I first started drinking tea at my aunt Lily’s in Paris. I was nine years old.  

Each day after school, I would go to her apartment at Rue de Maubeuge. 

She would put the kettle to boil and prepare a pot of Assam, pour the dark liquor in a cup or glass and serve it with milk and sugar. We would chat and sip together while Chopin’s études for the piano played in the background. This was our moment together, our ritual.

Thanks to Lily and her friends who visited from all over the world, I associated tea with culture and travels. Since then I developed a passion for handcrafted tea, faraway cultures and storytelling.
 

Tea across Cultures

From the bowl to the glass into the cup, tea drinking has different cultures, different practices and traditions, distinct flavors and colors. Yet, it shares the same spirit.

With a long and deep passion for tea, its cultures, history and origins, I travel the world in search of the leaf. I listen to its stories, past and present.

I write, advocate, educate, curate and host tea salons and other events that celebrate the joyful art and cultures of tea.

Each tea is a journey, a celebration of beauty, pleasure and life, together and in reflection.
I look forward to connecting and sharing tea with you, a sip at a time.

~ Joyce Maio