WHY AM I PRESENTING INDIAN TEA TO THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT? WAIT, WHAT?
Photo courtesy Consulate General of India, New York
It seems almost impossible. Why am I presenting Indian tea to Indians, especially in the Indian government? The story may surprise you.
It started off innocently enough. My college friend Satya was heading back to India to visit family and asked if I wanted to go. Of course I did. At this point, I had graduated with a B.A. in Cinema & Photography at Ohio State, had moved to NYC to work in advertising as a video editor and had, in parallel, been developing my palate for about 7 years. That was mostly the result of learning about wine, and then Scotch whisky. That’s a whole other blog post. Anyhow…
We went to India and I had my first cup of Masala Chai, this was 1998. I had no idea what tea was, where it came from or anything about it. I was a senior in high school the first time I saw someone putting milk in their tea, that’s how clueless I was!
Fast forward 4 years and my growing interest in tea had inspired countless hours of research, phone calls, book purchases and trips to the Tea Board of India, which had an office in New York. 9/11 already happened and I had quit my job to work with Miriam Novalle at her TSalon in the Flatiron District because I basically begged her for a job. I decided it was time to go to India to learn where tea came from.
In 2002, armed with but a few email addresses, I landed in New Delhi and set off on a self-guided, self-funded, self-motivated trip all over india for 6 months to learn about tea as much as I could. Because I traveled alone, people were open to me staying with them, inviting me to a wedding, allowing me to visit fields and factories, to see the auction centers and meet professional Tea Tasters.
I did get quite the comprehensive overview and by this time was so in love with what I learned and the people that shared their knowledge with me, that I felt I had to do something. To help other people experience Indian tea, borne of very hard work.
So, in 2005, I opened the first tea shop in the Western Hemisphere exclusively for farm-to-table Indian teas, which was called Janam Tea Shop and opened with money I had leveraged out of the equity in my house. There didn’t seem to be any other Indian tea rooms and the respect I gleaned from my Indian contemporaries was absolutely solid. I had taken the beautiful teas they were making and sharing them, unblended, with new markets abroad. Of my own volition and of my own money. I’ve never been employed by an Indian entity and Janam Tea itself has been funded 100% by myself to this point.
After the market crashed in 2008, I kept my clientele online and went back to india in 2015 to see what more I could do to promote Indian tea in the West. In partnership with the departing Director of the Guwahati Tea Auction Center (retiring after 31 years, prior to that was a planter himself for 20+ years in Assam), Jayanta Kakati, we developed a tour route together for people wanting to come to India as I had but instead of having to figure out all the logistics themselves, we got everything squared away so people could easily come learn tea in Assam.
In 2016, Janam Tea at Garfunkel’s opened, an Afternoon Tea room during the day in partnership with an operating cocktail bar (a speakeasy called Garfunkel’s). This is the first Afternoon Tea room in the Western Hemisphere once again specifically focused on single-origin teas.
By 2018, I realized there didn’t seem to be anyone else in the US (according to producers, industry stakeholders, the Indian consulate, or observed at any other major trade show-was at the Fancy Food Show 5 years in a row) who was leading the charge to develop new markets for Indian tea, as a champion of pan-Indian tea, a Consultant, and who owned a company in the US for Indian tea in particular. There are people who know Indian tea, but I’m exclusively dealing in Indian tea and creating experiences around it here in the US. No bubble tea, tea from other countries, no flavors, no blends, and all gardens glorified and credited with every cup, experience, class and box sold. I’m the only one. Really. It’s crazy but it’s true. I am the defacto Brand Ambassador for Indian Tea in North America.
The Indian government took note and invited me to create an Indian tea lounge at the 2019 IndusFood II trade show, to build and host a venue for foreigners looking to buy Indian tea, making me the first American in HISTORY to be invited by the Indian government (and sponsored!) to promote Indian tea in India. A huge honor.
The Indian Consulate in New York has been supportive of my ideas and passion for Indian tea. They’ve invited me to inter-industry events and look to me to help promote Indian tea, tea tourism, tea experiences and help people in the West learn how to buy, store, serve and talk about Indian tea to their respective audiences.
Most of India’s best teas leave India, destined for England, Germany, Holland and Japan (and other countries like US) and so though someone may have grown up their whole life drinking tea in India, the likelihood they’ll have been exposed to these top-caliber teas is pretty low.
I welcomed the new appointed New York Consul General of India with a tea service showcasing handmade Darjeeling Oolong from the Yanki tea farmers collective, explaining how it’s important to support small growers in the conversation around promoting tea.
It is an honor to be an ally of India, India’s tea producers and workers and to share with you the beautiful teas that they create. I don’t make tea, (and for absolute clarity, I’m no expert on Indian culture), but what I do know is how tea is made and am able to curate what I think are some incredible flavors for you enjoy. If you have a question about Indian tea, please send it to amy@janamtea.com and if I can’t answer it then I know who can.
Do you have a company event, need corporate gifts, want to develop your palate, travel to India, come to Afternoon Tea? I’d love to hear from you!