What a year it has been! 2014 was filled with lots of ups and downs. I finally made the jump to doing what I love, working with tea. My first attempt didn’t end well but I met some great people and learned a lot. Afterwards, I took a position as Assistant Manager at David’s Tea. It wasn’t necessarily the best move for me but bills needed to be paid. Just when I thought that I had things figured out, a fire put me out of work for several weeks. I wound up leaving for Kusmi Tea and the two companies couldn’t be more different. Since then I’ve had some great experiences that will definitely help steer where I go in the future. I’m still struggling to find where I want to be in the industry but all of this has taught me a lot about myself. I have been incredibly blessed with supportive friends like +Jo J, +Geoffrey Norman, +Nicole Schwartz, +lisa kunizaki and +Elyse Petersen. I’m not sure that I’d still have such a positive outlook if it had not been for their support and encouragement.
There’s been some definite highlights this year though too. After many years of missing out on the fun, I finally made it to my first World Tea Expo. It was everything I was hoping for and more. I started writing for The Daily Tea and became a member of their Content Advisory Board. I also published my first print article in The Daily Tea 2015. I’ve been writing for years but somehow it felt more real to see my work in a magazine. My boyfriend and I moved in together in September. He knew about my tea obsession but I don’t think he was really prepared for what it would be like. Our running joke is that whenever we come home, there’s a bill waiting for him and a package of tea for me.
I’m not sure what 2015 will bring but I think that things can only get better from here. My biggest email newsletter will be transitioning into a quarterly journal and the inaugural issue goes out at the end of January. The theme will be puerh and I’ve got some great articles to share from some of my favorite tea companies. Make sure that you sign up so that you don’t miss out!
goal is to attend World Tea Expo. I’ll be on two different panels and also hope to attend some hands on workshops. I’ve also got some exciting things in the works for the blog. My
Tea for Me Please turned six in October and in many ways it feels like I’m still just getting started. As always, I want to take the time to thank all of you for reading throughout the year. I receive so many kind emails and tweets from readers and it means the world. I also want to thank all of the generous vendors who keep this blog running. I am grateful for everything that you share.