San Francisco Bay Area Epicenter of New Tea Culture in U.S.

(SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF—November 7, 2007)—Though we’ve been drinking tea since pre-Revolutionary times, an exciting new tea culture is emerging in the U.S., with the Bay Area leading the way.

Long the epicenter of culinary trends, the Bay Area is experiencing a tea renaissance, with an explosion of tea shops, lounges and tea rooms dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of tea. The burgeoning tea scene is a fusion of sorts, taking traditional elements from many different cultures and creating new rituals and experiences. According to tea authority James Norwood Pratt, author of The Tea Lover's Treasury and James Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary, these are “America’s new tea lovers, heirs to all the tea traditions of the world.”
“In no other place and at no other time could there emerge such an eclectic, exciting and multifarious tea scene,” says Jennifer Leigh Sauer, author of the new book, The Way to Tea, Your Adventure Guide to San Francisco Tea Culture. “Chinese, Japanese and British customs all play strong roles, as they mingle and fuse with the sometimes sophisticated and sometimes funkadelic ambience for which the Bay Area is so well known.”

In the past decade, the number of tea cafes has boomed to 2,200 from 200—with California claiming the most. Here you will also find everything tea related from formal traditional tea ceremonies and high tea offered in the poshest hotels to small tea shops in Chinatown to gourmet retail stores and even experimental tea nightclubs. What they all have in common is a dedication to sharing the social, spiritual and culinary experience that is tea.

-more-


At the forefront of spreading new tea drinking culture to the U.S. is world renowned retailer Lupicia Fresh Tea, who chose the Bay Area to launch its first California store last year. Since then, Lupicia has added two more stores in the Bay Area and two in Los Angeles, in addition to its Honolulu store. With more than 90 stores worldwide in Asia, Australia and the U.S., Lupicia has established itself as a leading retailer and authority on tea. “Our mission is to spread new tea drinking culture throughout the world by educating the public on the traditions, tastes and varieties of teas,” says Mike Endo, president Lupicia, Inc.

Spreading New Tea Drinking Culture
“What is happening now in the tea world is similar to what we’ve seen in wine and more recently, chocolate,” says Loreen Toji, tea education director. “People are learning to appreciate what goes into truly great teas and the factors that give different teas their individual and distinctive flavors, such as the country and region it is grown in, tea plant species, plantation soil conditions, climatic conditions and production methods.”

Interest in tea is at an all-time high as more people are hearing about the possible health benefits of tea, and they are interested in everything from how the cost of tea is determined, to the names of the specific plantations the teas are sourced from.

Lupicia has educated thousands of people at its Tea School in Tokyo, offering hundreds of classes each year to help familiarize people with the wonderful traditions, tastes and varieties of teas.

Here in the U.S., Lupicia offers tea sampling counters where customers can taste teas, learn about tea preparation, and see the latest tea wares for serving. In the future Lupicia also has plans for a tea school in the U.S.
“Most people are familiar with black tea and green tea, but there are hundreds of teas all originating from one plant and our goal is to take the mystery out of tea and help customers learn about and appreciate teas,” says Toji. “Tea has really evolved from the grocery store tea bag, and customers see this when they taste the full flavor that comes from quality fresh teas.”
-more-


Largest Variety of Teas Available in the U.S.
Lupicia offers more than 400 varieties of tea, categorized by country of origin, region and even specific tea plantation, including: original blends, flavored, herbal, wellness, seasonal and limited quantity teas. Lupicia’s teas are sourced from top tea producing regions in India, Japan, Taiwan, Africa and Sri Lanka.
In addition to loose teas, Lupicia offers its fresh teas in bags—tetra-triangle shaped tea bags, instead of round or square tea bags, so that the tealeaves can open more easily to produce optimum flavor.
The quality of the tea Lupicia selects to sell in its stores is strictly controlled at the source by its buyers before it is imported. Lupicia’s seasonal teas are shipped fresh having been cleaned and packaged on the day of arrival for processing. All teas are packed in 50g nitrogen filled bags to ensure that the tea remains fresh. “Another secret is to be found in the originality of our blending and flavoring skills, which is the reason we have such a great variety of original blended and flavored teas,” says Toji.
Lupicia offers the freshest seasonal teas such as Japanese shincha (first flush), Ceylon quality season, plantation specified seasonal Darjeeling, Taiwanese spring and winter teas.

Another attractive aspect of Lupicia Fresh Tea is the packaging. Any of the teas can be packaged in airtight tea tins and gift-wrapped Japanese style resembling a piece of origami artwork. Holiday teas are offered in charming, festive tins, evoking classic holiday scenes.

ABOUT LUPICIA FRESH TEA
Lupicia is a leading world-wide retailer of specialty teas, tea wares and tea confections. Lupicia offers the largest variety of fresh teas available in the U.S., with more than 400 teas ranging from seasonal teas to original blends and flavored teas. Lupicia owns and operates stores in the U.S. with stores in Northern California (Stonestown, SF Centre, Valley Fair); Southern California (Century City, Topanga-Canoga Park); Honolulu (Ala Moana) and more than 90 stores throughout Asia and Australia. Lupicia’s mission is to spread new tea drinking culture throughout the world by educating the public on the traditions, tastes and varieties of teas. Lupicia tea products are offered in stores and online at: www.lupiciausa.com

# # #

Interviews, Photos Available