'Tis the Season, by Michael Harney

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So who is on my list? Well, I am very thankful for all the tea growers and producers who have made my book possible.

 So much has changed in the twenty years that I have been in the tea business. Back then, the big boy producers had dumbed-down the business. There was only terrible tea in teabags, and a few brave (or crazy) people that sold tiny amounts of loose tea. My father, John, was one of those fools. When I joined him, he had about 6 teas: Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Orange Pekoe, Lapsang Souchong and a token green: Gunpowder. At that time the Lapsang and the Gunpowder were not even from Mainland China, but rather were imitations from Taiwan. Teas were just starting to come from Mainland China.

Now there is so much choice. In my book, "Harney & Sons Guide to Tea", I list 56 teas to offer a great variety of flavors. It could have been three times that number. However 56 is a good start to celebrate the great artisanal teas available today. Enough to show the wide variety tea flavors from the best gardens of Asia, but not enough to numb the senses.  Your choices include: white teas from Sri Lanka and China, green teas from China and Japan, oolongs from China and Taiwan, and black teas from the Chinese Tradition and the British Legacy countries ( India& Sri Lanka).

This week, I look forward helping you explore and enjoy these teas. Please contact me with any questions: michael@harneyteas.com.