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.


Favorite Tea (or TeaSource) Photos: the WINNERS!

Yesterday we had the great pleasure of selecting the winners in the TeaSource Tea Photo contest. It was a great pleasure, but it was also a grueling experience. There were... Read More

I’ll Show You Mine … if You Show Me Yours

Favorite tea photo, that is. Tomorrow, Saturday January 26th is the last active day of our Web Party and also our Tea Photo Contest Day. Snap and share your favorite... Read More

New Teas for a New Year

Two days before New Year’s Day we received our annual big shipment from China by sea.  Two days after New Years we received our annual big shipment from India, also... Read More

They said we were crazy… with good reason.

Manufacturing tea is an art, it’s poetry in motion, it’s farmer-chef-craftsman-mechanic-chemist, all melded together. A few weeks ago, I did it in a conference room in Atlanta, GA. And "they"... Read More

Using a Gaiwan

What is a Gaiwan? A gaiwan is a small vessel for brewing tea that takes the place of a teapot. Gaiwans have been used in China since the Ming Dynasty... Read More

Pairing Tea with Cheese: a Breese

As the Tea and Cheese Pairing Class drifts into history, the flavors are still lingering in our minds. On the afternoon of October 26th, Steven Levine, a local cheese Guru,... Read More

Oxidation is the New Black

Black tea is black tea (as opposed to purple tea) because of oxidation. If you cut an apple (or banana or zucchini etc.) in half and let it sit, within... Read More

Why Black Tea?

To confess, when I was growing up, all "tea" was "black tea" to me.  Boring.  And as far as I knew, it grew in tea bags that hung from Lipton... Read More

The Big Cheese: Tasting Things You’ve Never Tasted Before

I love it when an experience totally takes me by surprise; especially over the course of a wonderfully fun night. TeaSource manager Jess Hanley and I recently spent an evening planning,... 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

What's So Great About Spring Teas?

Spring is a special time for many cultures. In America we write songs about spring: -Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year -Springtime for Hitler and Germany -Spring Fever... Read More

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