Nathan has been part of the Teas Etc family for the past 4 years working as our website guru. As a hardcore tea guy it was no surprise that when he and Nicole announced in 2008 that they would be getting married, which we all knew anyway, that they…

This years expo is going to be great! Yes despite the "bad" economy...which I do not buy into at all and am very tired of hearing! I have been working on the floor plan and visual aspect of our double booth this year which I am designing very…

We started cupping teas this week for the upcoming World Tea Championship. Some of the entries require no thought, golden monkey organic, bai hao silver needle organic a couple of our current favorites. We will end up with about 8 teas for the hot…

Excited about the day ahead we woke up to incredible weather. Docked at the port of Ocho Rios we walked to find our excursion, a 90 ft. yacht that was taking us to Dunn River Falls. OCHO RIO JAMAICA I almost never drink coffee and when I do…

We wake to the sun beaming in our sliding glass doors and get up to quickly grab breakfast before heading down to catch the tender. We run into Dawnya, April and Brian and ride to shore with them. We are going horseback riding on the beach but are…

The day starts with a cup of tea and breakfast, via room service, on our balcony. The weather is fabulous and I am wishing that I could sit here and not move! Knowing that is just not possible I prep myself and my materials and I am off for my…

We set sail on the 2009 Tea Cruise aboard Royal Caribbeans Navigator of the Seas bound for the western Caribbeans Grand Cayman and Jamaica islands. As this years speaker I look forward to meeting my fellow tea cruisers, the training sessions and…

2008 was a whirlwind and such an incredible year for me personally and professionally! Starting with my trip to China in March/April. Traveling in the mountains, choosing exceptional teas and having the opportunity to cup with masters throughout…

Tomorrow, I am scheduled to debut the company’s Self Steeping Brew Mug on QVC, one of the world’s largest multimedia retailers, between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. EST. The presentation of the unique, all-in-one Self Steeping Brew Mug Gift Set, packaged…

Having Fun The Crew Nathan Brewin It Up Matt prepares for the Iced Tea…

The World Tea Expo rocked again this year in Las Vegas! Group Strategy Opening Day! I had a great time visiting with attendees over the 3 day tea trade show and was ignited by the energy and enthusiasm on the show floor. The response to our booth…

The New Business Boot Camp, at the 2008 World Tea Expo, was a great success! Attendees, primarily from the US and Canada, attended this 2 day, 16 hour, intensive tea business training learning from 8 speakers on various aspects of opening a tea…

We have 6 finalists in the World Tea Competition at the World Tea Expo! We entered 10 tea & herbal house blends into the first ever World Tea Competition in the end of March. With the late harvests in China I really stepped out of my comfort zone,…

Traveling in China may not be as difficult as you imagine, even if you don't speak Mandarin Chinese. Modern day China is much more welcoming to foreign guests and many Chinese are especially considerate and accommodating to western visitors.…

I was feeling really good about our progress in the new location. Newman and I left on Saturday around 6:30 pm leaving the place spotless and ready for Monday. Around 7:30 am on Monday we got a call from Suzanne B that the doors and windows had…

With the schedule I have been keeping since arriving home this is the first opportunity I have had to publish more of my pictures from my China trip. Enjoy the post and images and keep an eye out for pictures of the new office as well as pre 2008…

Trust me I am going to load all of the China images and blog writings just as soon as I get a minute, I thought China was a whirlwind! The day before leaving for China I signed a lease on a new office/warehouse location that is 4 times the size of…

Returning to Shanghai after a few very long days I am catching up on some much needed rest and look forward to a couple of days of unpacking only once! I will be heading back home soon and I have to say that I am tired of packing. I took time to…

I am backing up a bit but wanted to share some photos from the beautiful city and gardens of Suzhou. We visited this rapidly growing area and stayed at the lovely Sofitel Hotel, which I highly recommend. The first garden we visited was the Lions…

The weather is cold and dreary in Nanjing and I have spent the entire short visit in the hotel enjoying the very nice accomadations, writing and catching up with stuff in the US. Excited about the teas I have purchased in Fuding, I have a lot to…