Learning About Speciality Tea... with Shunan Teng
Shunan Teng, the founder of Tea Drunk in NYC, shared her tea story with us in issue 01 of Eighty Degrees magazine. We met with her again in Las Vegas at World Tea Expo 2019 where she was a speaker. As an educator with a lot of rich experience in the speciality tea market, she told us about what kind of knowledge and teas her customers are after.
Photo: Joe Librandi-Cowan
What is the process of choosing and deciding what topics you will speak about?
It depends on the year and the audience segment. For the Origins Tour, the topic is set, which is an overview of Chinese teas. In 2019, I suggested we focus on just one Chinese tea region — Wu Yi Shan — instead of covering the whole of China, given the limited time.
For the other talks, I can normally choose a topic myself. For example, I was asked to address more specific topics in tea, namely terroir and tea production techniques for traditional teas, as well as small business positioning in the dynamic tea market.
In 2019 in Las Vegas you gave a speech titled Riches in Niches. What was it about?
This was about finding a niche and its positioning in the tea industry, specifically when you run a small business with limited resources. Riches in Niches is an old but gold business sage that we heard a lot about when I was going to business school. Tea Drunk entered the industry with some of the best but also most expensive teas in the market. The more I developed Tea Drunk and the more we have collaborated with luxury brands, the more I took this concept to heart and wanted to offer insights into the unique advantages and challenges of a boutique but highly expertised business.
Tea is a very large topic and there are many aspects of it discussed and displayed at the Expo. Although you don’t exhibit there, how do your niche teas fare there and in general? Is there a lot of interest from all sides or is it mainly sought after by a very specific type of customer?
While interest in Chinese teas is increasing among all demographics, our most supportive customers are usually people in the food and beverage industry — mostly wine enthusiasts and chefs, or simply folks who appreciate the finer things in life and have a discerning palate. While some are the stereotypical patrons of luxury goods, many are also just people who have a tendency to get drawn deep into things: geeks, I guess. It’s always exhilarating to share tea with people who have achieved excellency in another subject, from arts to coding, and can quickly relate to the numerous details that separate the mediocre and the top notch. My customers and clients have taught me a lot over the years and thus provide a repeated affirmation for the path Tea Drunk has chosen.
The other event you hosted as the Expo was the Origins Tasting Tour in China. Tell us about it.
This is a great overview program that offers students a grand tour of teas from all the major production countries. First time, for the China part, I did an overview of all the major regions and tea types, and provided some context for further understanding of Chinese teas, from the importance of terroir to varietals and processing methods, and how history and culture weigh in on each of the factors.
The second time around, I focused on just one Chinese region and tea instead: Yan Cha — a dark roasted wulong produced in Wu Yi Shan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s currently the most mature tea region of China and can provide insight into the future of this tea country. Wulongs are also very interesting to explore as their production consists of the most steps and uses the widest range of varietals. Terroir, or ‘true origin’ if we want to adhere to Chinese terminologies, is always at the centre stage. Zheng Yan, an equivalent to Grand Cru in wine, has now seen the 4th generation of expansion and redefinition. It’s important knowledge for both tea buyers and consumers because while one might argue the importance of processing or varietals, it’s the location that demands the price.
Photo: Shunan Teng
In our interview for issue 01, you said that the speciality tea scene has been slowly improving and getting more sophisticated in NYC. How has it changed over the past year?
Honestly, I’ve seen more bubble tea places popping up in New York City than anything else. So many that I haven’t got a chance to visit all of them. But I’m also starting to see more and more folks within the tea business upping their expertise and selections. More and more online vendors are starting to include vintage and basic terroir info for the teas. The most exciting developments I see come from consumers. Tea Drunk alone are attracting more and more customers with discerning taste and young Chinese people whose parents are tea connoisseurs. This demand will create a positive feedback loop in the high-end tea industry.
What is new with Tea Drunk? Are you working on any new plans or projects?
We had a big tea bootcamp last week of February. This was the second year we were hosting this concentrated, week-long tea class. We spent more than 35 hours talking and tasting teas, including over 200 visual aids to review and remember things. This is the most accelerated program we offer and is catering to very serious tea learners. This is also perfect for anyone who doesn’t live in New York and can’t attend the tea classes we offer throughout the year. We hope students will walk away with new confidence in evaluating teas and speaking about any Chinese tea.
We have also developed over 73 hours of expanded tea curriculum that we’ll be offering throughout the year. They are divided into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. With tea season coming up we might need to delay some of the classes, but most will be offered in summer and fall.
Tea Drunk is also piloting a new product line called Tea Drunk Everyday. As the name suggests, this is a really good tea but at a price point where one can drink it every day. It’s a Da Hong Pao. The fresh leaves come from the high mountain village of Xi Yuan in a natural reserve of the Wu Yi Shan region. The rough processing is done by the apprentices of the Ying Family, a very prestigious tea maker of Yan Chan who makes some of our best teas. It’s then blended and roasted by these experienced tea makers. It’s an incredible value and is part of our effort to introduce better teas to the West.
Do you still organise tours in China? When is the next one happening?
The tea tour is currently on hold and we will probably host one after the tea season. They are valuable, as seeing is sometimes better than a thousand words. I really want to be able to show people how traditional teas are made, all the work that goes into them and hopefully be able to recruit more devoted tea professionals into the industry. However, we are trying to avoid becoming a tour company and hosting tea tours during tea seasons can be difficult. We’ll keep you posted!
Photo: Shunan Teng
You worked on an amazing animated TED-ed video about the origins of tea in China. Have you done any other TED-ed collaborations since?
Yes, we have since produced a two-part video on one of my favorite Chinese myth/folklore stories: Legend of the White Snake. It was very well received and apparently is one of the best performing videos for the myth genre on TED-Ed. We are working on another story which will come out very soon but I can’t say what it is yet! Also, make sure to explore the Think, Dig Deeper and Discussion section to the right of the videos. Lots of hidden gems there.
The Chinese Myth of the Immortal White Snake (Shunan Teng)
The Chinese Myth of the White Snake and the Meddling Monk (Shunan Teng)