About
karen@karendunlap.org
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I’m a passionate advocate for America’s growing interest in premium tea. I look for projects that encourage thoughtful innovation and sustainability. My specialties include: extensive knowledge of tea cultivation; ability to make tea accessible to diverse groups. Expertise in conceptualizing new products, marketing campaigns and setting up profitable loose tea programs for restaurants and retailers.
We all have our stories. Here’s how I fell in love with tea:
It was the summer of 1990, just months after the fall of the Berlin Wall, on a high school exchange in Russia that I first tasted great tea. It was not the most serene of circumstances – I was sleeping aboard a train, traveling from Moscow to Kiev. At sunrise, train workers abruptly woke me up, pushed my ‘bed’ back into a folding seat and handed me a steaming hot glass of tea. Stunned and not fully conscious, I stared at the teacup, wishing I could go back to sleep. It wasn’t any use though, not with a hot piping cup of tea in my hands with no place to put it. I stared again; the cup was made of real glass with a carved silver holder. The beauty of the cup temped me to take sips. Careful sips as the train turned corners, shifting my body with it. I felt the warmth of morning light on my face. The tea tasted good. The city of Kiev came into view. In that moment, my senses were opened. It was a beginning.
Learning about tea in America can be tricky, as the plant (Camellia sinenses) is not widely cultivated in North America nor is tea drinking deeply embedded in the culture. Access to high quality tea is limited. There are no American college programs to enroll in. Add to that, the elusive nature of tea itself, a beverage connected more to inspiration and beauty – than, say, working hard (coffee) or celebrating (alcohol).
I’ve learned, and continue to learn about tea by traveling to tea regions, doing research and working within the tea industry. I’m grateful to the following teachers: David Hoffman (Silk Road Teas), Michael and Winnie Wong (Tea Gallery, NYC), Yoshihiro Terazono (Urasenke Foundation NYC), Frank Kwei (In Pursuit of Tea), Sebastian Beckwith (In Pursuit of Tea) and Nabe San (Ippodo Tea Company, Kyoto, Japan).