A new year, a new blog and a very belated introduction...

Hmm . . . where to start?  It's been almost a year since our last entry; the blog looks very different now, and I am not Elliot.  So I guess that means an introduction would be in order :)

Tea break at the Pearl River
Mart in NYC

My name is Jeannie and I'm the founder of Miro Tea.  I was awakened to "real" tea when I was in college in one of those 'a-ha!' moments when you discover something the way that it was truly meant to be. Before that, my knowledge was limited to strong, bitter cups of Chinese green tea, prepared by my parents who believed that the more bitter the tea, the better it was, and that drinking tea was done more for medicinal reasons than for pleasure.  However, when coffee failed to give me the steadiness and concentration I needed to finish my college papers at 3:00 am, I was re-introduced to tea by a good friend, who showed me that good tea, when prepared properly, enables you to discover and appreciate its full, beautiful and nuanced flavors.  Flavors that one did not even know existed in this world.  And so with that, my future changed.  I decided early in my life that I wanted to own my own business, and I also believed deeply in the Buddhist ethic of not profitting from another's suffering or misfortune. I also felt that the American public--and specifically coffee-buzzed Seattlites--was ready to re-discover an alternative to their caffeine habit.  And so the idea of Miro Tea was born.


Our mission with Miro Tea is simple.  Encourage more people to drink and love tea.  There's no snobbery or pretense at Miro Tea.  We just love talking about and drinking teas of all varieties, and we believe strongly that the best way to encourage people to explore and ultimately adopt a new product is by appealing to ALL of their senses (sight, smell, taste, touch and even sound) in an environment that is as warm and approachable as the people serving and educating you about the product.

Our blog re-launch parallels our increased efforts to source even better teas (and talk more about them), and to recount the day-to-day activities of our store (which includes our beloved customers and staff) that is ultimately the heart and soul of Miro Tea.  In the coming weeks and months, we will have a total of three different TEAm members who will be contributing regularly to this blog. Elliot (whom you have previously met via his eloquent tea tasting entries) will delve deeper into the details of specific teas than one would think is even possible.  Rachael, our arts and events coordinator, will be sharing more information about upcoming art and music events, as well as the tea workshops that we have been busy pulling together. And finally me, to talk about everything else that Rachael and Elliot don't cover!

Since it's been 20 years since my last diary entry (and this being my first blog entry), please bear with me as I spend the coming months getting accustomed to the notion of sharing my opinions, experiences and passion for tea with you through this online medium rather than doing it with you in person at our store.  Please feel free to comment or email us if you have any feedback or have any questions about tea, what you see on this site, or about Miro Tea in general.  I look forward to hearing from you.  Gan bei!