specialist Ravi PillaiFor a complete transcript of this episode visit davidstea.comTo shop our website and discover your next favourite tea click here About the Guest : Ravi PillaiTo put it simply, Ravi Pillai is one heavy dude. Let us explain. You see, Ravi is many things. He’s a certified Tea Sommelier, Tea Specialist and Tea Professional. He has over 35 years of experience in the tea industry with 20 years of that dedicated to the management of tea estates, overseeing tea processing, pre and post harvesting practices… the list goes on! *Takes a deep breath* Not to mention, Ravi has also worked in international trading and managed the purchasing of teas at auction and developed customised blends for companies all over the world. Pretty cool, huh? But hold, please. We’re not done yet. Traveling all over the Middle East, Europe and East Asia, Ravi also served on the Board of Directors of the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada AND the Board of the World Tea Expo. Ravi has been with the DAVIDsTEA family for 11 years (that’s over a decade!!!) working as the Manager of Tea Quality, Straight Teas & Sachet Development. So, it’s basically a proven fact that he has an incredible wealth of knowledge (though his humble nature would never admit it…) but what we really love most about him is his generosity, kind-heartedness and his ability to tell a good tale about his very many adventures.

Join us as we talk to Tea Horse about their unique take on wild rice and the role that tea plays in bringing people together.Today's Episode is brought to you by Manoomin Maple Tea Horse: about the guestToday we’re sitting down with Tea Horse, a woman-led, Indigenous-owned tea company, to help us get a better understanding of wild rice. Tea Horse was founded by Denise Atkinson, who is Anishinaabe ikwe (meaning Ojibwe woman) and her partner Marc Bohémier. Located on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe Peoples in Northwestern Ontario, Tea Horse focuses on bringing people together through high-quality teas featuring roasted manoomin (wild rice in Ojibwe). So, who better to teach us about this truly unique ancestral grain?To learn more about Tea Horse click hereFor a complete transcript of this episode visit davidstea.com

Join us this week for a deep dive into what seems to be one of our most polarizing ingredients: licorice. With Tea Specialist Celia AceaeFor a complete transcript of this episode visit davidstea.comTo shop our website and discover your next favourite tea click here About the Guest: Celia AceaeCelia’s obsession with tea began as soon as she could drink. Motivated by her love of plants (and insatiable curiosity), Celia studied conservation and natural resource compliance at Lethbridge College in Alberta. She went on to obtain a Red Seal in horticulture from the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, and currently works as a Tea and Sustainability Specialist at DAVIDsTEA. But we’re not done yet! Celia is also completing an additional bachelor’s degree of Science in Horticulture, basically proving that her love of tea and plants is no passing fancy. With an encyclopedic knowledge of plants and their various impacts on individuals as well as the planet, Celia has committed most of her time to the proliferation of tea and plant knowledge. As a trained Tea Sommelier, she brings joy to those around her by sharing a cup of tea with anyone and everyone, at any time. Fun fact: she lived in Japan for three months studying matcha production and the Japanese tea ceremony, so quiz her, she loves it!

On this week’s episode, we sit down with Mamas for Mamas’ founder to explore all the amazing work the organization has accomplished to help moms and caregivers in need.Today's Episode is brought to you by Organic Mother's Little Helper About the guestShannon Christensen was born and raised in Kelowna, BC where she currently lives with her husband of 16 years and their two boys. Her passion for working with marginalized populations led her to pursue (and complete) a BA in Psychology and a Master of Counselling Psychology. From there, her desire to make the world a better place manifested itself in the launch of Mamas for Mamas. This project has since become a national non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the negative impact of poverty on low-income mothers and their families. Shannon has been recognized as a top 40 under 40 recipient, featured in “Women to Watch,” AND was a top 3 finalist for “Woman of the Year” through The City of Kelowna Civic and Community Awards. Most recently she has co-authored a best-selling book about motherhood and has brought home the Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada for her work with Mamas for Mamas. But also… Shannon really likes pickles.To learn more about Mamas for Mamas click hereFor a complete transcript of this episode visit davidstea.com