Simple Beginning of Tea

What we do comes from a long journey made, a profound respect for nature’s wisdom and the willingness to align with her and share her bountiful offerings with others. 

My mother’s name is Chun Cha, in Korean means Spring daughter (Cha in Chinese means "Tea"). Her love of foraging plants and hunting for sea creatures taught me about food sourcing. She also taught me about the importance of eating with the seasons, the intelligence of plants and how aligning with these principles is a benefit to our health and well-being.  In her kitchen, on the small kitchenette table in a big Korean metal pot, the tea was ever present even if the ingredients would change with the seasons. It was usually kept at room temperature, ready to be poured, and the kettle was always full.

Rooted in her Asian heritage, my mother sought natural remedies first, trusting in nature's equilibrium and its ability to heal us both physically and mentally. Whenever a friend or family member fell ill, she would prepare special herbal mixtures she referred to as "medicine." As a child, when I was unwell, sometimes my mom prepared awful tasting brews I was forced to drink to regain my health. Rather than the awful smelling thick black medicine, it was a relief when I received, instead, a simple cup of tea.

One of the most valuable lessons my mother instilled in me was to respect our bodies and to honor this sacred responsibility when feeding others. Back in the 1990s, it was common for American Asian restaurants to feature dishes with high levels of salt, sugar, and fried ingredients. Tea was often served naturally alongside these meals as a way to aid the body in processing and digesting this food. Tea was a core part of the meal. 

When I opened my first restaurant in 1999, although it was important for my food to taste delicious, my priorities were to minimize salt and sugar, use clean oils, and emphasize the quality of our natural ingredients. This was before terms like "farm to table" or "organic" were readily used, but these principles were central to our approach. We felt a deep connection to the origins of our food and the care taken in its preparation.  Complementing these thoughtfully prepared dishes was the ever-present offering of tea, of course!

My mother's emphasis on using freshly harvested produce – what she called "living plants with more medicine" – also deeply influenced my choice to cook for others as a career path. After two decades cooking and pouring tea, the concept for Bumblebee was born. It's an idea that blossomed from the seeds my mother first planted, nurtured further by years of my own experiences and an ongoing deepening awareness of the importance of aligning ourselves with nature.

Inspired by the diligent, self-less worker bee, we have named our tea journey in her honor. Our dedication to selecting the purest teas involves careful consideration of their origins, the well-being of the soil and the communities involved, and a deep commitment to environmental and human respect. We believe these factors influence the very essence of our tea.

Sunny

Sourcing Specialist