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Just the Leaves

Your Tea Journey Begins Here

Learn about the origins of our tea, new recipes to try, how tea can fit into your daily routine, and more.

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Fall 2022 Quarterly - Explore Oolong "Black Dragon" Tea

Fall 2022 Quarterly - Explore Oolong "Black Dragon" Tea

Tea leaves are laid out on racks, which are stacked and left to wither in a temperature-controlled room for hours. Both methods perform the same fu...

Summer 2022 Quarterly - James Taylor: The Father of Ceylon Tea, Part II

Summer 2022 Quarterly - James Taylor: The Father of Ceylon Tea, Part II

One of the turning points in the development of the tea industry in Ceylon was the “Morice Mission.” Superintendent of the neighboring Mooloya Esta...

Spring 2022 Quarterly - James Taylor: The Father of Ceylon Tea, Part I

Spring 2022 Quarterly - James Taylor: The Father of Ceylon Tea, Part I

In 1857, Taylor wrote home with the news that Mr. George Pride had passed away and all of his estates, Loolecondera included, were sold to Keir, Du...

Winter 2021 Quarterly - Chai piyo mast jiyo! Drink tea, live carefree!

Winter 2021 Quarterly - Chai piyo mast jiyo! Drink tea, live carefree!

All three regions — Assam, Darjeeling and Dooars — are in the same northeast area of the country. To visit the Nilgiri tea growing region, we will ...

Fall 2021 Quarterly - Robert Fortune: The Botanical Explorer Who Changed the Tea World, Part II

Fall 2021 Quarterly - Robert Fortune: The Botanical Explorer Who Changed the Tea World, Part II

After a long journey back from Woo-e-shan, Fortune arrived in Shanghai in December 1850. He carefully packed his tea collections in sixteen Wardian...

Summer 2021 Quarterly - Robert Fortune : The Botanical Explorer Who Changed the Tea World, Part

Summer 2021 Quarterly - Robert Fortune : The Botanical Explorer Who Changed the Tea World, Part

Exhilarated at the prospect of traveling to foreign soil to collect plants, Fortune also realized the danger there with the recent end of hostiliti...

Spring 2021 Quarterly - Pu-Erh Tea: Yunnan's Ancient Treasure

Spring 2021 Quarterly - Pu-Erh Tea: Yunnan's Ancient Treasure

Over one thousand years ago, trade was reshaping the face of southwestern China. Roads stretching hundreds of miles through the mountains were forg...

Fall 2020 Quarterly - A Time-Honored Tradition

Fall 2020 Quarterly - A Time-Honored Tradition

Matcha first made its appearance in Japan in 1187 AD, when a Zen Buddhist monk named Eisai encountered a unique method of tea preparation while stu...

Summer 2020 Quarterly - Spring Harvest in Darjeeling

Summer 2020 Quarterly - Spring Harvest in Darjeeling

We see hundreds of samples every season and carefully choose the best lots to offer to our Valued Customers. When cupping first flush Darjeeling te...

Spring 2020 Quarterly - Blended to Perfection

Spring 2020 Quarterly - Blended to Perfection

Earl Grey or fruit-flavored teas can also be considered blends, but our Signature Tea Blends are our breakfast and afternoon style teas. Breakfast ...

Reversals of Fortune in the Tea Industry Part IX

Reversals of Fortune in the Tea Industry Part IX

When John Law plied his financial wizardry in eighteenth century France, dissolving the national debt and creating fortunes for anyone who invested...

Reversals of Fortune in the Tea Industry Part VIII

Reversals of Fortune in the Tea Industry Part VIII

Learn about the formation of Great Britain, the impact of catastrophic market failures, and what could have been different had the fates favored di...