As the plane touches the runway in Taipei City, Taiwan's most populated region, Brett Boynton is greeted with warm, humid air and a sea-salty breeze. Within minutes he is out in the bustling streets flooded with Chinese-speaking vendors. The island of Taiwan, located off the southeastern coast of China, is known for its steep mountains and lush forests. However, Boynton is not there solely for the scenery; what he has come looking for is small enough to fit in the palm of his hand.
Boyton is the manager of the Teacup, a Seattle teashop based out of Queen Anne, which has been operating for over 10 years. He began as an employee nearly eight years ago when he was simply looking for a job, but soon learned that he had a passion for tea and wanted to pursue it as a career. "I worked very closely with the owner," said Boynton, "who taught me a lot about tea."
Boynton has taken five trips to Taiwan with the purpose of returning home with delicious, hand-picked tea for Seattleites to buy. The trips, a mixture of business and play, allow Boynton to purchase high-quality teas while fostering relationships with local friends and fellow tea-lovers. During his last trip, Boynton even met up with a reader of his blog, whom he made time to have tea with. This relational aspect of sharing tea together is, Boynton explained, a central feature of tea culture.
Seeing the product firsthand is one of the best ways to ensure quality, but this is much easier said than done, Boynton said. He treks into the mountains to hand-pick the teas that he will bring back to Teacup.[[In-content Ad]]
