Monday, April 13, 2020 - Heicha (Dark Tea) Talk

Video Subtitles:

Yeah, I know I I know exactly
what you're talking about. I

mean I like a lot of what has
drawn a lot of my best rock

finding experiences have been
he's just like long days where

it's like all the sudden you
where you really get lost it.

Yeah.

But I also I enjoy the after
effects of the times when it's

during the experience of why am
I doing this? This is supposed

to be fun.

Alright, the The Like
completion of those experiences

are always really good for
them. I like I create the

boundaries of like like today I
was just feeling it. I was

feeling really good. I probably
couldn't even gotten longer if

I would have had more time, but
it was more of a time crunch

thing but there's some days
where yeah, you're right.

You're just like why am I doing
this? I'm not feeling it right

now and I allow myself to stop
which is perfectly fine, You

know so. At least, I'm not
under some kind of pressure to

like absolutely do something,
but like my paying off the side

of a cliff where yes, two
decisions you have no you have

no choice. Yeah sounds like a
good one.

Sam and Eric have you guys met
each other before no. I don't

think so hey, Nice introduce
you guys Erika. He's actually a

very very good team friend he
is officially the first tea let

wholesale buyer you know he
used to have a TV business. He

kinda still does, but you know
he's not he's not aggressive

about it but when we like first
launched at Wholesale, it was

an auction. Eric remember that
it was an off. That was fun.

Yeah, you totally won. I think
you're the only person that bet

on that team I did with you and
then I did like you know

customer follow up
questionnaire afterwards where

you know I was like, hey, can I
can I call you on the phone and

ask you about your your user
experience with this auction

and yeah we've been friends
ever since. I met him the first

time at the Midwest Festival in
14. It was a 2014 Eric No. yeah

14, because I can't say yeah
and and Sam is a bit more of a

recent tea friend in the Grand
scheme of things, I mean

compared to our story, but a
very good one all the same that

I met through so you know so
yeah West China Tea Company

never met him. Oh you don't met
him, but you know of him. Oh

yeah. Yeah. What's up so nope.
I know so yeah it's it's really

nice to introduce you guys.
it's a special treat to have

Eric on the live stream today
cuz he's he's very

knowledgeable tea person but a
little bit shy. Eric. I hope

you're not offended by that.
No. No. I'm sorry. I'm trying

to hold back on the insulting.
It's okay, Sam and I both have

thick skin. you can you can
insult us all you want. Oh.

Yeah, I'm usually unusually all
over the back of these kids.

It's the only way I can make
myself feel like I'm worth it

that oh wow. Yeah. I didn't see
that I guess but yeah the last

time I went to China. Sam was
actually on that trip and him

and his wife when we went to a
nano Shawn so yeah we've we've

done some tea traveling
together. Eric and I

fortunately you're about right
now. Yeah. it was a year ago.

exactly Yup. we were like
leaving their probably now is

to go to the waterfall. No,
we're probably at the water

festival. Yeah. yeah, you're
going now. Yeah that that lack

of a better word that ??? show
were to the wise if anybody

ever spending some time and
during this time of the year,

the water festival is a lot of
fun, but it is chaotic and

hectic and you need to have
your bookings placed months in

advance because yeah, we had
some trouble finding a place to

stay, but hey the place how we
ended up saying that was was

pretty cool. So. I think more
than anything if you're if

you're a big group, you need to
have your statistics figured

out. Yeah. If you're a small
group just go and have a good

time and you'll have us, we
were a big group. We were

improving. That's why I was a
question. We were like 10

people so like coordinating
taxi which taxes existed, but

they were just like really
booked and like DD, you know

like the Uber there was taking
hours to Reserve one and only

one of our phones. Like a
Chinese based phones, only one

of us could order a DD. So
yeah, I was it was a bit of a

mess, but we survived and got
to experience the water

festival, which is a lot of
fun. We had a lot of fun. Yeah.

good. Yeah. so yeah this time
last year we were there. Yeah

cuz all the the spring
festivals are happening right

now be who which is a Psalm
spring festival that started

today Holy was a couple of
weeks ago. I was in India last

year for Holy. That was a lot
of fun, especially. Yeah, Eric,

you would hate it. You would
absolutely hate it. Oh, I'm

sure. Looks like getting my my
teeth, my shirts wrong. I mean

I messed up. No. yeah. No, you
would absolutely hate it the

water festival. you would hate
too you just like you wanna be

sitting in a tee shot drinking
tea the whole time you be like

let those children play with
their water. I'm gonna sit

here.

Of course, when I was a child,
I'd be saying the same thing.

Oh you funny. daddy. Yeah.

So I wasn't kidding when I said
that that Eric is a very

knowledgeable person. He's he's
he's one of the best that I

know oh, wow, really yeah
because you don't you just like

you've dedicated your whole
life to it. You know no. But a

lot of it, but very niche, very
dedicated my brain to it.

That's about it. That's a lot.

Eric would would you be
interested in giving a teeth

talk? I'm really shy. Yeah, you
got that anxiety of being live

and things like that being but
in person I'm much better. Cuz

it kind of calms me down just
being in person in front of

people. Where are you located?
I'm in Saint Louis? Missouri

Cool. It's called better right
now. Yeah. Yeah warning was

below freezing.

Yeah, right now it's it went up
to 40 - five. wow. he's

throwing

I wear long sleeves all year
round, he does and pants all

year round even in you know
A hundred degree weather in Las

Vegas during Realty Expo. He's
like you know a long long

button up shirt and pants long
pins. Oh, no, I didn't have

short sleeves at the expo. Oh,
yeah. yeah, but it was still

button up. You know, Oh, yeah.
I'm not gonna look. He doesn't

wanna go to Holy cuz you know
those those are expensive.

Those those are nice shirts.
Yeah. everything is ruined If

you go the secret is drifting
and knowing where to get the

shirt. I'm not gonna buy two -
hundred - dollar shirt I might

pay 20 for. This is this how
you you take on your your tea

pursuits as well. Eric 13. You
should actually sometimes

really nice tea wear as pop up
when you least expect. Oh like

that. Yeah. Yeah. exactly like
that maybe elsewhere, San

Francisco La and no actually
that's that's the worst place

to do it because things go so
fast right. we're located this

pot. I have a whole set with
like three cups and some

dishes, and that kind of stuff
was. $7 at an Army Exchange

outside of Fresno, Wow. So it's
always it's always like the

small towns or like the most
unassuming places because like

even small towns even Saint
Louis it has you know immigrant

communities you know and and
the grandparents of those

communities. you know pass on
their estates and and a lot of

times the younger generations
don't know what to do with

their stuff and they just
donated. they don't know it's

value if that happens in here
that you get a really nice

looking at least. Chinese and
Asians, that yeah, is he go to

those big cities, San Francisco
and stuff. I mean there's like

a million other, you know
hipster teeth fanatics that you

know are gonna pick it up
before you, but you know, so

don't don't don't think it can
happen in Saint Louis if any

place that it will definitely
happen cuz you're probably the

only person that's gonna see
value in it. You know what I

mean, Yeah unless unless like
Emmett is like one step ahead

of you everywhere.

You got the eyes How was he
doing? I just thought of him

earlier today, I hope he's
doing well. Yeah. he's working

at Whole Foods now. Oh good.
Yeah. So he's got a constant

job. He's always at Whole
Foods, which is great London

kind of push them out, but I
think it was best for him.

Okay. Yeah. he was getting
complaints. They're really

really frustrated and the Green
there's a lot of things.

Doesn't mean London tea room is
wrong or you know it's just

yeah. I mean, sometimes people
he was there for a long time

and sometimes people need to
evolve and and find the longest

employee. yeah five years or
something The The London Tea

Room is one of the the longest
established tea tea places in

Saint Louis. really nice,
really nice place. It's not it

is not the same name that CCC
she was wanted Teach Club Okay.

Yes, at the London Tea Room is
it's actually really

interesting model that I locked
in times tell you know our

partners to look into if
they're trying to set up a

teaspoon face because it's like
a hybrid of the comment

conventional like tea and food
and kind of Western style tea,

the big tea pots and and scones
and all of that but then they

also have more of like the
purest. you know they cater to

that as well, gun set so you
get both. Serving yeah there.

Yeah. Me so where a server will
come out and serve and make tea

for you or you. and then you
operate and give you all the

tools. Yeah. cool is that. Who
is that? Oh? yeah? Yeah. Steve

is a bit more of like the the
modern traditional style London

tea room like it's motifs when
you go inside is very like when

its name feels like yes, we're
from England. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

so they are British but they
they're evolving. That's the

key the story you know, they're
not kind of like a pigeon

holing themselves in the
British style of tea. They're

they're kind of evolving and.
Catering to the the new tea

lover, I feel like steep is
more forward on the like

millennial minimalist new tea
lover, and then you know kind

of having the food. It's very
tight pay style love Steve. I

think that's actually one of
the the most creative and cool

feeling tea houses in the
country. right now I really

like the feel and the vibe in
there

I felt like for the price you
can do better. you can get

better tea, but I also
recognize my. I am blessed with

excellent connections such as
yourself at least yeah, no.

it's not the tea you're buying
when you go there. It's it's

the experience. It's the whole.
Yeah. It's the whole

experience. I thought the price
was fine, especially if it

comes with like a little snack
You know, there's other places

you go and you're like well.
I'm paying 12 bucks for this.

This is not nice experience.
Yeah. I mean I I thought I

thought the experience itself
was great like when Hannah and

I went it was like. 20 or 20 -
Five bucks, or something for

gun food service with like one
of those like tangerine filled

shoe air balls, and I just felt
like for for a 20 - five -

dollar going food experience
never ordered that tea Probably

put it in the in the in the
orange.

Yeah, like go always go for
like the Taiwanese the

Taiwanese tees. you know those
are always a safe that you know

even if they're not coming from
Taiwan, they're probably gonna

be good, You know, but those
tangerine teas are never good.

Sorry right. I mean we're we're
not treating this right and we

are yup. Okay and then the the
direction that this story will

go is different. The lesson
learn about the tangerine ball

same thing with like the
blooming teas right like

they're they're look thing and
actually those tangerine balls

are the top-selling tees in
China right now, like with how

advanced in consumer level, the
team market in China is those

are still the the best-selling
teams right now. So you know

like if you're looking for a
good quality tea, I wouldn't go

for that. but if you want
something showy and cool like

I've seen some pretty cool
service on those like where you

put the tangerine ball on a
strainer over the pitcher and

then you slowly pour the it's
like a pour over. it's pretty

cool. You know I I would drink
the tea just to be a part of

that experience of that poor
over so I think there's a place

for it, but you know if you're
going to a place like steep, I

think ordering like they had
some nice Chinese Green teas. I

got some, I got some of their
dragon well and I don't know if

I I don't know Dragon well well
enough and it could be that I'm

just too used to drinking
things like high Chop. Yeah. Or

or sunshine, Yeah, that I think
Dragon well is probably a whole

different beast. so if I go
into Dragon well comparing it

to type essential in is like an
underwhelming experience

because it's just so different.
It's hard to find a really good

one and there's really
expensive. you know they're

actually yeah. they're usually
expensive. if they're good, I

did really like. Taiwan East
High Mountain long that I got

from so that's that's what I
said, like you're you're

Taiwanese Longs are always
gonna be a safe bet. you know,

even if they're not from
Taiwan, I could have another

time and I bought like a small
amount of almost everything

that they had. That's nice. I
thought they're black tea was

really good. And I thought
they're high mountain long was

really good, but again a place
like that, like it's the

intention of that place is not
to go evaluate their teas. It's

it's the experience you know
and I don't think that they're

trying to you know they're not
pushing retail. They're more

pushing the experience. they
call it a ceremony and I had a

long conversation with the
owner about the controversy of

of calling that a ceremony he
understood you know he's not

coming from a place of
disrespect. He's actually

coming from a place of
accessibility for people, you

know cuz he's dealing. With
people that are not experienced

with tea and not experience of
gun food shop, so you know, I

think it's really cool that he
understands where he is in in

the whole Grand scheme of
things, you know because of

your connection. Sam you have
been kind of conditioned to you

know always be evaluating the
tea you know, I know that

feeling. Yeah. I think that's
just kind of part of being a

bit. It's part of being a
student of tea, but I think if

you want to have a successful
tea shop, you need to cater to

more than students. Tea unless
I mean well, there are

definitely other models out
there that cater more towards

students of tea, specifically,
yeah, Of course, Steve is

definitely not that as I think
the key you have to know when

to settle down and relax cheers
to that. Yeah, that came from

Air class everybody. I'm gonna
I'm gonna like make a meme of

that Eric cuz that that's
incredible what you just said.

I can't believe that you just
said that I. It's hard for me,

but recently awesome Erika. I'm
happy for you. That's like

that's that's a big growth.
That's that's huge. Actually.

it was a big step for me and
then I always like I don't know

about this. I If you have you
been to the Center in San

Francisco, I haven't been but I
know of it. Yeah, I really

enjoyed the the tea experience
there

that it's definitely more
towards the Western style

gung food is available and I
thought the the they they work

off of like a membership model
and I think it works. Because

they're you know location where
they get a lot of like repeat

traffic. Yeah. Yeah. That's
awesome the yoga studio. so

it's like every time you go in
and you get a free pot of tea.

Yeah. that's cool. I was said
that be a fun model if you're

looking a high traffic
community based type of space,

it also be fun to have like
some cubbies where your your

your Cup gets to stay you know
and no just kind of like that

the brick in the the botanical
garden. That had your name on

it. Eric like it's kinda cool
to you know like be a piece of

that space or a piece of that
community. So yeah anybody with

the tea shop that was looking
for a cool idea. You're welcome

to use it please. Wine bars Do
it? Yeah. Yeah that that

everybody gets like at a
certain at a certain point, you

can like rent a locker at the
wine bar and store your wine

there. Yup, If you don't have a
wine seller, then again who

doesn't.

real quick, there's someone I'm
just gonna say this just to try

to get a reply. There's
somebody on Facebook they

Michelle from Hawaii Aloha that
says that she's been serving

afternoon tea since 1990, -
nine. so Michelle please

comment What the name of your
tea shop is because I didn't

even know that existed in
Hawaii. I'm from Ahuja and I

knew of like one shop downtown,
but I thought that that was a

more recent like a high tea and
actually to be honest I know.

Open not once did I ever see
that shop open and I lived

downtown are not live, but I
worked downtown. so I'd be

there every day and I'd always
drive pass this little cute

shop but I never saw it open.
So that's how you know. it's

good. Oh. yeah. it's an alley
way a tunnel. No. I mean no, I

was like it was on a main
Street. It was very visible

from the main Street. It was
very attractive. I'm sure they

were open maybe for only
private events or something,

but I don't know if I get in
there. Yeah. that's. Oh, it's

good. Yeah, you gotta know
without having to open the

front door. So yeah. hopefully
Michelle still here and she'll

comment. Oh it is that's her
wow. This is her shop. so

you've been open since 1990, -
nine. That's incredible.

Michelle next time I go to a
Wahoo. I definitely have to

come visit them so mystery
solved to the shop is open.

Yeah. Michelle. I I'm honest.
I'm not trying to insulate

here. I really just never saw
You just have a limited hours

or appointment only yeah, I was
on New Street New Avenue I left

almost seven years ago. so it's
been a while since I was there,

but since 90 -. Michelle maybe
next time I come we can do a

special event. We can do a
special like traditional

Chinese tea event or something
something a little bit

different than the the
afternoon tea, of course, not

during this time of course, I'm
stuck here. No one 's going to

Hawaii right now.
Unfortunately, I had friends

that are quarantined in Hawaii.
They they went there and okay,

so they're open weekdays from
11 to two. So that's why yeah

those those times I just never
passed it It's like on my way

to work or on my way home, but
yeah that the very specific

time. so maybe if we do an
event together, Michelle, we

can do it like outside of that
time. I think going through

gatherings are nice like in the
the afternoons.

Better than a morning you like
it, Why? Yeah, I know you like

your tea in the morning. Erica
Remember that no no, I think a

gathering is better in the
afternoon than in the morning.

Yeah everybody's stomach is in
full. They need much. Yeah.

yeah in the mornings very
highly likely to get an upset

tummy. I only drink certainties
in the morning.

Have you ever gotten sick from
drinking to year? Yeah a really

bad chest pains Northwest
Festival. Oh dear I chasing

some poor won't say the name of
the company but wow, that was

really bad. I drink. I don't
know how much water to get rid

of it. Yeah, that's happened to
me, too. I went to Jeffrey

McIntosh. Hey. what what should
I do drink water lots of water?

Are you trying to insinuate
that that that Jeffrey is the

the poor doctor something like
that? it was bad. I would have

known at the time to trust.
Yeah, that was back when he was

working for Smart. Okay, Yeah,
that would have been

interesting if you would have
gone to another booth and they

would say, Oh no district this
poor here here here. Let me let

me pull up.

Oh, that's interesting you got
in the chest. I like if I drink

a lot of tea on an empty
stomach, I'll get in my

stomach. I've actually thrown
up before. Yeah. Yeah. it's

funny. I get it in my head like
if I am and it's it's

specifically with Shawn. Yeah.
I drink too much on an empty

stomach. It gives me like this
like bad headache.

You should never be and it's
usually younger shuffle. Okay.

Yeah. younger isn't younger
trees or younger is in this

years. Younger leaves. Okay.
Yeah younger aging. Yeah,

please or leaves leaves. Oh
okay. Yeah. So I pick this

year, yeah or or even like
within the last five okay

interesting.

Yeah, that was that was the
case with me pretty bad stuff.

So, yeah, I don't know if this
is like getting sick, but one

time I had a team when I was in
Hutton and my body, I was like

slouching my chair and my my
brain and my mouth when me

talking was going a mile. a
minute everybody was laughing

at me because I felt great. I
don't know is that tea drunk.

That's T drunk. Yeah. I don't
think that sickness the. That's

like one time one time you got
drunk one time that's cute. I

couldn't afford the cheat.

Pricing to you, I can't believe
they let me have it. Can we

taste it? Yes, it could have.
it

feels great. Can you can you
teach us something? Can I ask

you a question to teach us
something? I have a question?

Okay. so you are very well
knowledged of of dark teeth

right in various types of dark
teas. So my question is like in

the timeline of innovation of
dark teas like cuz it most of

us like most of us teach
students really only think of

dark teas as far as like shoe
pores, but you're. Dark teens

goes way beyond that can you
can you enlighten us a little

bit on the timeline of
innovation of the various

styles of dark teas, and you
know how that led up to you

know what we we currently know
of as dark Well I I will say

that

the process was developed from
the process in wrong sheet that

may blue bow Okay and what was.
Innovated, When was that

developed, you know what he
needs and this okay alright

between like the sixties
seventies and then they predict

for perfected by like mid
seventies. I think okay about

the was a home shop. The hay
chunk it totally dark teeth.

Okay, so just fermented
fermented black tea piled wet

piled just like shoe for, but
it's not trees. Small bushes

Okay and pack very different
than they normally packing

baskets and the average fast is
about technically the small

should be five kilograms. yeah,
I mean they do make like little

two kilogram stuff, but it
doesn't. I mean it takes like

five kilograms to age properly
right not very heavily

compressed either. School it's.
Please break it apart. very

cool. Yeah the style of

who done as an interesting
history cuz originally Liz

originally for like food child
like food.

Were made either in or and then
it went to Sean to be

processed. The original process
of piling was not in or Bay was

originally in the other
province and I'm butchering

them the pronunciation of those
you're doing great good job.

Then I I I guess that was like
I think the history of food is

like 600 years old. Okay. So
yeah. Alright. This is this is

what I was wanting to learn
like okay the very early stuff

that the early innovations and
all the. Originally was made

for it's called border team
made to be exported to the back

and other places. Yeah so this
I would said this dark he waved

what's the word predates. I
think you were on it today.

Thank you and poor there's also
yeah The name of them, but

they're they're like packing
little. gets compressed a

little engage in a basket and
then they'd be like piled up

one on each other and wrapped
you could see them in pictures.

You were like here just like
other back. It's crazy, no

commentating process of
fermentation process was a

byproduct of them packing and
then moving right that I like

doing just. Ferment in the
process of transportation, some

people purposely fermented
before transport. Yeah, if not

known whether was purposely
piled at least I've been told

that it's not really known if
it was purposely piled or it's

an old pilot because it gets
like this.

Are you know it was compressed
in order to be exported, but as

far as highly I think I asked
this question in the and I was

visiting a professor of Shaw
who don't specifically and he

said, I don't, he said, Well,
what was translated to me was

it's not for sure.

if it would if piled before
always or not, there's not much

records of processing, they
have pictures, but that's about

it.

My next question is is in
regards to the processing you

said the the Bay that they
would bring this. This is a

little bit earlier, but you
said they they take the leads

from who Bay and then they
would go to Sean to process,

but or who knows okay, it's now
mainly made with a golden

flowers is mainly made in Kuna.
And this is where they

originally just picked the
teeth and then they send it to.

I forget the name of this, the
main town in Sean and that's

originally where they process
the piled in and they compress

it. So do you know a different
method? I'm the the state that

of processing you know, because
you do have there is some

processing withering and and
initial processing that needs

to be happening. You know at
least of harvest. So do you

know like? That was between not
place of harvest and and Sean I

would assume that the that it
was everything until the piling

I would assume the piling would
abundant done in shots, so the

the the Leaf was still wet when
it was transported. No you

don't see. I don't really know
this. okay. Sorry. I asked you.

I asked you to deep question
but my brain. Yeah. yeah. I

wish I knew more I really hope
to go back to who knows and

then more definitely that's my
next location. Okay. let's go

back and spend in 20 days there
or something. Yeah. I just

spent like 10 days last time.
Wow. Who did you go you? you

went with your friend from New
York. Yeah. she's now in New

York. Yeah. Okay.

Her mother makes some very
interesting Green tea that she

smokes HM. Now she doesn't
smoke she used to smoke with

rice on above a heart and now
she's been using what is it

called like Pine balls? Pine
seed balls like they're like

pine cones, but it is. It's
like a it's like a big gumball.

really, maybe it's not pink. I
don't know but she she, she

uses those to she burns some
smokes the teeth huh. How do I

like

they do win call move on with
labs on social. Yeah, but it's

but instead of like a three
-story building with kind and

everything she just puts it in
a heart. Mud Earth puts the

like Basket type thing over it
and smokes the Green tea, and

it is very good. HM. That
sounds interesting. you smell

it and it's like whoa That's
smoke it taste it amazing. it

does the smoke doesn't carry
too too much through in the the

liquor in the first infusion
that can or depending in the

second or third, it's the smoke
is very soft. And it really

brings out the fruitiness of
the Green tea. It's like a

fruity Green tea as well. A
pretty Green tea would do

really well here in the States.
Green tea would do really well

here in the States. Oh yeah. I
smoke that does that. I'm not

sure yeah.

Well, thank you. Eric there you
go. You just gave us a lecture

that was incredible.

I don't take any of that as you
know as spains. Question that I

have that's. not me just just
the fact to like kinda put into

perspective about the world of
patrols outside of of shoe cuz

that's you know that's what
most students of tea, you know

their education kinda ends
there and and it's like yeah,

there has been some great
advancements and and non of a

paycheck, but I think that
there's a lot of respect and

and and study to be focused in
other places than just just

aware. Yeah, now the food line
with the golden flowers Geneva

the you. It's very interesting
because when you store it you

age it sometimes the golden
flowers not disappear, but go

down and then other years. It's
really plentiful very

interesting. Huh and it's very
plentiful. it seems to. Make

the team cloudy, and I think
that's like degrading the

teeth.

like the the suit the the tea,
it's it turns a little cloudy.

I see yes, not not a great day,
not at all. so I wouldn't want

like my one of my friends is is
like that now and I certainly

wouldn't drink it well, I
certainly wouldn't serve it for

a wait another year to see how
it goes so those are like the

little like spores. They look
like little spores on the on

the brick, yes Fungus Okay,
Interesting artifact name, but

it just looks like yellow flex
flex. Yeah. Yeah. Well if it's

fungus spores. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. I'm really bad.

Yeah. see a whole new world of
hatred that we don't know about

it. It's not just who's on that
gets other teams get that too,

But like Blue Bowl has been
known to get that US. You can

get that, but it's very
prominent in and I'm not sure I

think it's the way they pile so
if if if if it has a lot of

those scores, you shouldn't
drink it, you should age it

more. That's what you're
recommending if it has an

enormous amount okay and it was
cloudy when you pour it, you

should never be condition
perfectly clear. Yeah. Good

advice. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I
think often no team should be

cloudy. No not at all. No. It's
too dark to see through is

still shouldn't be cloudy. No
right. Yeah. Yeah. A lot of

times when I use why I use a
glass picture instead of just

going Cup to Cup huh, I gotta
say I wanna see it. I agree.

Yeah No.

Yeah, I got some some
inspiration about how to expand

the the virtual tea festival
and and and bring it to new

communities and I've already
reached out to the few people

within the Reddick community
cuz you know the festival last

week it did get promoted to the
the Reddit community but you

know, yeah. We're you the one
that posted it. Yeah. Okay

Cool. yeah, I also and I also
know who gave it gold and the

safe and sound tech. Oh nice,
but it still didn't get a lot

of distribution because I
didn't post it until after it

happens until after we had
started. Yeah, Regardless, you

know read it works like that.
it's it's it's kind of an

exclusive club. you know if
you're cool, you're cool but I

think I think if we approach
the Reddick community with some

level of exclusivity that like
this broadcast is just for you

guys to come together versus
like. Oh, here's a Facebook

link and and go you know
interact on Facebook. as so I

think I'm gonna like post a
pool. a poll to the the the tea

community on Reddit and ask
them like what time and day

they would like it. You know
that that would be best for

everybody to come together in
which tools cuz I know that

like a lot of these folks might
not be pro zoom so for the tea

detox portion may experiment
with the different tools.

That's more friendly for that
community just go with it. Is

that that's that's not Webb X
is it? Was part of Cisco. Yeah,

that's that that's the tool
you're recommending. No. I'm

I'm just saying another format.
I know yeah. it's like

enterprise level video
conference. I use that in

College so yeah, Yeah, I don't
think Webb would be. I think I

could see perhaps Google
Hangouts being more accessible

or what sensible. but but I
don't I mean to me, Zoom has

been pretty much the most
accessible, but I'm certainly

open. Yeah operating on other
platforms my idea for

formatting with team talks was.
To basically use it almost like

they mini VTA do like one or
two presentations every week

and then open it to social open
it to social rooms and that

allows ETF to continue on a to
to continue on a like a regular

basis at a more sustainable
scale. And and I mean to me

that's the the pond team talks
right off of Ted talks and the

the format bear is an expert
presents information you do

like one or two of those plus
the social time and some Q and

A and that makes for
educational and connecting

experience for the community.

That's kind of the direction
that I saw that going, I

totally can see you the Reddick
community being an a community

worth reaching out to an
engaging with also that way you

wouldn't get a flood of people
wanting to join at last minute

I would assume. yes, and no, I
I think it's more like redirect

so right now. Last last week
was very much just kind of tons

of people wanna get together
and drink tea, and there was

really no. The individual rooms
have their And we've had frames

for whatever they were
discussing. I know what you

mean. Yeah. I mean, like I
basically looked at that. it is

like creating a virtual tea
House where I was sitting at

the front desk and then behind
me there's various rooms with

different conversations that
you can drop into without the

support of BT F happening. I
don't foresee us being able to

sustain that like 50 to 60
person. Yeah, audience or or

pool of participants so I would
think scaling VTX down to

something that can be created
on a weekly basis is. What

would be a manageable way to go
about it?

We've got I I would I I know
like Sage and I can't say

Speeder would probably be
interested in doing something.

I know what she should probably
be interested in doing

something. I'm sure at some
point so on be interested in in

doing like a 15 -minute
presentation, I had an

opportunity to take part in
like a virtual happy hour last

weekend or last week, and
that's what it was. It was too

like 15 minute presentation.
And then they broken to

breakout rooms were like short
periods of time around us

specific topic and it made for
a really like fun engaging

experience that felt like it
had a little more structure

than just a bunch of people
with a shared interest sitting

around a table shooting the
shit. Yeah. nothing wrong with

that. That's what we're doing
right now. Nothing wrong with

that whatsoever, I'm just
trying to think about that that

specific gathering and the
direction that I could see it,

especially if you wanna
monetize it, you know what I

think that's something else to
keep in mind cuz that's that's

an element of sustainability as
well. We'll beat that monitor

modernization. Oh, for sure. I
mean I I couldn't imagine like

this what we're doing here
having any kind of sustainable

you know revenue model. you
know. I'm just kinda doing this

for fun and doing it for my own
personal community but

you know for for something like
tea talks, especially if you're

gonna be involving other people
that are gonna have to put

their time into it. I think
having a a revenue model will

be important for them. But then
to have the revenue model you

need to have like value so
consistent value. So I mean I

think the way you're thinking
about it is definitely in that

direction.

I appreciate that yeah, having
structure and value cuz yeah,

I'm looking for how to provide
value has to be going both ways

and I think in the current
environment charging admission

for charging admission for
participants is a challenging

thing to do. That there's kind
of a people at this point are

used to this kind of content
access to this kind of content

being free. Yup and I think the
accessibility of that is

important there's definitely
the idea of its free to broad

that it could be maybe it's
free to brought to to watch the

broadcast but to join the zoom
requires registration and Kind

of stuff I mean the whole the
whole idea like with the work

that I'm doing with one Inc is
about bringing people into this

environment where all of these
other spaces are happening and

it's like just introducing
people here there's revenue

opportunities. Better connected
to it. That it's like as people

start to experience one of the
events that I'm putting on then

I can tell them. it's easier
for me to tell them about the

other events that are going on.
And just kind of gets them

started into this ecosystem
that I've been creating that is

much that that that tea is like
just a part of.

But I hear you on trying to
find it's hard to find his hard

work. It's hard to find revenue
sources when the economy has

grown to a complete halt well,
the similar checks came today

right, I already got their
direct deposit. HM. I don't

think though I didn't get mine.

Bitcoin Bitcoins didn't check
and keeping his eye on his. He

didn't get it. Oh Eric are you
checking right now?

I also I also heard that I'm
supposed to do that. I'm

supposed to be getting a raise
on unemployment and that I

don't know when that's
happening. Yeah, so I need

teams with these types of
experience the the main revenue

model that people are working
upon is sponsorships right, so

you know like having the people
that are getting featured in

your events with these huge
audiences could be means for

sponsorships, but
unfortunately, the people that

are gonna be offering the best
quality contents are working.

You know a very small
businesses that don't have

budgets to do that. Right so,
but that's where sponsorship

opportunities come in. I I
think there are

Belief driven organizations
that would resonate with what

we are trying to do or what
what when you're doing with tea

talks around education and
ethics and supply chain and

around mindfulness education is
that kind of seems to be the to

if if we had to expand outside
of just the frame of tea, we're

looking at. Valuing the story
that goes into producing high

quality agricultural product.
And we're looking at a

mindfulness, a form of a
mindfulness practice. Yeah. And

I think they're probably is
opportunity for others

sponsorship that isn't going to
be the content creators. Yup,

but we'll look at this and be
like Oh wow. there's awesome

stuff going on here. I wanna
like make sure that that can

continue. Yeah. so I I'd I'd
love to see even a short list

of of these types of companies.
you know cuz I've been thinking

about this, you said this about
earlier, so I've been I've been

able to past week or so been
really thinking about who are

those companies and what are
their their marketing

initiatives? Currrently and how
can we fix something like this

into that right?

I don't know I mean, I just
think big tech companies. These

are not answers that I have.
what do you think Eric?

I'm not a blank I don't. This
is a little over my head right

now. I mean I I I feel. To
throw something out there, I

feel like head space, for
example, okay, So that's that's

like a software company. That's
a that's a meditation app. Okay

Mindfulness app. I could
totally see that see

approaching them with this kind
of showing this is what Talks

does and seeing what's
available, Yup and how they and

how they would like to be part
of co-creating that.

Would you offer them like
commercial space where you know

they got users would be forced
to watch a commercial or

something like a 20 -minute 20
-second 2020. I don't think it

necessarily need to be
absolutely over like I almost

like at a certain point to
almost do like affiliate

I again, I'm not a hundred
percent. Sure, I have people

that I talked to about this
that I have much better much

more articulate. I see it and
have much more

Yeah, how much more articulate
and have much more thought down

this path

I would love to invite you to a
conversation with them. Yeah.

Yeah. I appreciate that. Yeah.
Well. I'm just bringing up now

because you know I actually
have friends that are watching

and hopefully you know if
something rings for them, you

know I love to to hear some
some ideas from from the

community there. The solution
is out there. You know just

gotta gotta think about it. I'm
not like to up on companies

that are like very like
mindfulness focused, but I

mean, maybe it doesn't have to
be something so directly

connected like that. maybe it
could be a company that is just

you know trying to diversify
its positioning. you know into

these types of themes. even
like tech companies even big

tech companies you know I don't
know. But this is it's this is

such a weird you know, business
opportunity that I never

thought that we'd have to we'd
have to work with, but you know

here we are yeah, but I mean at
the same time I think it. It

translates to the it translates
to gathering in the to how we

gather in the physical world.
Yeah. In the physical world, it

is naturally more acceptable to
charge for admission. Yup but

it still comes down to like
gathering at scale doesn't

happen without real money
doesn't doesn't happen without

a lot of money flowing into it,
which means that you have to be

conscious of the money that
you're accepting and making

sure that. It's like truly
going the way that it needs to

go and not letting not
accepting money and then

changing because of it. Yeah.
So aligning with organizations

that share our beliefs.

I I feel like it's a very
possible thing to do just a

matter of figuring out how yeah
so so I'm I'm I'm gonna be

helping a friend put together a
comedy show. He's a stand-up

comic that I work with and
since you know, I was able to

learn all that broadcasting for
last week, I told him Hey, I

feel confident that I can you
know put together a show of a

mix of like skits Pre-recorded
skits with you know live stand

up. And that's a little bit
more low hanging fruit because

that's like kind of a general
and comedy is something that's

kind of open to a lot of
different communities and here

we're talking about like a very
niche community of people that

will be you know, exposing
those brands to but yeah still

gonna have to figure out the
same thing. I think the

monetization even on that even
if it's high quality content,

high-quality comedy Still gonna
expect that content to be free

and so monetization has to come
from sponsors. but I think yeah

that as long as we prove an
audience so like the thing with

the tea talks and BAT, we've
already proven an audience

right. so you know and if we
wanted to go to the Lipton and

the Harney and Sons, I'm sure
we could get them. They would

love to be in front of that
audience, but you know where

are those going to be in
alignment with you know kind of

the. The theme that we've
already created no, so yeah, we

have to diversify out of tea
into you know other companies,

but yeah, lots of things to
think about. and yeah, if

anybody has any ideas, please
feel free to pass it along to

us. Eric tell me about that
Bird. I see a Bird in your

frame. What is that the closing
a Bird? It's beautiful? No.

It's not a real Bird right.
Petrified Bird, Apparently

there were two of them, but
yeah, my mom founded at Antique

Mall in Portland. apparently
there were two of them, but

somebody bought the other one
shows keep things in pairs that

keep it in a set. I think one
of your life's calling is to

reunite that Bird with its pair
that be a story.

Not to make a documentary out
of it, Yeah, Eric said a

journey across the country to
to find the the missing pair of

Bird.

I like your trashier today. Oh
thank you. It's I mean I met my

parents. I don't have my normal
setup, but thank you. it's I

think this is this tray is
actually I don't know if you

know what a court tray is. No,
it's a it's a vintage resin

plastic that you can actually
put like cigarette out in it

takes boiling water. It takes a
seat like crazy. They made

Astrid cool. so I use it
because I could just put

boiling water all over it. Yeah
put your cigarettes out in it.

That's nice. Yeah. I just I
like the it's a very minimal

style. I appreciate that. Yeah
I go for. I normally don't have

like a little cheap bag.

Like oh, It's a great idea for
minimum. I try to go for clean

minimal No drippage.

Yeah his his living room at his
House, though, is like if you

look at his team work cabinets,
it's it's not minimal, not one

bit. No. no no, but the set.
Yeah, you know, yeah little

four minutes. It could be a lot
more minimal. But yeah, you're

right. I think this is the
first time I've ever seen you

with a tea pet hair. Yeah,
you've seen me. Yeah, I mean,

I'm not pouring water over to
yeah. I know I think that's

great too like I'm I'm I'm a
big fan of using alternatives

to you know like the.
appropriate tea pet. Yeah. all

of my stuff. here is not real
tea pets, but they're their

pets. Little wow, I won't go a
little tee pad about Mannequin

pissed. You know what that is
People are you going? Yeah? No.

it's yeah. it's in Brussels.
there's oh. yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah those.

you know there's a downtown Las
Vegas. We have one of those

statues outside of the DC.
There's a hotel called the D

you know with a little. You
know, pissy and statue in

front.

So, Guys I think I think I'm
gonna sign off. I think this

has been a nice discussion.
Eric has been good to catch up

with you. I'm you know like I'm
gonna have to go back and

Rewind. what oh look who's in
here. Okay. I can't sign off

because a new friend came and
this is amazing. We have a new

friend here. Oh, hey Davis. not
okay. It's not Jay Davis almost

as exciting as JJ, says Adam
Adam. I met Adam at this last

World. TX. Hi Adam Hello. Are
you tuning in from Puerto Rico?

I'm not in Puerto Rico these
days? That's. that that. The

last Adam hey, Adam Can you can
you are you watching the video

somewhere else? Maybe you can
mute it or turn it off. Yeah. I

know I had it on Facebook and
they open it up. Awesome.

awesome. No more feedback.
We're good. So where where are

you? Adam? I'm in New Jersey.
Now I actually right in the

thick of it. Yes. Number two.
Yeah crazy.

I'm I'm back in the tea world.
I'm I'm doing specialty tea

sales from Martin Bauer Martin
Bauer. I don't I don't know if

I know that German company they
had their US office in New

Jersey, one of a longtime
supplier for Starbucks, That

was how I first got connected
with them. Okay. Yeah. so Adam

we're here with Eric and with
Sam, I don't know if you guys

have all met. Maybe you wanna
introduce yourself at em

Adam Sax I've I oversaw I
worked at the Culture Cup for

about two years a while ago and
oversight quality for Starbucks

for about five years and now
I'm now I'm doing a tea sales

for for Martin Bauer as I
mentioned that I'm I'm at the.

Moment I'm only based in New
Jersey, but I have been prior

to the high-necked virus. I've
been splitting my time between

New Jersey in Puerto Rico as my
family is still in Puerto Rico,

The job came up suddenly in
November so. Alright, so the

Puerto Rico connection I that's
all I remembered cuz I know

that you are correct and it's
just the answer to it as as

complicated. Eric is a longtime
friend based in Saint Louis,

Missouri, and Sam is a good
friend in La. yeah, we were we

were talking about. Hey Chad
and then we're talking about

you know, revenue models and
and these kind of virtual tea

spaces. so yeah, thanks for
joining in and and being a part

of it. Yeah my pleasure. I've
been seeing you do this well. I

mean noticing that you've been
doing this every day and I just

decided to open it up on a.
That saw the option that joined

by zoom, so yeah, click it.
thanks gonna be Email zoom with

people for them to be cruising
Facebook. It's so much better

to be like connecting with
people through zoom that it is

to be like. absolutely. Thank
you. Facebook is assuming

whatever is whatever the
algorithm puts in front of you.

It's better to do most things
than to do X on Facebook. Yes I

I agree with you when I will
raise you pretty much most

other things. I mean other than
the fact that you know

everyone's. While something
like me coming across the the

virtual Tea party and clicking
away from Facebook to join it

and they're different.

So, yeah, Sam Renzo pretty cool
series of Zoom rooms on

Thursdays at the same time on
Thursdays called Tea Talks.

yeah. so I'll I'll join Sam's
Tea Talks and that's usually

what all broadcast to my
Facebook on Thursdays is is

through Sam's room and then the
tea talks were part of the

virtual tea festival that we
did last week Thursday, where

we had Sam how many people
ended up being in all the rooms

like total throughout. Yeah, I
think total we were probably

between 50 and 60. Okay. I
thought yeah anyway. Yeah,

that's a lot of tea lovers and
these were all verified tea

lovers like we we had you know
just to keep the trolls out

when we had some pretty strict
rules that your camera had to

be on and you know ideally, you
should have tea in front of you

and Sammy said that let's story
that actually you were sensor,

not censoring but screening one
kid that was like you. You

couldn't tell if he was real or
not cuz he had a mug with the

tea bag in front of him. You
know like you know, I don't

even have that at first but.
But at the same time I like I

like the kids said he was
homeschooled and like I was

interested in learning and it's
like alright like cool. There's

some tea and young out hangout
with me loggin up to convince

me that he was like not gonna
do something stupid if I put

them into another room and I
put him in a room with a bunch

of like 20 somethings talking
who knows what sort of hit me

talk at the top. But
unfortunately, it's good. Yeah.

Yeah. So it's cool. Yeah.
everybody. everybody was

drinking tea. Basically, no,
you know no kind of worker. The

Lookers could just watch the
broadcast you know, it's to be

involved in these in these zoom
rooms, you kinda gotta be like

ready to commit yourself to
that vulnerability, but it's

like Super important thing like
after you finish one of these

meetings like you feel really
good. It's like it's almost

kind of the similar feeling you
have after a real. Sash with

friends, you know so I'm just
trying to recreate that and

keep that available for for the
tea community cuz yeah. the

times are tough right now. It's
it's stressful and lonely. I

think I I think probably most
people who participate

appreciate that. Yeah, they do.
Yeah when I first started doing

these daily live videos like it
was more for me to like have

something to do and to like
learn new skills but like every

day like I get a new messages
from strangers or or new

friends that you know really
express gratitude for for this

as simple as it may seem, you
know that it's educational and

it's you know, inspirational
and just connection you know

try to keep it educational.
With someone like Eric Glass

around, we can't help from it
being educational.

Sorry good Eric. What do you
do? remind me I drink tea. Oh

yeah. Yeah, yeah as it was like
a job, I'm I'm doing Web. I I

think at least introduce both
of you why she sit down Sam.

You've got a shop in La and
Eric. What's what's your deal?

I been setting teeth since
well, not that much 13 years. A

serious enthusiast. Yeah. Yeah.
excellent easiest yeah,

excellent and your base wear.
it was Missouri cool not much

here, but there's some
interesting spots. T wise cool.

He's he's particularly an
expert in Korean, Green teas

and excellent Green. Not just
Korean Green Korea Okay, South

Korean Korean Just Korean in
general, Yeah, there's more

than just they're more than
just Green tea. Okay now

finding out some very
interesting things coming out

of create. I mean it's been
going on for a while, but I

just happen to it very
interesting. Huh. Secret Thanks

for Thanks for keeping the
secrets Eric and and Sam

doesn't have a a brick and
mortar shop. He has a virtual

shop. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, we're
I'm at at the moment is really

focusing on creating gathering
spaces for people and most of

most of my working tea has been
around like popping up

keylogger at very at events and
parties, and that kind of stuff

I brought a wellness Center, a
co-working space where he is

not necessarily the focus, but
he creates the. Which is it

creates a space for really cool
experiences for people even

people that have never like
experienced going through jobs.

You come you sit around the
table and you experienced team

in this way and it you're
opening a space for

conversation around creativity
around life in general. I mean

you don't have to be a key
concern over to. Reap the

benefits of the experience of
drinking high-quality teeth

with other people so yeah where
I've been spending most of my

energy during isolation has
been on how can I make space

for those kind of experiences
for people and definitely it

doesn't all revolve around tea
when it's online but in the

physical world, Yeah.
Definitely trying always make

space for tea because that
makes a big difference to me

the presence of teeth
excellent. So our our Friday

Andrew on Facebook basket
Question and Andrew. We kinda

talked about this earlier so
you probably missed it earlier,

but he asked in La where the
top few brick and mortar places

to shop for High-end teas and
go for gun food tea service so

Yeah, we were speaking about
steep LA, which is in China

town. it's a brand new place. I
think when did they open Sam

was that like November last two
years two years, No they just

opened in like October or
November. November Actually,

yeah, it's crazy. How how soon,
but yeah it's in in in China

town. that's more for like a
really cool gunk food

experience. it's you know they
have like nice wears and the

space is really clean and and
kind of bright and and it feels

good but for high and tea, I
you know that's not really a

retail space. It was not a
place I'd recommend for you to

go buy tea. I think they only
keep like what like sixteens on

their catalog at all times. So.
Six or eight yup so for like

retail of high-end tea and MLA
I definitely think you could

stock and do like private
tastings and that kind of stuff

either at my home or at my
studio to co-working space.

Yeah. So yeah. I'm sure people
like Adam Asman probably do

similar work. Adam used to do
retail. I think he's kind of

stepped back from that yet.
Like a really cool brand is

like sometimes I think it was
called that was back when I

first met him, but I think he's
kind of stopped but again, I

heard my name and I was walking
away. I can have some tea

during this time. We're talking
about Adam Yasmin, which is

yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's a tea
friend and in La he does more

like corporate retreat
experiences. Like tea and

digital detox type you know,
meditations and whatnot but so

I heard and this is kind of
exciting and Sam. I don't know

how how knowledgeable you are
the development of this but

calling from living tea is
gonna be opening a tea House

and I'd imagine he is gonna
have a very top notch teas

available for retail great.
Living tea Have you heard of

Living team? I have not living
tea is kind of a branch off of

global tea hut. So it's all
like really high vibration. You

know global tea hot. oh, you
know who else is in LA that did

dog in Pasadena. So that's
that's a place for a wide

variety of players. I want I
kinda like their stuff. Yeah,

they they've got pretty clean
stuff. Have you heard of key

habitat? OTT Habitat Definitely
you have it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

She. You know private
appointment, but it's worth it

very high value.

I do I do have to go nice
meeting you

you know, give me call of duty
calls. I thought you said booty

call. I'm gonna be like Eric
what's going on? I'm other

things to do. Eric I appreciate
you alright thanks to my team

brother goodbye.

Hi Joe Howdy. Can you hear me
well? Yup. We hear you really

well. Hey nice backdrop you you
took the you took the different

spot basically cool. so we
kinda we rearranged our our

office and something up a
little meditation pad and so

that's why I'm camped out right
now. so it works well though

cool. Alright. how long you
guys are going but I figured

I'd drop in and say hi, at
least yeah I think I I. I'm

gonna yeah, maybe maybe soon I
mean you just dropped in so

we'll all make some more time
but yes so Anna Andrew said.

Thank you for all the
recommendations that we gave

and he had an interesting point
to make which is something that

like you know Sam we've talked
about this before about he

says. I wonder why with all the
wealth and West La there are

more stores in Santa Monica or
on Montana Avenue. Yeah. so I

do I do a pop up in that area
once every two weeks

online tonight but like why
aren't there like consistent

breaking waters and there are
right? but they're like they're

more like trendy. you know
style teas like I like I I

think of like Alfred's, you
know it's like fast service.

you know having like favorite
blends blends and a drink to go

You know with with so much
money and there is knowledge so

like the whole living tea and
global tea hot community does

have a lot of influence in LA
so there are people doing tea

ceremony and drinking good
teas, White and and and

spending a lot of money for
that. like why hasn't you know

that translated into more of a
a lifestyle beyond just the the

Tango Canyon ceremony? Yeah, I
don't know I can't think. Oh

it's just gonna say I can't
help but think that they're it

every time I look into the
industry, it seems like the

whole food and beverage side of
tea isn't as sustainable and

isn't as soft. but after is
kind of the really the more

intimate even by appointment
kinda stuff you know with those

low overhead costs and things
like that it's hard to. In the

tea industry, you don't wanna
draw in a massive crowd of

people and in the in the
economical citizen that we live

in and I feel like there's it's
it's hard to sustain a business

if you weren't drawing in that
massive crowd of people and

it's you know the whole the
whole system that we work in

has kind of been pushing us
more and more towards that like

by appointment, lots of online,
you know having a tea room

kinda thing, but it's not
necessarily downtown where you

can come in and out like that
cough. Shop by you know and I

feel like there's a lot of
people who tried to do it and

they fail because it's well. I
just I mean I think there are

ones that are successful, but
also to your point. They're not

successful with a concept like
that on its own like they they

generally rely they. They also
have a revenue streaming income

from online sales if they're
doing that, like like the first

two that come to mind for me
are sandbar and Sam. Francisco

and 20 - nine BT House in in
New York City, which is also

teach online. It's T dealers
and they're doing bread pretty

sure they're doing most of
their business from online but

but I mean they do have like a
very a very high-end menu If

you actually come and dine
there. but every time I'm in

there, it's like fewer than 10
people or so, alright not make

Things at home a lot. yeah, I
mean, yeah. That's why I mean

you know me like ironically I I
didn't think I was gonna find

it you came in after I
introduced myself to them. so

I'm I'm working for Martin
Bauer. It's a German company

that mostly known for selling
Botanicals but in the US

office, we've got a tea trading
arm and we sell like a

commodity level of tea. Around
the country to like the

unbelievers in the Starbucks
and the SMP coffees of the

world and it's I was saying,
ironically, I didn't expect to

find a job like this again
anytime soon, I had been out of

the tea industry for like full
time for a good two years at

the point that I found this job
and ironically now it's this

job that is. Has provided me
more stability than what I was

previously doing, whereas I
would have been out of work

right now if I was doing what I
was previously doing just like

this in the wine world, most
thing but now because like

we've got retail clients that
are ordering more than they

were before because people are
buying the teeth done to make

tea at home or something right.
Yeah, you see an increase in

the market. There's no doubt
about that, but it's you know

it's. A little bit different
because it is something that

you enjoy at home, maybe as
much or more than you would go

out to do it, you know so you
know like with you're gonna

you're gonna go get a latte
from a coffee shop because you

don't wanna buy it, espresso
machine and a steam wand and

all that you know. but but with
tea, it's a simple and so easy

to do at home and it's so just
relaxing and kind of a

different vibe. so I can see
how the coffee shops you know,

pop up every other day and then
continue to stay to stay

running, but with tea shops it
they. It's hard to stay alive

in that food and beverage type
business, you know unless

you've got a revenue and it's
also a cultural and educational

lot and like marketing aspects
to it. Where like you know, you

say you don't wanna buy an
espresso machine to have to

make that nice Cup of coffee.
There's also I mean be cut the.

How do I put this like the in
this country? there is at least

an understanding that that nice
espresso perfectly made is that

valuable as opposed to people
who you know any hot beverage

that isn't coffee is tea and
they're to them. It's just like

what's the difference between a
tea bag and a perfectly aged

work. They don't know what like
find he is. Because they

haven't had they haven't seen
it they they haven't had made

and they don't you know they're
not like cherishing it a nice

easing pot like this no frame
of reference for why he would

cost 20 - $5 at exactly right
when when no frame of

references exactly it,
especially when you can go to

whole foods through something
and get loose leaf gunpowder

Green Organic certified organic
free range all of

Definitely the certified free
range Organic Remineralized

Green seed free man.

like yeah, At least you sell
any free range teeth

I you know I I can't think of
anything funnier to add to

that. But yeah, no.

Oh, man, no hormones added.
Well, you know what's funny is

the term gluten free with tea,
There's actually there's

actually some legitimacy. I to
that that I found out is that

they're apparently there have
been Chinese producers who had

to added flour to the tea to
make it shine more. Wow. So

there is actually there there
has been actually in need to

like verify that Certainties,
especially coming out of China

or free. That is awful. Yes.

Let's find a good again, my
check on you're good. Oh man

that is rock, but yeah, I just
you know in general. I think

it's just it's a matter of time
before we start appreciating

tea for what it really is. But
at this moment, it is so

difficult. I think at least
talked about this at one point

about you know like with us,
I'm trying to find funding for

a tea shop and it's so hard.
Walk into like a Bank and be

like hey, I wanna do this thing
and they just look at that.

They don't even know what
you're talking about. Yeah,

Yeah What yeah look at
research.

That's why I haven't put like
that's why I haven't opened a

brick and mortar space cuz
every time I sit down with the

spreadsheet and crunch the
numbers. It's like wait, I have

to do what. In order to just
cover like my like $5000 a

month rent on a certain size of
my closet, Yeah, Yeah, I was

working on my projections last
night Saint deal. You know you

get to the end of it. You're
like man. This is you know it's

almost defeating. but I think
that comes with like that

encourages that more intimate
like by appointments

personalized like for us, we
kinda wanna we wanna start

offering workshops. And going
out into the world with tea

rather than making people come
to us to find the team, you

know you can go to our coffee
shop friends and have a

tasting. We could go down in
the Park and you know kinda

have a session and just let
people join in. you know that

kind of stuff. so it's
encouraging that activity.

Yeah. Yeah. That's what I do. I
find it to be a ton of fun it's

certainly like still a
difficult bottle to like make

worth the time and energy that
goes into it. There's something

about like perpetual spaces
that. Easy to drop into make

happen and then power down and
not have to like recreate the

space every time right. but
with that comes cost, Alright

well on liability. Yeah, you
know a whole bunch of other

issues and then at the point
where you have like a full-time

up and run and shop, you gotta
have a bunch of employees and

you know this is just so much
to it or it's a little bit

easier to. That we we always
tell everybody when we're

bending me, we're everywhere
and nowhere cuz they're always

like where are you located? We
wanna come visit you and we're

all over the place. you can
find our tea tons of

restaurants and online and this
and that but you can't really

like just show up sometime you
know and that's it unless you

hit us up beforehand. so you
know, go ahead and figure out

the model that we're gonna use
what's that we're gonna put a

tea House as the front office
for a physical therapy plan.

That's great good. And then
bring it, we'll we'll make sure

to have a few extra offices for
like mental health

practitioners. And basically
use the use the tea shop vibe

as the front office for medical
so like a co-working space, but

then you have like a wellness
foundation kinda you know what

it what if going to the doctor
didn't have to be this like

??? unpleasant experience,
where like it may tell you that

when they tell you to show up
15 minutes early, they hand you

a nice Cup of tea. Yup and you
can fill out all your paperwork

and then when you're done, they
had another Cup of tea and it's

like where. It's like a trip to
the doctor becomes less of like

the Assembly line of fixing
myself and becomes more of this

is what I do to take care of
myself shifting towards that,

like proactive level of care.
Absolutely, I love that the way

you said Assembly line of
fixing yourself. It's it's very

mechanical factory type Just
like artificial process. you

know you're going to the doctor
and do you feel comfortable

because I know I didn't you
know. And you and you gotta

believe that that affects
whatever healing you went there

to experience right.
Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely.

Yeah, you're your practitioner
alone that the energies and

like even you can even get into
the scientifical terms of like

scientific terms of like the
electromagnetic spectrum that

has put off by your
practitioner has everything to

do with how you receive their
healing. You know you really

want that that the vibration
and that. Frequency in the

place where you're where you're
going where you're seeking that

healing, you know, otherwise,
you're just not receiving it

like you could yeah and what
better way to do that than have

TV vibes flowing in the front.
Yeah. yeah, you know this is

interesting cuz I have a friend
that wants to open she's like

an accountant. she wants to
open like a tax advice. you

know financial advice a
practice. And she also wants to

have a spa attached to it. so
you know when you're going in

to talk about your taxes and
your finances, you can you

know, get a massage afterward
or drink some tea, you know

weight to gonna talk about your
money. So pairing this ???

parts that we don't wanna. talk
about

preparing the the the main
sources of stress in our lives

with practices that aid in the
management of that stress. Yup.

Yeah. That's that's a clever
approach. I'd be interested to

see how that worked out it
might ruin the tea.

I think it would fix the
accounting. Yeah. yeah cuz

people would come in with with
an open mind and open heart

ready to accept the information
and what not and it wouldn't be

about the team. Trump them to
pause and wait for that before

the mind to open. Yeah, I mean
you did it If you did it

enough. I think it probably
just eventually get everybody

to realize how how much of a
mess the whole tax and finance

system is in general, you know
you sit down and have enough

cups of tea and you start
thinking about life thinking

about things like that. You're
like this isn't the way it

probably should be you know.
Yeah. so, but it put the nice

thing is that in these models
that we're talking about now,

he does not have to be the
prophet saying. It's not about

the team he is now because
instead of being something that

we lean on as a profit Center,
he is becoming our sales and

marketing expense. Where we
spend money throwing tea

parties because it brings
people in that are going to use

our tax and wellness services.

And complimentary service.
Yeah. yeah. So it's like we

look at this look at the power
of tea and where tea is really

good is in connecting people
and making people feel

comfortable where he is not
good. is it is putting money in

our pockets right so folks
let's use tea the way that it's

really powerful and connecting
people and find what else can

we do there to generate so now
that we're in that space? How

do we create revenue? Yeah,
exactly that that's that's the

advice. I give everybody is the
try to try to find ways to to

create value outside of just
the the leaf itself really

important. Yeah. Well, that's
kind of your business model.

isn't it I believe.

Hey, Joe Andrew wanted to know
more about you so I don't know

if you wanna you wanna give a
little introduction to yourself

and your company and and and
say your website's name. yeah.

my name is Joe. I'm from Sage
and Cedar Herbal Wellness.

We're located in Spearfish,
South Dakota in the Black Hills

of South Dakota, we we do
specialize in tea but we

believe more into the herbal
wellness side of things the

more the more. Medicinal side
of herbs, so we do a lot of

single teas, but then we also
so do many blends and things

tailored just towards health in
general. so my website is Sage

seed or herbal teas dot com.
You can find all our blends

online there we've been up and
running for a couple of years

now, we're really just trying
to cultivate the tea market

here in South Dakota and kinda
spread out or our main our main

ethic. Or our main virtue, I
guess would be ethical sourcing

so that's you know how I
originally found at least until

it is that that transparency is
really important to us. You

know we're looking for a
director relationships rather

than just ordering from some
distributor catalog kind of

thing you know, it's it's
really important for us to have

some sort of intimacy with the
people that we're working with

and kinda trust where the
product is coming from and I

know that there was love and.
Craftsmanship and an intention

put into our teas and we source
a lot of local stuff, but we

also obviously it's hard to
source locally when you're

living in the United States. So
so we outsource a lot of our

teach to as many as many small
farms as we can find you know.

so so yeah, that's that's
pretty much us. You can find us

on Facebook and pretty much all
over the place. We're getting

our website polished off. Nice
so Andrew wants you to repeat

the the website name again.
It's Sage Cedar Herbal teas dot

com. Adam was like Screaming
Shop and Business Department.

Dollar stuff there feel around
the Middle of nowhere,

representing the tea you know
Sage Cedar Herbal tea dot com

Herbals herbal teas Herbal teas
dot com business card. Yeah, I

can actually alright. I got it.
I put the link in. it's good.

He's got it. okay. go either
way. There's no set. There's

our business card so I don't
know if it's backwards. It's

probably backwards huh. No.
it's not backwards Okay. Our

website or Facebook, You can
find us all over the place, so

we do a lot of bending at like
farmer's markets and craft

fairs and things like that
around here and then we also

wholesale to a bunch of
different restaurants and cafes

around the area kinda trying to
get quality TV into these

businesses and we have in our
town and specifically I think

about 70, it's between 70 and
80 percent of the businesses in

our town are locally owned so
they're very willing. Just pick

up our product cuz they all
everybody in town kinda wants

to source from each other. So
that's a big a big source of

income for us and then we do we
do online sales and we're we're

we're exploring some new
avenues now. I'm thinking about

maybe we're kinda looking into
the subscription box field so I

don't know maybe we'll we'll
get into that people can start

getting some of our teas on the
regular, but you're kinda

you're gonna go create the the
world's first biker rally Tea

Festival as well during Yeah
Fest. For during during or

shortly before sturges
motorcycle rally, it'll be

great. really, it's just an
excuse to get at least in

quality come out. so that's
really what it is. It's like

come out. I'll give you a tour
of the Hills like I can't wait

to go through service with
bikers. I'm gonna have to like

get some special tea wear.
That's all like adorned with

like leather and studs. It will
be great. Yeah like the Harley.

Yeah.

I can see it now at dark Black
tea pot with it with a Harley

logo on the side. So yeah,
we're looking at maybe start

doing some events as well.
Obviously this year is kind of

a wash, but it's a really good.
It's it's an opportunity for us

to contemplate the types of
events and how to go about them

so maybe 2020 - one will
actually launch some sort of

local event for the tea
community. Our tourism is

really really big around here
too, so that would be a big

part of it, but. Yeah, that's
my story just hanging out. We

just gotta put a snow so we're
just hanging out drinking some

tea. I just boiled down the
last of this, I was drinking

some snow early April or maybe
yeah, we got four feet at the

end of May last year, She's
yeah. so it stays cold up here

for a long time. You know it's
hard to get Green, but but it

got where we got. We just got a
foot of snow like what was the

last night before. Wow. Yeah.
So remember the last time I saw

a foot of snow. You're in La
right, Yeah. Okay. We gotta we

got a weather system over
Christmas, then like shut down

the grapevine and stuff I
believe at least you remember

this. Oh yeah. Yeah. we got we
got to we. there was like six

inches of snow and it like shut
down all of the made freeway

entrances to that connect
Northern Southern California,

and it just was like a total
meltdown. What should they

don't even have clouds and
stuff over there? man. I mean

they don't mean they don't have
the infrastructure to deal with

it at all. Yeah. It was it was
insane up here here. We get

four feet and it's two days and
we can all get around just

finding it. you know. so not
even a date. you know it's that

we have the we have the
capability so but we're used to

it. We have to yeah. Yeah, I
mean I think even if we had the

had the the tooling, which I
mean, they had some snow clouds

and stuff it's more than like
people don't know how to drive

it is there enough. Yeah,
you're not used to it. Well,

you got so much territory so in
order to get those roads even

drivable, it would just take so
long, even if you did at the

plows for it, you know. This is
literally three ways. No there

was there were several other
mountain passes you know going

in in different directions, but
yeah, there are several there

are two main ones that had like
the North to South California.

You know connection that there
was only one way around, so

everybody had to take the the
Pacific Coast Highway. You

know, usually, it's a beautiful
pictures drive, but it was like

bumper to bumper for you know,
600 miles. It was really bad.

No. yeah. It's really bad. You
know my parents invested in a

Subaru after that they because
they were like ??? this next

time. This happens, we wanna be
able to to you know drive

ourselves over. Yeah. yeah, we
got about 70 percent all wheel

drive cars around here, you
know lots of Subaru outback as

well. So it's it's almost in a
speciality around here to have

all wheel drive or four -wheel
drive. Yeah. Yeah we have.

Yeah. Well, guys, I think I
think I think I'm ready to to

get on with my day. I've got a
pack some orders and cook some

food for my dinner. so this has
been really nice. This was

actually really good. We like
talked a lot of cool great.

Yeah. So you're doing this
every day. at least I do it

everyday. Alright. I'm gonna
try to come more regularly

cool. Yeah. Joe comes pretty
often then Sam does one on

Thursdays. That's the tea
talks. It's a different link

but I do you know share that
link whenever I I broadcast it

to tea. Let's Facebook but I I
I put the link of how to. It

but Sam facilitates that room
on Thursdays, so you should

join that one. That's a good
one. Yeah. That's the one we

are talking about how to
monetize. So yeah, that's

that's a cool experiment to be
part of you know cuz it's kind

of interesting to learn about
new ways to to create value

around tea to support our
efforts in our our, you know

our work. I think it would be a
good topic for discussion for

this week. Actually, yeah
right, let's do it. I'll jump

for sure, okay cool. Alright.
Yeah. That's Thursday. 20.

'clock. Yeah. so same time. 20
'clock 20 'clock at Pacific

Time 40, 'clock Pacific So
five PM right. Yup. Yup go to

the website. The website is T
Talks dot com so T E A D Talks

dot com cool. That's got

and that is a space that we're
co-creating with anybody from

the community that wants to be
a part of it just trying to

figure out how we can best
gather and support each other.

Yeah great. So that's it that's
usually a larger gathering

information but yeah, the idea
is really connecting people as

much as we can and doing it at
scale, say that. The last tee

talks, we had nearly 60 people
you know together. so yeah.

Thursday is kind of the big day
cool and guys. Andrew Andrew

Taper from Facebook, says.
thank you for everything he

yeah. He really appreciate all
the stuff that we shared today

so. Blessing guys much love.
Alright. Thank you. Thank you.

Joe. We'll see you next time.
See you soon. Bye.