ABOUT CHICAGO TEA COLLECTIVE The Chicago Tea Collective is a group of tea enthusiasts and professionals passionate about sharing tea and tea cultures in the regional area. From monthly CommuniTea nights to ticketed workshops and casual meet-ups, we aim to provide offerings that strengthen community bonds while appreciating tea. See below for everything brewing! COMMUNITEA […]
Recent Posts
Welcome!
Hello! I’m Marco, an avid tea lover with a passion for tea. As you continue through this space, I hope to share my tea journey as a daily ritual in life. You’ll find the following on this site: My thoughts and reflections from the teas I taste – complete with information on sources and vendors […]
Steap’d in Storytelling: Taniya Gupta Shares What it Takes to Build Inclusive Tea Programming
Taniya Gupta is the creator of Yoga Tea Poetry and resides in Toronto. Originally from a small town of fewer than 30,000 people in Punjab, India, Taniya moved to Canada in her teenage years to pursue higher studies. As a tea enthusiast and poet, she aims to empower and enable women to live a life of […]
10 Memorable Teas in 2022
In the overcast skies of December, I warmly sit inside at the tea table to review the year 2022. As done in previous years, I love allowing my mind to wander through the forest of teas and greeting each as if an old friend. The teas shared below are in no way ranked, and though there […]
Tea Review: Top of the World Tea Reserve – Nepal Tea Collective
When you think of high-elevation tea, what comes to mind? You may recall how the slow growth and hot/cold temperatures significantly impact the development of sugars in the leaf or the elasticity in its texture. Hailing from Bhakanje, Solukhumbu, the home of Mount Everest, Nepal Tea Collective has sourced a series of black teas. They […]
Steap’d In Storytelling: Traci Levy Shares the Power of Inclusive Education
Traci (she/her) lives on Long Island in New York. She created an Instagram tea account in 2015 to connect with other tea lovers and started a tea blog (Tea Infusiast) in 2020, where she shares her research on tea history and culture, an occasional recipe, and how tea helps her cultivate mindfulness. Recently, she completed the Being […]
Annie Celebrates Volition Tea’s 1st Anniversary & I Taste Black Jade Dan Cong Wulong
Dan Cong tea is widely known and celebrated for its broad lexicon of aromas. In addition to the Shan Yun (山韵) or Mountain Rhyme felt with high-quality Dan Cong teas, the versatility they bring almost guarantees that you’ll find one to fall in love with. It is an exciting endeavor to attempt to taste them […]
Steap’d In Storytelling: Nicole Wilson Shares Her Path as a Tea Educator
Ask any tea enthusiast what some of their favorite resources are to learn about tea and you’ll likely hear the name, Nicole Wilson. Nicole is the writer behind Tea For Me Please, an award-winning tea blog widely cited by peers as one of the most influential resources for tea information. Nicole has been a tea […]
Steap’d In Storytelling: Mona shares the heart, strength, and tenacity of the Yunnan-Thai people
Mona Jhunjhnuwala feels like a household name for many in the tea community, and for good reason. Her infectious enthusiasm and commitment to sharing her story and the culture of tea are felt through her tea business, Teawala. Most recently, she’d taken us with her on a recent trip to Thailand through Instagram Live sessions. […]
Tea Review: The Many Harvests of India – Ketlee Tasting
You can taste a broad spectrum of flavors when talking about Indian teas. Recently, we poured a collection of teas from India for the community here in Chicago. The purpose – share how unique and special the region is in tea cultivation and production methods. Ketlee is one of my go-to sources; I knew they […]
Tea Review: Hoku Ceremonial Matcha from Bonsai Cha
Spring is in full bloom which means it’s time to taste new matcha! The deep green hues are in many ways reflective of the blooming life around us and it is with excitement I share matcha from a new vendor! The folks at Bonsai Cha asked if I would share my thoughts on their Hoku […]
Tiger Box Tea Tasting: Day 1 – Colorful Peony
As I open the Tiger Box to kick-off a 15-day exploration of Chinese tea and culture, I am excited to taste one of my favorites from Volition Tea, Colorful Peony. I had a brief taste when Annie and I first met over tea last Summer, yet it has remained cemented in my tasting lexicon. Join […]