“Tea will meet you where you’re at — you can make it at an elaborate ceremony or by pouring water into a cup,” said Carroll, who moved to San Francisco 10 years ago to study tea and started Red Circle Tea in 2008. Carroll was one of 16 vendors who set up shop on Sunday on the second floor of the Ferry Building as part of the 3rd Annual San Francisco International Tea Festival. Like vinyl in the age of iPods, tea attracts people who don’t mind slowing down even as the culture speeds up. “Tea is a much-needed antidote to modernity,” said James Norwood Pratt, making the rounds in a light suit and pink tie. A few minutes later, nearly 100 people gathered in a meeting room to hear a talk on the history of tea in America. Spillane started not in America but in China, where legend says that tea originated 4,700 years ago when Emporer Shennong tossed chamomile leaves into hot water. [...] it’s a $15 billion industry in the United States — though Spillane was quick to concede that more than two-thirds of that revenue is from the sale of “ready-to-drink” tea, such as Snapple and other bottled blends where there’s just enough tea included to justify having the name on the label. Some looked as if they had purchased admission on a whim, but most seemed intent on learning about makers and blends they might otherwise not know. #SF #News #49ers
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 23:29:22 +0000
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