Beyond the Leaf

Welcome to Beyond the Leaf, the TeaSource blog.

Tea is more than a beverage—it's a story of people, places, tradition, and craftsmanship. Here you'll find tea education, thoughtful discussion, steeping guides, recipes, tasting notes, tea travel, sourcing stories, industry insights, and updates from the TeaSource team.

Whether you're just beginning your loose leaf tea journey or have been enjoying specialty tea for years, Beyond the Leaf is a place to deepen your knowledge, discover new teas, and explore the world behind every cup. Drawing on decades of experience sourcing and tasting exceptional teas, we share practical advice, firsthand experiences, and a passion for tea that we hope inspires your next cup.

All 🌱 Tea Basics 🧪 Tea Geek 🍵 Tea Reviews 🥣 Recipes 🌏 Travel 🏭 Behind the Scenes 📰 News & Updates
Michael drinking tea in Mr Wang's Tea Shop
Strangers of Puer

The Wild Tea Trees of Nan Nuo Shan The most notable thing that morning is that it wasn’t raining. It rains a lot in Yunnan in July. Cloudy and wet... Read More

Direct Sourcing: Ms. Zhao

In 2013, TeaSource was part of a U.S. trade mission to Puer, Yunnan, China. During this trip, Bill met Ms. Zhao Yu Jie and she has been one of our... Read More

TeaSource Goes to Tea Country

Travelogues and stories about sourcing tea all over the world.  A cool part of owning a tea company, given the fact that tea wasn’t grown in the U.S. until recently -... Read More

People of Darjeeling

When I travel to tea country I am searching for teas; but the most memorable thing is always the people. Sometimes it’s the beginning of lifelong friendships, sometimes it’s a... Read More

Going Out for Drinks: Coffee Fest in St. Louis

  The Gateway Arch as seen across a downtown traffic jam   Over the last weekend of May, the World Tea and Coffee Fest descended on Long Beach, CA and... Read More

Travels in Tea, India: Part 3

In Kolkata I ended up staying in a very cheap, barebones, locals-only hotel, in a neighborhood where I was the only westerner for miles; because it was the closest hotel... Read More

Travels in Tea, India: Part 2

    A typical street in Kolkata, India. Ostensibly I was in Kolkata because it was a connecting point to the tea regions of Darjeeling and Assam.   In addition there... Read More

Travels in Tea, India : Part 1

Darjeeling, India I'm in Kolkata, Darjeeling, and Assam, learning, visiting old friends, and scoping out new teas. I'll try to be posting often, but connectivity is proving to be a... Read More

TeaSource Wows in Atlanta

We’re pretty excited right now down in Atlanta. TeaSource has just won first place at the Taster’s Choice Awards at the World Tea East Exposition in the Black Tea category... Read More

Taiwan in My Gaiwan

Why Taiwan tea?  If you had to ask the question, you haven’t tried them.  Taiwan has tens of thousands of small tea growers, many of them family operations, and the... Read More

Report from Puer, China… I almost caused an international incident.

[caption id="attachment_142" align="alignleft" width="300"] Me in the meeting place (very fancy)[/caption] About 2 hours after arriving in the city of Puer the leader of the U.S. trade delegation asked if... Read More

World Tea Expo, Day 3 recap

And with that, the 2013 World Tea Expo has come to a close. Bill, Michael, and I are all back in Minnesota, the booth has been torn down and packed... Read More

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