Pure Leaf Teas

 PURE LEAF TEAS

Follow Your True Nature

“Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world”         Tien Yiheng

Note: Wild Sage Pure Leaf Teas are currently only available wholesale to local restaurants and coffeehouses.  Only a few of our fine teas are available for purchase (Wild Olympic Breakfast) at Quimper Mercantile in Port Townsend.

“Camellia Sinensis”

"The more devoted one becomes to the moment, the more engaged one becomes in the world." Wild Sage

“The more devoted one becomes to the moment, the more engaged one becomes in the world.”  – Wild Sage

True tea comes from a beautiful evergreen plant known as “camellia sinensis”, indigenous to China and parts of India. Discovered more than 4,000 years ago in China, tea is surely one of nature’s greatest treasures. Enjoyed for its pleasurable taste and remarkable health benefits, tea holds a very long and colorful place in world history. Today, tea is the world’s most popular beverage! (second only to water) and is cultivated in numerous countries worldwide.

Labor of Love

ChinaTeaWomenFrom fresh leaf to your cup, the processing of tea is complex.  Like wine, the different types of tea reflect different processing techniques, not different plants, because all tea comes from same type of plant (camellia sinensis) which varies based on it’s “terroir” (i.e, soil, climate, elevation and season) and the final leaf processing techniques.  Truly an art, as well as a science, it takes more than 20,000 hand-plucked leaves to make just one kilo (2.2 pounds) of fine tea, and hand-plucking of tea remains, as it has for many centuries, truly a “labor of love.”

Elixir of Immortality

Originally drank for spiritual and medicinal purposes, tea was once  known as the “Taoist Elixir of Immortality”.  Known for millenium as a “miraculous medicine for the maintenance of health”, the habit of drinking tea spread throughout the world due to it’s pleasurable taste, beauty of tea accessories, elaborate tea rituals and remarkable health benefits.  During “The Golden Age of Tea” (Tang and Song Dynasties, China, 618-1290 a.d.) “The Art of Tea”  developed into a scholarly pastime alongside painting, poetry, music, calligraphy, incense, landscaping, martial arts and geomancy (like feng shui).   Today, the “rediscovery” of tea in our culture follows our desires to seek natural, healthy choices and cultivate simpler, yet refined lives.

Art of Longevity

P1010666Tea can revive and awaken you, all the while it soothes and calms. One of the only beverages in the world that both energizes and calms, tea is a gentle and balanced plant, since tea contains both caffeine, which stimulates, and L-theanine and other components, which relaxes.  Tea is unique because it provides a “relaxed awareness”, or an “awake tranquilness”.  Ideal for meditation and study, this balance is the main reason it has always been the favored brew of Buddhist monks and scholars worldwide.   Tea, an ancient treasure, is truly a “cure for modern times” and can  be used as a tool for “transformation”.  From the  art of brewing, to the unfolding of leaves, and the revelation of taste, the art of drinking tea cultivates an inner awareness, which then enhances our outer experience.

Wild Sage sources pure leaf, orthodox (i.e., hand-plucked) teas without artificial flavors, which are commonly used to mask lesser quality teas. Our quality teas are delicious and aromatic on their own, without the need for any flavorings. We source naturally scented classics – like jasmine and pure bergamot early grey – with scents that are solely derived from plants and pure essential oils, without so-called natural or artificial flavors. The quality and taste of our teas is evident in each remarkable cup!

Tea, the Cure-All "If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are exhausted, it will calm you." William Gladstone

Tea, the Cure-All
“If you are cold, tea will warm you;
if you are too heated, it will cool you;
if you are depressed, it will cheer you;
if you are exhausted, it will calm you.”
                                – William Gladstone

Five Main Tea Types

  1. White Tea is unoxidized leaf; simply steamed and dried.
  2. Green Tea is unoxidized leaf; often withered, rolled or shaped, and soon dried.
  3. Oolong Tea is semi-oxidized leaf; withered, shaken or rolled (never broken), allowed to partially oxidize,  and dried.
  4. Black Tea is fully oxidized leaf; withered, broken or rolled, allowed to fully oxidize, and dried.
  5. Puerh Tea is truly fermented, full-leaf tea, taking many years to process. Puerh is the only tea which can improve with aging.

Health Benefits of Tea

  • Antioxidant-rich
  • Anti-aging
  • Anti-bacterial
  • Aids digestion
  • Boosts & strengthens immune system
  • Contains L-theanine, relaxes nerves
  • May lower bad cholesterol levels
  • Promising cancer  preventative
  • May lessen the risk of osteoporosis
  • Stimulates metabolism
  • Strengthens heart & circulatory system
  • Suppresses tooth cavities
  • Uplifts moods and awakens, while it simultaneously calms

Pure Leaf Tea Companies We Love

The Tao of Tea – Portland, Oregon  www.taooftea.com

Floating Leaves – Seattle, Washington  www.floatingleaves.com

Teance – Berkeley, California  www.teance.com

Red Blossom Teas – Chinatown, San Francisco, California