Every once in awhile I come across a company that I’ve known for years and realize (embarrassingly) that I have yet to add them to TeaTiff. This company opened in 2002 and has a sumptuous selection of teas and tisanes. Mrs. Harris styles her company in a spunky and unique way that I believe truly complements her and makes it fun for everyone else involved. Grab yourself a cup of tea, read the interview, and be sure to check out the website.

Website: https://bluemonkeytea.com/

Location(s) Headquarters:  Pittsburgh, PA

Company Focus:

• Providing an extensive assortment of teas at a reasonable price and also educating customers about tea.

Most popular company tea(s)?

• Pittsburgh Breakfast, Triple Z (sleepy time tea), Guangzhou Milk Oolong

Does the company name have a meaning?

• Best teas grow at high altitudes, and monkeys supposedly helped to pick up tea leaves in hard-to-access, rocky, mountainous areas.
• We even sell tea called Monkey Picked Golden Hunan. And yes, there are blue monkeys (even at the Pittsburgh Zoo)

Do you participate in any charities? 

• We focus on sourcing teas through the ethical partnership. The Tea Ethical Partnership is an organization within the tea industry that seeks to better the lives of workers and their families, such as schools, health care, & living conditions. 

What is your and/or your co-workers’ favorite tea? 

• Too many to list! We especially enjoy discovering unique tea cultivars from various parts of the world, such as Japan, China, India, Kenya, Taiwan, Georgia (former USSR republic), and even those grown here in the US!  

What are your thoughts on transparency in the tea industry? 

• So far, so good. The high-quality tea is still more so a boutique type business, where we have more control over sourcing, processing, and delivery of tea. It has not yet been taken over by big corporations. We provide good, solid service and expertise that cannot be delivered by the big players. 🙂

What role does tea play in our lives?

• Tea is not only a very healthy beverage but also a great social platform where people can easily connect. It is the most common beverage in the world after water! If you know the tea rituals in a particular region of the world, trust me, you will make friends much faster even without knowing their language!

Anything else you’d like to add?

• I teach Tea Classes in our store and online.  I love seeing how people are appreciating those. It not only helps them expand their “tea horizons”, but also helps me to brush up on my tea knowledge. Many classes are available on our Blue Monkey Tea YouTube Channel as well as on our website www.Bluemonkeytea.com

Social Media:

• Facebook
• X
• TikTok
• Pinterest
• Instagram
• YouTube

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TeaTiff Picks: Chopped Chai Mix. Perhaps it is the raining spring day or maybe it’s just my inner chai lover… but whichever way I was draw to the chai section. This one in particular intrigued me due to the appearance. This mix would be easy to add to a black tea base to experiment with but equally good on its own (I will update once I try it)