Qi Fine Teas

Qi Fine Teas consists of two China certified Senior Tea Masters/Senior Tea Quality Judges, an organic chemist/regional Chinese cuisine chef, a physician/bar owner and a European real estate investor/engineer.

The tea company grew from our original plan for a rural Chinese restaurant to introduce our favorite foods from parts of China that are quite underrepresented in the US. The journey lasted longer than expected—17 continuous years living in China scouring over 400 villages, 215 cities, 3900 Chinese restaurant kitchens, 27 ethnic groups and working as chef in a number of Chinese restaurants along the way. We found an unusual link in our journey—regions that produced the finest teas were also the home to our favorite foods, often the same extended families producing both. With the vastness and diversity of Chinese food and teas this could have gone on for another 50 years, as one always seems to get that "just want to learn one more thing" feeling. We met countless chefs, tea growers, street food vendors, farmers, fishermen, and home cooks along the way that graciously taught us about food and tea. Two of us spent over 6 years to earn both Senior Tea Master and Senior Tea Quality Judge certifications, which are the highest available in China. Another one of us picked up two master chef awards in China. We are passionate and committed to what we do.