Red Circle Tea was founded with a sense of adventure and passion. I travel through Asia, meeting with farmers and tea masters alike, on a quest to find legendary and rare teas. I source hard-to-find, hand-picked artisan teas from extremely small harvests. My passion is learning about tea by experiencing it first-hand, and I want to share with you the mysteries and delights of this world.
Why "Red Circle"? There is a circle of people that tea connects: It begins with the farmer, it continues with the tea pickers, the master who processes the tea, the tea vendor, the importer, and finally, the person who drinks and appreciates the tea. This person ultimately becomes the the guardian of these leaves. But together, these people have all been touched by the same leaves. They are connected in a sacred circle, bound by this tea. Red is of course the color of celebration, and Red Circle Tea celebrates this honorable circle of people. And though they live worlds apart, they each appreciate the Art of Tea.
Red Circle Tea is owned by Sina (me) and I live in San Francisco. I've been studying tea for 8 years and my teacher is a 4th generation tea master who lives in China.
I personally travel to China twice a year to source fresh, seasonal, sustainable, hand processed small batches of tea. Not all teas are created equal, that’s why I source the highest grades of teas that cannot be found on the mainstream market. I work directly with Chinese farmers and encourage them to bring back heritage varietals of tea that are being lost to more commercially produced teas. Most of these teas you see here are bought ON the farm. I am changing the way Chinese tea farmers see the international tea market by helping them learn that consumers in the US really care how their tea is grown, how it is harvested and processed. I tell them that for tea drinkers, the art of making great tea still matters. They appreciate my love of great teas, and they share with me the best of what they have.
And I am changing what we in the US think of as "tea". The truth is that tea is seasonal, a fresh food product, and when you buy from Red Circle, you are buying superior grades of tea; that's why you'll always see the harvest year next to the tea.
Red Circle also sells Antique and Treasured teas. These are teas that are meant to be 5, 10, or 30 years old and, like fine Scotch or Whiskey, they mellow and experience gentle changes of character over time. Antique teas are valuable collectors’ teas that taste so good, even a novice tea drinker can easily appreciate their quality.
And most importantly, you'll love drinking my teas. You don’t have to be a master tea brewer to make great tea, or study tea for years. When you buy tea this good, it practically makes itself! After all, wouldn’t you want to taste what a master tea grower drinks for breakfast? Now you can. Happy shopping.
Email me: Sina
Read about my tea adventures on my blog: www.redcircletea.com/blog