Cultural Beverages From Africa and the African Diaspora Reinterpreted as Premium Loose-Leaf Tea Blends.
From refreshing Gambian Wonjo to the sweet, tropical Piña Colada of Puerto Rico, experience beloved cultural favorites - reimagined as tea.
AFRICAN STEEPS
Regular price
$18.00
per
Inspiration: Gambian Wonjo | Hibiscus • Apple • Spearmint • Vanilla flavoring • Strawberry flavoring • Caffeine-free
Wonjo - the fruity, minty, hibiscus drink from Gambia - inspired this refreshing tea blend, which we recommend you sweeten and sip over ice. The tartness of hibiscus is soothed by a cool spearmint and enlivened by sweet pineapple. With soft notes of strawberry and vanilla to round it out, Stay Fresh is the caffeine-free blend should be your go-to drink for the Summer.
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Historical and Cultural Context:
Wonjo is made from the flower of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa), a hibiscus native to West Africa; it is usually served cold and is consumed both during daily life and on special occasions. While called wonjo in Gambia (the local name for the plant it is made from), it is also known as sobolo, bissap, zobo, and karkadé in other parts of Africa. The plant is used in many foods and drinks and also has medicinal uses. It was introduced to Brazil by enslaved Africans in the 1600s and spread throughout Latin America in aguas frescas such as "agua de Jamaica". Hibiscus tea earned a prominent position in American soul food, where it is one of the beverages known as "red drink". Variations of the drink are also consumed in Italy and Southeast Asia.
Ingredients:
Hibiscus, Apple, Spearmint, Vanilla flavoring, Strawberry flavoring
Caffeine-free
Regular price
$15.00
per
Kenyan Orthodox Black Tea | Malty richness • Natural cocoa undertones • Caffeine
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Black Is Beautiful is rooted in the communal tea culture of Kenya, where strongly brewed tea is part of everyday life and shared as a sign of welcome and respect.
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This single-origin orthodox black tea boasts natural cocoa undertones, warm malt depth, and can be enjoyed hot with milk, a sweetener of your choice, and a friend to drink it with.
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Historical and Cultural Context:
Tea has been cultivated in Kenya since 1903, and Kenya ranks third in the world in tea production. Most tea produced in the country is black tea – Kenya exports more black tea than any other country. Kenya's climate, coupled with the extraordinarily fertile soil of the Great Rift Valley, make the region ideal for tea production. Over half of Kenya's tea is grown on small farms.
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Ingredients:100% orthodox Kenyan black teaContains caffeine. Single-origin. All natural.
ISLAND BREWS
Regular price
$18.00
per
Inspiration: Dominican Batido de Mango | Moringa • Apple • Ginger • Lime • Mango Flavoring • Passionfruit flavoring • Caffeine-free
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Nothing says "tropical" like a cold mango drink; the Dominican Republic does it best with Batido de Mango, a creamy beverage made rich by evaporated/condensed milk and even more dairy, if you please. Let That Mango interprets this classic into an iced tea, accentuating the sweetness of mango with punchy notes from ginger, lime and passionfruit. Adjust the flavor with a sweetener and milk of your choice.
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Historical and Cultural Context:
The first Africans arrived in the present-day Dominican Republic in the early 1500s. Ladinos, as they were called, were Christian, Spanish-speaking Africans; some were enslaved and others were freemen, and this group became the first African diaspora community in the western hemisphere. The country was the site of the earliest-recorded slave revolt in the Americas, when about 20 Wolof Muslims (from present-day Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania) rose against a sugar plantation owner, the son of Christopher Columbus.Â
Former enslaved Africans, referred to as "maroons", formed communities isolated from the sugar plantations and intermixed with the indigenous TaĂno people, creating a new and unique culture. This influence can be seen in Dominican cultural innovations such as merengue music, which traditionally combines instruments of African, TaĂno, and Spanish origin. Batidos, a cultural staple in today's Dominican Republic, also known as licuados, are popular Caribbean beverages similar to a fruit milkshake.
Ingredients:
Moringa, Apple, Ginger, Lime, Mango Flavoring, Passionfruit flavoring
Caffeine-free
Regular price
$18.00
per
Inspiration: Puerto Rican Piña Colada | Moringa • Coconut • Apple • Pineapple • Vanilla flavoring • Rum flavoring • Caffeine-free
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What’s the Tea? is the alcohol-free interpretation of the sweet, tropical delight that is the Piña Colada of Puerto Rico. The familiar creamy coconut, sweet pineapple and warm rum flavor are further rounded out by a hint of vanilla, and sit on a healthy base of the famous Moringa tea. Enjoy on ice with a sweetener and coconut milk or cream. (Hot tip: best to avoid adding dairy, as you run the risk of curdling when interacting with pineapple).
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Historical and Cultural Context:
The first Africans to set foot on Puerto Rico were free men, conquistadors under Juan Ponce de León, in 1509; West and Central Africa has influenced Puerto Rican culture since. Puerto Rican Spanish contains words originating from Kongo. Bomba music, rooted in Ghana, was created on Puerto Rican sugar plantations. African influence can be seen in Puerto Rico's culinary tradition - mofongo, for example, is partially based on the West African dish fufu. The origin of the piña colada, Puerto Rico's national drink, is controversial - at least three bartenders claim to have invented it, while legend says it was created by a Puerto Rican pirate. Here, the cocktail flavors are paired with moringa, a plant (Moringa oleifera) cultivated both in Africa and the Caribbean.
Ingredients:
Moringa, Coconut, Apple, Pineapple, Vanilla flavoring, Rum flavoring.
Caffeine-free
AFRO-LATINO PRIDE
Regular price
$18.00
per
Inspiration: Dominican Batido de Mango | Moringa • Apple • Ginger • Lime • Mango Flavoring • Passionfruit flavoring • Caffeine-free
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Nothing says "tropical" like a cold mango drink; the Dominican Republic does it best with Batido de Mango, a creamy beverage made rich by evaporated/condensed milk and even more dairy, if you please. Let That Mango interprets this classic into an iced tea, accentuating the sweetness of mango with punchy notes from ginger, lime and passionfruit. Adjust the flavor with a sweetener and milk of your choice.
Â
Historical and Cultural Context:
The first Africans arrived in the present-day Dominican Republic in the early 1500s. Ladinos, as they were called, were Christian, Spanish-speaking Africans; some were enslaved and others were freemen, and this group became the first African diaspora community in the western hemisphere. The country was the site of the earliest-recorded slave revolt in the Americas, when about 20 Wolof Muslims (from present-day Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania) rose against a sugar plantation owner, the son of Christopher Columbus.Â
Former enslaved Africans, referred to as "maroons", formed communities isolated from the sugar plantations and intermixed with the indigenous TaĂno people, creating a new and unique culture. This influence can be seen in Dominican cultural innovations such as merengue music, which traditionally combines instruments of African, TaĂno, and Spanish origin. Batidos, a cultural staple in today's Dominican Republic, also known as licuados, are popular Caribbean beverages similar to a fruit milkshake.
Ingredients:
Moringa, Apple, Ginger, Lime, Mango Flavoring, Passionfruit flavoring
Caffeine-free
Regular price
$18.00
per
Inspiration: Puerto Rican Piña Colada | Moringa • Coconut • Apple • Pineapple • Vanilla flavoring • Rum flavoring • Caffeine-free
Â
What’s the Tea? is the alcohol-free interpretation of the sweet, tropical delight that is the Piña Colada of Puerto Rico. The familiar creamy coconut, sweet pineapple and warm rum flavor are further rounded out by a hint of vanilla, and sit on a healthy base of the famous Moringa tea. Enjoy on ice with a sweetener and coconut milk or cream. (Hot tip: best to avoid adding dairy, as you run the risk of curdling when interacting with pineapple).
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Historical and Cultural Context:
The first Africans to set foot on Puerto Rico were free men, conquistadors under Juan Ponce de León, in 1509; West and Central Africa has influenced Puerto Rican culture since. Puerto Rican Spanish contains words originating from Kongo. Bomba music, rooted in Ghana, was created on Puerto Rican sugar plantations. African influence can be seen in Puerto Rico's culinary tradition - mofongo, for example, is partially based on the West African dish fufu. The origin of the piña colada, Puerto Rico's national drink, is controversial - at least three bartenders claim to have invented it, while legend says it was created by a Puerto Rican pirate. Here, the cocktail flavors are paired with moringa, a plant (Moringa oleifera) cultivated both in Africa and the Caribbean.
Ingredients:
Moringa, Coconut, Apple, Pineapple, Vanilla flavoring, Rum flavoring.
Caffeine-free
Regular price
$18.00
per
Inspiration: Venezuelan Spiced Chorote | Rooibos • Cocoa Nibs • Chocolate flavoring • Cinnamon • Anise • Red Peppercorns • Light Caffeine
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Chocolate and spice, served on ice. Cocoa Butter honors the ancient Venezuelan tradition by housing this blend in a warm, rooibos base - where the warm, earthy spices complement the cocoa perfectly without being overpowered. Add a sweetener and milk of your choice. While this is meant to be served cold, it makes a deliciously toasty hot beverage.
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Historical and Cultural Context:
Chorote is a family of drinks found in much of Latin America, from Cuba to Costa Rica, that may have very different ingredients depending on where it is made. Long before Europeans landed in the Americas, Mayans and Aztecs made beverages from cocoa beans. Chorote was similarly created long ago by indigenous Venezuelan peoples, made from ground cocoa and spices. Afro-Venezuelans played key roles in securing Venezuela's independence from Spain. Pedro Camejo, for example, was born enslaved but achieved the rank of lieutenant in SimĂłn BolĂvar's army; for his bravery and skill on the battlefield, he earned the nickname "El Negro Primero".
Ingredients:
Rooibos, Cocoa Nibs, Chocolate flavoring, Cinnamon, Anise, Red Peppercorns
Light Caffeine
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