In 2017 when we planted our first tea plants on this beautiful Pine tree property, it was just the beginning of a 5 year journey to our first batch of tea. Now, here we are. For the first time our store is online with our very special Louisiana grown black tea, "Big Easy".
What are some of the great qualities of our new black tea?
The terrain here at Fleur De Lis Tea Company leads to some unique growing conditions which we feel has really given this tea a distinctly Louisiana taste. This loose leaf tea is sweet with honey notes but it also carries some woody notes. A little oak or sandalwood. It has been described as a black tea that offers a unique, great flavor.
The journey to develop this tea has been long, full of hard work and many investments.
One of our best investments has been in the hiring of Hans Marchese as the Tea Production Manager. Hans has been instrumental in the production of our tea here. He came to us with a passion for the beverage, a great work ethic and an open mind to learn just how to bring it to fruition in such a great way.
Hans along with his team, personally hand-picked the leaf for this batch of the Big Easy tea. This hands-on approach means he has selected only the best leaf for every cup of tea, Hans has been greatly supported by his partner Lyra Schwartz, who together, are passionate about tea and serving Louisiana with the best tea experience.
When we asked Hans about "Big Easy", he had this to say:
"Really, I love the smell. It tastes really good, but smells amazing. Through the whole process, right to the cup! But I am biased; I love that Lyra and I get to be part of the entire process."
Another major investment in this tea, was the hiring of Beverly Wainwright. A Scottish tea consultant from the Scottish Tea Factory. Beverly came to us with a wealth of knowledge in starting tea companies and processing tea. She has exceptionally high standards and that is exactly what we loved about her. She shared her methods for delivering a high quality cup of tea and those methods guide us today. There is a great deal more to Beverly's background and story, some of which you will find in our blog article here.
When we asked Beverly to share her thoughts on "Big Easy", she shared the following:
"Big Easy is a tea that makes you want to kick off your shoes and relax on the porch. There are sweet honeysuckle notes and deeper woody based notes with a long lingering finish. The color is like sunlight filtering through a Louisiana forest in summer. "
Get your hands on some Louisiana tea today!
A large amount of tea is imported into the United States, in fact the majority of it is. We are so excited to join a growing number of small tea businesses in the US that are bringing tea closer to home. We are Louisiana's only commercial tea grower and we are thrilled to bring tea, to this great state and beyond.
****Update****
We entered "Big Easy" into the UK Tea Academy's first annual "Leafies" Awards.
Going up against hundreds of other entries and this being our first year in production, we had no clue what the international community would think about our product. Well, they must have enjoyed it, because our "Big Easy" was awarded the title of "Highly Commended" (Second place)! Following Mogok tea's "Organic Black Tea", which is the other half of our "Friendship Blend"!
This award let us know that we are on the right track to creating a wonderful product and partnering with other phenomenal growers.
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