I’m spotlighting another Chicago business! Introducing Volition Tea! I recently purchased the raw jade, white jade and white peony. The two jade teas are in pillow format which are so lovely. I’ve always had a soft spot for compressed tea. There is something about the ease of it being pre-measured. I can just plop it into my brewing vessel and sip, sip, sip for hours! I love them both but as I write this I am re-tasting the raw Jade.

The dry pillow leaf aroma fills my nostrils with the memories of lavashak - a persian fruit leather type snack. While Lavashak comes in many flavors this aroma reminded me of the lavashak that was made with stone fruit like apricots or plums. Once the water hits the leaves the aroma stays fruity but also almost instantly adds a layer of cocoa which is such an interesting an lovely marriage of scents. The lid of my easy gaiwan changed fruits to a more pear type aroma. Light and refreshing. I usually brew my first steep a little light to taste it but even so the fruity notes with a hint of cocoa really come through well. As I drink these flavors deepen. Truly a spectacular tea!

Volition Tea Co also has several more teas and teaware to brew with as well!

You can check out all their offerings on their site!

Learn more about Annie and Volition Tea!

1) Can you give us a little introduction about you/Volition Tea Co? 

This is Annie, a proud first-generation Chinese American and founder of Volition Tea Co. I am a huge fan of the food & beverage industry, particularly here in Chicago. I used to have a customized Google Map of all the incredible restaurants and speakeasies in Chicago for my friends and families to try. Volition Tea is a tea company focusing on sharing single-origin, sustainably grown loose leaf teas from China, and celebrating tea farmers who grew and made them. We also let our farmers dedicate pricing so they can ensure their fiscal wellbeing.

2) When did you start drinking tea? 

I grew up in Xinjiang, the northwest corner of China. The earliest memory of tea drinking I have is with my family sitting in a yurt sipping black brick tea with yak butter. The brick tea is often boiled in a large teapot over bonfire, then yak butter is added in so it tastes like salted milk tea. I can't find yak butter here in Chicago, but my mom and I would still make this tea with butter sometimes and it immediately takes me back home.

3) What inspired you to start Volition Tea Co?

In my prior life I was a tax manager at one of the big four accounting firms. Though I was working on very challenging issues, I found myself craving for deeper connections with others. As hate crimes against my community continue on the rise, I developed a burning desire to do my part to reconnect the world. I chose tea because although it's a household staple, farmers who created teas were hidden behind the curtains from tea brands' marketing. Very much like the fate of Chinese food, much of the western society believes that tea should be and need to be cheap. That expectation forces tea farmers into a vicious circle of heavy fertilizer and pesticide usage to guarantee high yield, in exchange for ever narrowing profit margin that's not fiscally sustainable. Volition Tea is here to break the chain, celebrating our farmers and their perseverance for regenerative farming. Through storytelling, We've been able to form so many deep connections with farmers and tea drinkers around the world. It's been truly a dream come true.

4) What does your personal tea ritual look like? 

My mornings are always hectic, getting my son and myself ready, and then sending him to school. I usually come home around 9am, that's when I get to start my morning tea ritual. If I've got places to go, I usually steep tea western style. If I am fortunate enough to have some time to myself, then I pick a tea and do it gongfu style, sharing it with my mom and my partner. All of VT teas can offer multiple steeping, so I would drink that tea throughout the day.

5) Do you have a current favorite tea that you offer? 

My current favorite tea has been the Lu'an Melon Peel. I'm convinced it's my ultimate living-in-the-present challenge. Its flavors are so nuanced and subtle. Drinking this tea forces me to quiet down and focus. If I can be really present, then it always surprises me with a discovery of a new flavor/aroma note. Living in this fast-moving world, I am especially appreciative of this tea that gets me to slow down.

6) How did you curate the selection of teas that you currently offer on the site? 

The original plan is to procure 2 different teas for each of the six types of tea to give tea drinkers a full range of single-origin tea experience. I worked with my exporter to meet and vet farmers who are in the sustainable farming community, which is fairly small to begin with. We cupped approximately 50 different teas and finally decided on these 7, because the teas are incredibly delicious, they have passed the pesticide residue test, and the relationship we have built with their respective tea farmer is genuine and candid.

7) What are your hopes for the future of Volition Tea Co?

I have a bold vision that Volition Tea will form a community where tea drinkers around the world demand for high-quality, farmer-focused teas and are ready to support this cause, so that the tea farmers have the market confidence and fiscal security to continue striving for sustainable farming.