Jul 20, 2020

Emma's Tea Journey

We want to take you on a Tea Journey with Emma's Teapot! It is so inspiring to see someone who is at the beginning of their tea experience, where the world of Camellia Sinensis is just starting to unfurl! Camellia Sinensis is a species of evergreen shrubs or small trees in the flowering plant family Theaceae whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. Common names include "tea plant", "tea shrub", and "tea tree".

Emma has a beautiful Tea Blog + Instagram Feed, filled with amazing teas from all over the world. She shares her live tea tastings + gorgeous tea photography aka "teatography", that the Tea Community just can't get enough of. She has sampled our teas as well, including our Puerh Nuggz, The Calm, Blue Jasmine + more! And she will be chronicling her tea-ventures in her lovely Sacred Lotus Journal, which is a fantastic idea for anyone else who would like to document their tea lifestyle.

Be sure to tune in to the awesome "Two Teas In A Pot" Live Monthly Teacast, where Emma + Nynn talk about tea and answer all your tea questions!

You can submit questions or recommendations on tea related topics to @emmas_tea_pot via direct message, and they will address them during the segment. (*NOTE: Although they are co-hosting, Instagram will only show the Live story on one account, so please ensure you are on @nynn_nynn ‘s account to join the Live. Hope to see you there!)

Here is our behind the scenes with Emma's Teapot, which is sure to inspire you to dive deeper into the great world of tea!

VIBES Lifestyle Inspired Living w/Emma's Teapot Emma Maury, Orlando Florida Q: Do you remember the first time you had tea? If so, where were you, what type of tea was it, and how do you recall it making you feel?

A: I cannot recall the first time exactly but I do have distant memories of when I was about 4 years old and my mom made me an herbal infusion for the common cold. It wasn’t until I was in my teens that I tried an infusion with Jasmine green tea and other teabag blends. Q: Did you develop an affinity for tea right away or did it happen over time?

A: I always enjoyed drinking “tea” (back then I thought any herb infused in hot water was tea). However, I remember liking green tea right away and it was the catalyst tea for me. Q: Where are you from + where do you live now? How has this influenced your tea journey?

A: I was born in beautiful Havana Cuba, and my family moved to Orlando when I was very young. I currently still reside in Orlando, FL and love my City. Tea culture in Orlando is mostly around southern ice tea and that’s available pretty much anywhere you go in the South. I have seen tea houses pop up in the last 5 years that offer more than that and I’m happy to discover them! I’m also encouraged by the growing tea lover community and I hope to bring more tea knowledge to Orlando. Q: What do you like most about tea?

A: That’s hard to answer because I’m at the beginning of my tea journey. Every time I dive into a new tea I discover something new therefore it’s hard for me to pick one thing I like most. Maybe what I like most is discovering tea from different perspectives.

Q: Do you have teas to match your moods? If so, which teas accompany which moods?

A: There are teas that I drink at certain times, for certain reasons and at certain seasons but I haven’t yet considered a mood pairing tea. That sounds like a fun experiment for me. Q: If you could have tea with anyone, who would it be and why?

A: Wow! These are hard questions to answer. So many people come to mind but if I had to choose one it would be my childhood best friend. When I still lived in Cuba, I met a lovely soul that became my best friend, Camila. I lost touch with her 25 years ago and I think of her from time to time. I would love to have tea with her one day. Q: If you could have tea anywhere, where would it be? Describe the perfect tea setting in this place.

A: It would be in a treehouse in the middle of an enchanted forest with birds chirping on my window, hahaha. Honestly that would be a perfect setting for me.

Q: Do you enjoy morning, afternoon or evening tea more, and why?

A: All three for me. But there is something about first brew in the morning that just gets me ready for my day. Q: Do you travel w/tea? If so, tell us about it.

A: I haven’t traveled with tea but I’m looking into doing a tea tour as soon as traveling becomes safer amidst COVID-19. Q: Which tea brewing method do you favor most and why?

A: I’m still learning about brewing methods but so far the one I’ve been using the most is Western Style and Gong-FU Style. Q: What do you find to be the most "tealicious" food + tea pairing?

A: I love dim-sum with puerh and onigiri with hojicha or genmaicha for savory pairings. For sweets I love matcha with confections like yokan, mochi, and wagashi. I also enjoy fruit tea blends or tisanes with fruit salads as cold brews. Q: In what ways do you think the world (humanity) could benefit from consuming tea?

A: I believe it's a healthier drink than most sugary drinks available to the masses nowadays. I believe it can offer people a healthier lifestyle which in essence would benefit everyone overall. Q: What inspired you to do tea reviews + share them with the world?

A: My love for tea and community is the biggest inspiration. However I also do it because sharing my findings and inviting discussions with other tea lovers is a way for me to learn and understand tea better.

Q: What are a few of your future goals?

A: For the moment I’m enjoying learning about tea and reviewing different types of tea for my blog. I’m a very curious person by nature and I want to discover more about all things tea. Q: What is some good advice that you would give to someone wanting to start their Tea Journey, or dive deeper?

A: I would tell that person to not be afraid of all that you don’t know and remain open to reevaluate the subjectiveness of tea. Q: What is your dream vacation, if you had no limitations?

A: There are way too many places in the world I want to see. The dream would be to have the time and resources to visit. So if you remove those limitations I would spend the rest of my life traveling to every corner of the world with my husband and dogs. Q: What is your favorite comedy movie of all time?

A: I can’t say I have one, but I love comedy and standup. Q: Do you have a favorite superhero or fictional character?

A: Sailor Moon. Q: What is your favorite aroma, and what does it remind you of?

A: The aroma of condensed milk and rice cooking together. My mom makes the best “Cuban Arroz con Leche” and the smell of that cooking is heavenly. Q: If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

A: Illiteracy.