Time for Tea: Talking with Sterling Berry’s Tatiana Boulankina
Tatiana’s love for tea grew its first roots from her childhood when her grandmother had an herb garden. “She would use whatever black tea she could buy in the store and mix it with every possible herb that she had. We had mint tea. Tea from cherries. Tea with strawberries. We had tea with blackberries. Current leaves. Anything that’s edible was put into the tea.” Tatiana brings her grandmother’s traditions and recipes into her business, Sterling Berry Herbs & Teas. Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, I first tried an assortment of teas from Sterling Berry when we were searching for a local, small-business supplier for the tea in the Journey to Joy boxes. Tatiana praises the beneficial qualities of tea for both physical and mental health. Her bright philosophy is that “tea can lighten the day.”
I ask Tatiana about starting Sterling Berry.
“I came from a country that's very big on tea,” Tatiana explains. “I used to drink the good quality tea my grandmother always made with herbs. When I came to the US, there was a big variety of different teas but I couldn't find one that I could enjoy. So I started a collection of different teas. I realized a lot of people around me don’t know about tea. They say, ‘I don’t like tea, I like coffee.’ The reason they don’t like tea is because they haven’t tried a good quality tea. There is not enough information about tea. I wanted to spread the word. I wanted to spread the good tea.”
After spending years living in Ireland, I understand this difference in the quality and the importance of tea to a culture. I fondly remember going to Bewleys in Dublin on Grafton Street and sitting at a table with my own silver pot of tea while studying for classes. It had the feel of a pub dedicated to tea. A strong, Irish black tea on a rainy day with a book is definitely my style.
“Everyone’s perception of tea is different,” Tatiana says. “A lot of people have a misunderstanding of what tea is. Tea made from one plant. One and only. It is Camellia Sinensis.” I had no idea that all kinds of tea start from the same plant. Tatiana explains that “the varieties of tea come from different techniques of processing it, different techniques of drying it, different times and seasons to pick the leaves.” I ask Tatiana what her favorite varieties are – she prefers herbal teas and Assam black teas, which do not have the astringency of most black teas. Also, Tatiana adds, laughing, “Assam has the most caffeine content!”
Two Styles of Drinking Tea
According to Tatiana, “there are two ways of doing tea. One, you just make a tea like a coffee and you drink it. You drink it for the health benefits, for the sake of drinking it, to improve your mood or you just drink it because you like the taste.”
The second style of drinking tea is the ceremony. “A lot of people prefer the ceremony because it relaxes and stops the time and gives you time to reflect on the day. Every culture has their own ceremony, even every family has their own. In our family, every time guests come in tea is what is always offered and what is almost necessary to drink. If guests would say no to tea, I’m like, ‘Do you want to come over again?’” Tatiana laughs. I laugh because I would always want to come again and would never say no to tea.
“Tea is like hello and tea is like goodbye. The process of brewing tea, especially brewing it in a glass pot where you can see how the tea is getting bigger, how it moves around, how the water changes the color, having that drink poured in your cup, holding the cup in your hands and feeling that warmth of the cup. I’ve found with my friends and family that it kind of moves the conversation as the tea ceremony goes. You start with ‘Hello,’ ‘How are you?’ ‘How are you doing?’ with pouring the hot water on the tea leaves together in the pot. You start talking about important things while drinking the tea. When the teapot is almost over, it’s time to go.” I have a dear English friend with whom having a “cuppa” is an event that warms my spirit. It is hello, comfort, friendship, love and goodbye until the next cup, no matter how far apart the cups are.
So explore. Find your favorites. Have a cup of tea and stop time.
