Maya Tea

Four Generations of Sweet Tea

Gravel spits under the tires of my grandmother’s sedan as we turn into the home.  I am in the backseat, watching out the window as the greenery rises up from behind split-rail fences as if to take over the sky.  I know those trees, or at least I know of them—they have rooted themselves deep in my childhood memories of North Carolina.  As a young girl, I spent several weeks there every summer, dodging cow pat Read More

An Analysis of Guayusa: Amazonian Tea

Let me preface this analysis with an admission: I already had a half-cup of coffee this morning.  I say this because one of the selling points of guayusa is its caffeine content, dramatically higher than that of any traditional teas, higher than even the infamous yerba maté.   And so, having already had a bit of caffeine this morning, my analysis may be slightly skewed.  In my defense however, I have just ret Read More

Continual Learning

We have a new guy in the office.  He is the fresh age of twenty-two; his eyes are bright and he walks with confidence.  His back hasn’t yet bowed under years of disappointments and hard-learned lessons.  Those of us who have been in the industry for awhile have been beaten and bruised by the trial and error of business, and we have been humbled.  Occasionally we cast knowing glances in our new guy’s directi Read More

Would-be Interesting Tea Conversations: Multiple Infusions

So, I’m sitting here in a local coffee shop, and an interesting tea conversation came up with a random patron.  I have interesting tea conversations all the time—interesting for the other party, anyway, as I find myself repeating the same sort of answers about what I do, what the tea company does, if I like tea, if I’ve heard of fill-in-the-blank tea blend, etcetera, with every new person that I meet.  This Read More

Tuesdays With Sarah – A Hangover Story

It is Tuesday morning, and I am hung over.  Now, as far as hangovers go, this one isn’t too extreme—my headache is only slight, and here I am, swiveling back and forth in my plush office chair, accomplishing things.  So I’m not complaining.  That said, it would be nice to feel a little bit better. Usually my hangovers take place on Sundays, where I spend the day watching romantic comedies and steadily eati Read More

Ready-To-Drink Iced Teas: A Confession

It was a busy show, this World Tea Expo, and I had a duty: to cover as much of the show as possible, to document the details, to sift through the hundreds of displays in search of the newest, brightest, and most awesome.  It was 11:30am, the show floor had just opened, and already I had filled each hour slot along the day with an appointment.  I had no idea what to do next. And so, making my way down the first ro Read More

Talking Iced Tea – Part 4: Make it Sweet!

By now, I presume all of you have mastered the art of making flavorful, fragrant, fabulous iced tea. I imagine that you are enjoying the radio show or reading this blog, glass in hand, thoroughly chilled and perfectly content. But for some of you, something is missing. In episode seven of Steeping Around, Manish disembarks from the fine details of perfect brewing. He’s moved into sweeter territory: well, swee Read More

Talking Iced Tea – Part 3: Cold Brewing Methods

It has been an excruciatingly sticky summer, but those of you who have been tuning in to Steeping Around have likely found a bit of relief. Since last week, you all should be able to produce excellent iced tea from the comfort of your kitchen. It may not be so comfortable however; sometimes the last thing we want to do during the summertime is turn on the gas. This week, Manish offers a little relief: three easy an Read More

Talking Iced Tea – Part Two

Last week on Steeping Around, your host recounted the short but colorful history of iced tea and made honorary mention of some of the delicious variations that have become popular in different cultures and regions. Among these were the infamous Southern Sweet Tea, the rich and creamy Thai Iced Tea, and the increasingly available gourmet blends at coffee shops. On behalf of the Maya Tea company, I would like to ap Read More

Talking Iced Tea – Part 1

In sweltering Tucson, where the Maya clan has planted their stakes, we are feeling every excruciating second of summer. The average high temperature during the past week was a staggering 106°, and amidst sweaty brows and steaming asphalt we don’t even want to talk about hot tea anymore. And so Manish doesn’t—in episode four of “Steeping Around,” he turns his attention to iced tea, introducing the first Read More