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July 23, 2010: A Year in the Life of a Tea Merchant
April 29, 2010: Surprise Mom with a Gift She is Sure to Love!
March 19, 2010: East Wind Tea in Northshore Magazine
March 19, 2010: A Year in the Life of a Tea Merchant
February 5, 2010: A Year in the Life of a Tea Merchant
July 23, 2010
Dear Friend,
London in July is much different than London in February or in the autumn. It's much more crowded - the streets are filled with tourists from all over the world and there is an urgency that you don't feel at other times of the year. I definitely prefer London in those other times.
Cathy and I spent 10 days in London at the beginning of July, with a one day side trip to Paris, as part of my Business Grant Award from British Airways. I took this time to visit with both Tim and Alex and to explore a few new teas to add to our list. After meeting with Alex we are in the process of obtaining a Long Jing tea and an aged Pu-Erh from China, and a sobacha from Japan. All are of very high quality and will be available to order shortly after Labor Day. I'll let you know when they are ready for sale.
Tim and I had a very good discussion about the importance of knowing where the tea comes from. Tim is an advocate of describing the source of his teas so his customers know where it was grown and in some cases who the farmer or tea master was. For more on Tim's philosophy see his new blog at www.singleestatetea.com. As Tim says, "Provenance is the key to quality tea", and I agree. Our new Chai and Darjeeling teas from Tim will be ready for sale in just a few weeks.
My day in Paris was filled with visiting several tea shops on both the Left Bank and the Right Bank. More about those visits in my next report.
We look forward to hearing from you, as always!
Cheers,
Curtis
P.S. East Wind Tea is now on Facebook! Check us out and sign up to receive special offers.
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April 29, 2010
Dear Friend,
Mother's Day is Sunday, May 9th. If you are still searching for the perfect gift at the right price, look no further. Surprise Mom with a gift she is sure to love!
From now until Mother's Day purchase a tea pot and two packages of tea and receive a 15% discount! Come to our retail location at 10 West Street in Beverly Farms, tell us you read about this offer, and we'll take 15% off of your purchase. Order on-line, mention it in the comment section, and we'll take the discount when we process your order.
Having trouble deciding which teas to purchase — we can help. We suggest our East Wind Morning Blend and the Green Jasmine tea as good choices to start. We have tea pots in several colors and sizes as well as our new clear glass 2-cup tea pots pictured above.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Curtis
P.S. East Wind Tea is now on Facebook! Check us out and sign up to receive special offers.
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March 19, 2010
Recently NorthShore Magazine sat down to a cup of tea with Curtis Vouwie of East Wind Tea...
Read the Complete Article
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March 19, 2010
My trip to London last month was a success by any measure. This was the first of my trips this year courtesy of the British Airways Business Grants Program.
I had an opportunity to spend quality time with my suppliers, Alex and Tim. Both were very generous in sharing their thoughts about tea and their travel experiences in China and Japan.
I was able to visit with my friend Alex Fraser of East Teas at the Borough Market where he sells his teas on Fridays and Saturdays. He's recently moved into the Jubilee Market area at the Borough Market, which is located on the south side of the River Thames and is near the Tate Modern Museum and the London Bridge tube station. The Market is where I first met Alex, in May 2006.
On most days the Market is bustling with wholesale merchants selling fresh fruits and vegetables as well as meats and fish. On Fridays and Saturdays it expands to feature many smaller growers and purveyors of everything from freshly baked artisanal breads to fancy chocolates to cheeses. There are vendors selling sandwiches and prepared meals featuring cuisines from around the world.
Alex has been manning the East Teas stall for nearly ten years now. From there he sells his high quality teas from China, Japan, and Taiwan - many of the same teas we exclusively sell here at East Wind Tea. He also has a wide selection of tea ware for sale featuring many beautiful pieces from Korea.
Alex's many customers come to him for advice about which teas to purchase and for general all-around camaraderie.
I am honored to be able to consult with Alex and get his valuable guidance on all matters related to tea, especially tea preparation and tea selection. As a result of our discussions we will be adding a Pu-erh tea and Matcha tea to our list. Matcha is great for cooking and is the stuff that makes green tea ice cream so tasty.
In addition, Alex is trained in the Japanese tea ceremony which adds to his vast knowledge of the many tea traditions. If you are ever in London you should plan a visit to see Alex at the Market.
Tim and I spent several afternoons at his shop in Mayfair discussing his teas. He invited me to attend a tasting session on Saturday morning - more about this in my next dispatch.
Cheers,
Curtis
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February 5, 2010
The phone rang at about 5:30 on a Friday afternoon in mid-December. Cathy and I were just going over a few last-minute details before we headed home.
"East Wind Tea, may I help you?"
"Hello, this is Ann calling from British Airways' marketing department. Is this Curtis?" she asked.
"Speaking."
"Several months ago you entered a contest sponsored by BA and I'm calling to tell you that you won!"
"You're kidding!" You have to understand that I never win anything. If it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all. I have trouble winning at Solitaire. Yet, here she was calling to tell me that I was a winner.
Months earlier, back in September, I had submitted an entry in BA's "Business Opportunities Grant" contest based on their Face-to-Face promotion. The idea was that some business objectives are better met by face-to-face meetings, rather than by any remote communication method. For my part I wanted to spend time with my two key suppliers in London learning more about the tea we sell and broaden my knowledge about tea in general.
The application required three short essays, no more than 500 words each, on the topics of our business goals for 2010, how the opportunity for travel would benefit us, and how face-to-face meetings would help us. You can't win if you don't try I said to myself. The main award was ten free business-class roundtrip tickets to anywhere in the world BA flies. That, plus $1000 towards accommodations at Marriott's Courtyard hotels, drew my attention. But the real attraction for me was the free airfare.
In one of the essays I stated that I would fly to London, where my two tea suppliers are based, and to the Far East to see first-hand how tea is grown and processed. China, Japan, and India were tops on my list. This will be the opportunity of a lifetime and I want to make the most of it.
I'm about to take my first trip next week - to London to see Alex at East Teas and Tim at Postcard Teas. I'll keep you posted on what I see and learn from them.
Cheers,
Curtis
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