By Anna Guy
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C
alming, or invigorating. Enjoyed
alone, or to bring people together.
Hot, or cold.
Tea is the most widely consumed bever-
age in the world next to water thanks to its
versatility. It can be served anytime, any-
where, for any occasion. On any given day,
more than one half of the North American
population is drinking tea.
But these facts are not what prompted
Tonia and Hatem Jahshan to start their
company, Steeped Tea. Rather, it was the
pure delight from a cup of loose-leaf Earl
Grey de la Crème tea while on a vacation
in Nova Scotia, that turned their perspec-
tive of tea around 180 degrees.
Used to the ubiquitous teabags sold in gro-
cery stores, “I hadn’t experienced anything
like it before,” Tonia says. “And that was
surprising to me. I was quite surprised at
how different it tasted. Fresher, not as bit-
ter as a teabag can get. And then I thought
I was so darn excited about that tea that I
wanted to share it with everybody. I’m like
that—if I fall in love with something, I want
to share it.”
Tonia and her husband drove an extra hour
to buy the tea for family and friends. Ha-
DECEMBER 2017
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