Building an
inclusive online
tea community

Marika de Vienne 0:19

Welcome, everyone to season two of Steeping Together, the podcast where we explore the vast world of tea over a cup of tea with tea enthusiasts! I'm your tea-obsessed host Marika, and I am, as usual, terribly excited to be with you all today. Tea, at its very heart is a social beverage. There is so much amazing exchange that can happen over a wonderful cup of tea. And it is quite frankly, the main reason we started this podcast. Finding a community has always been a struggle, even more so in the past few years where most of our socialisation has been relegated to online outlets, or making a connection is not always easy, nor can it be positive. So how do you build a community? What are the steps to joining one? What are the most important parts to making a safe and inclusive space in the terrifying world that is the worldwide web? Well, in order to help me answer this very important question, I have enlisted the help of a very special guest, Jann from Tea With Jann. Welcome Jann!

Jann 1:29

Hey, thank you.

Marika de Vienne 1:32

How are you doing today?

Jann 1:34

Oh, you know, equal parts nervous and excited

Marika de Vienne 1:37

I don't want to make people nervous. But I do feel that just my natural exuberance has a tendency to do so. So hopefully, I'll be able to put you at ease with our very first question, which is, Jann, would you care to introduce yourself the way you'd like to be introduced?

Jann 1:55

Oh, for sure. I mean, this is, I love to hear questions like this. So besides being a tea lover, I would say I'm an Apple fan, and the tech kind, not the eating kind. I live in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada, with my wife, Jeanette, and our kitty, Gary. I'm 40-something, and I forget things all the time due to a stroke. And it also causes me to mix up words and pronounce things incorrectly. But I actually can't blame that all on the stroke, I've pronounced things incorrectly my whole life. And I just, it just continues. So but now at least I have a smidge of an excuse. Yeah, I'm introverted and I'm full of anxiety. So I am anxiously excited to be here with you.

Marika de Vienne 2:52

Sounds good. You know, I am actually an introvert as well. And when I tell people that they don't believe me, because I cope with my introverted-ness through extraversion. And I wonder if you don't do the same thing with your channel Tea With Jann? Because it takes a lot. It takes a lot to put yourself out there in that way. I don't know if you feel comfortable talking about that a little bit?

Jann 3:21

Yeah, for sure. So I think with me, with having my YouTube channel, and people always see that it's very extroverted, but they see the person that, I guess that I'm, not presenting, because it is truly me, it's who you're seeing. But you're not - you're kind of seeing the person that I am with somebody that I'm very comfortable with. Because I'm not... I don't have the nervous energy and the anxiety of sitting right across from you. We have the screen in between us. And that definitely helps my anxiety a lot. But yeah, no, I just.. it's all good.

Marika de Vienne 4:04

Okay, I think the screen and the computer and the camera and the microphone, they all provide a certain barrier in which you can create a comfortable space for yourself. And like you said, you know, I always hear people say, "Oh, I'm very comfortable with myself, or I'm not comfortable with myself." And I don't understand this kind of black and white perception of yourself. There's just so many different yous that live within you, you know, and we're not... I read this on your website, you said, you know, "I'm not a jam jar, but I do adhere to certain labels." And I loved that. I thought that was great. And I feel the same way. There's certain labels that fit me very, very well. But in this space of this podcast, I can be the best version of Marika, the version of Marika I really, really like. And it's not a lie, it is who I am, but I'm in a safe and comfortable space. So I'm going to stop talking about me. I know I am one of my favourite subjects. But this is about you, Jann, this is about your space and what you've done. So can you tell me a little bit how Tea With Jann started? So this is a YouTube channel you have of course all the Instagrams and I'm sure you're on Facebook? So how does how did Tea With Jann really start?

Jann 5:20

I guess I have a deep drive to stay busy, is at the heart of it all. So I have a full time job. I've had a career since I was actually 17. And I've always had side hustles. Like, always, whatever you want to call them, side hustles, side projects, hobbies, that kind of push my boundaries. And with Tea With Jann it actually started out with a different channel name, it was "Cobwebs and Chords." And I wanted to put myself into a space that I wasn't, you know, specifically comfortable with, that really pushed my boundaries and that would allow me to learn something, but be creative and take me out of the world that I'm in day to day. So I started my YouTube channel, and it was tea, vintage things, and technology. Because those are all the things I love. I soon found out that it was very confusing for anybody watching. So I was like, "Okay, I need to pick one thing." And tea has been, you know, a part of my life since I've started my career. And, you know, it also could overlap in those three different categories. So I dove headfirst into my YouTube channel with just tea, but also overlapping into my love of tea with antiques and tea with technology.

Marika de Vienne 6:47

It's a very, it's a wonderful space, I love watching your videos where you taste a tea, or you talk about a new antique cup that you've received, or just things that are happening in your life. It really is like having, I'm gonna say, a four o'clock tea just because of the amount of Aynsley antique teaware you have but also in the sense that you're catching up with a friend who's just really as passionate about, you know, tea and teaware. And as you said, tech or you know, whatever's happening in Gary's life these days, you know. But it does symbolise one of the things I love about tea, which is just kind of free flowing thoughts over a cup of tea and all the wonderful insights that can come of that in those moments. And that's not an easy thing to create in a YouTube space, especially since there's no one else there interacting with you. You've created an environment that is deeply inclusive, that invites people to discover all kinds of different teas, that invites people to take a minute out of their day. You're not exactly, you know, "Pop pop! Tea With Jann, today, we're drinking this, ahhh!!" You know, you're more of a reserved person. And I always feel when I start one of your videos that I'm entering a kind of kind meditative space. Does that make sense?

Jann 8:15

Yes, it does. I'm very happy about that, actually. Yes, thank you.

Marika de Vienne 8:20

You're welcome. Thank you! I mean, without you, my life would just be a nonstop roller coaster of caffeine and children. So it's really nice to have an oasis in which to you know, you start your videos, and it's very soft. And it's like, "Hi, I'm Jann," and I just, I immediately am in that space. How do you do that? I mean, okay, let me phrase the question better. It's a very kind environment, it's a very inclusive environment. It's an environment you can feel as soon as the video starts, how exactly did that environment evolve over time to become what it is now?

Jann 9:02

I think the thing for me is that once I got used to and comfortable talking to the camera, I don't really envision it as talking to the camera. I really truly envision all of the people that I've had connections with, and I've had conversations with behind the scenes. So when I'm sitting there talking to the camera, I'm thinking about certain people and certain conversations and I'm thinking about the person that told me that, you know, like, "Thank you for taking me on the hike with you. Because otherwise, I'm not able to do that. I can't leave my apartment." You know, "Thank you for showing me this tea that, you know, I would never be able to experience." So it's that, and it's that comfort that I guess I'm trying... I feel like I want to make sure that I'm talking directly to people like it's...I'm just, sorry.

Marika de Vienne 9:58

No, don't apologise. No I think it's, it's hard to explain exactly what you've done, I think because, the reason it works is because it's so natural. And sometimes when these things are natural and not over thought, and somebody asked you like, "Well, how did you spin this magic," and you're like "Oh, it's who I am. And this is what I've done." But it does make sense to me that you're not speaking to necessarily an audience or a kind of, you know, inanimate object like the camera, like, you're picking somebody, like you're taking somebody for a hike, like you're having a cup of tea with a certain individual. In this space, at least, I'm always shocked to discover, I know we have listeners, I see the data. I know, we have many, many, many listeners, and I love each and every one of them. But I'm always shocked when somebody messages me something that was said in the podcast, because it remains a very intimate conversation to me. And I'm like, "Oh, where did you hear that? Oh, right, the podcast!" You know, so I at least completely understand how you do it in terms of envisioning somebody that you're having this conversation with, and I think that's what makes it just so authentic and intimate. And it's a beautiful thing. Congratulations, you have a lot to be proud of.

Jann 11:19

Thank you very much. That's so sweet.

Marika de Vienne 11:24

But here's, Jann, one of my big questions. I actively avoid community on the internet. I really do. I think it's a wonderful tool to meet people from around the world, I think it's extraordinary privilege to have access to the internet and to have access to a whole community of people with whom you can interact with on at the drop of a hat, on a moment's notice. But it is also a deep, dark forest filled with trolls. It's hard to put yourself out there on the internet, at least for me, because I feel like at any given moment, for no reason at all, people are going to be less than favourable or less than nice. So you know, you have a very vulnerable channel, you are a open person, you're a very generous person, you're a very kind person. How do you negotiate the highs that are interacting with people who like what you're doing, who enjoy tea as well, who enjoy that kind of interaction, with the inevitable pitfalls of just people who are hurt and are lashing out at others anonymously because they can? How are you going to help me build a better online community Jann?

Jann 12:49

Yeah, so it's definitely difficult. I knew getting into it, that, you know, you're gonna have people that you're not going to make happy or that are going to feel okay attacking you for no reason, or, for the reason of who I am. And I had to accept that, I think it's with any anything. You know, if you want to love something, you have to be willing to have your heart broken. And it's that whole thing of, you know, if you want anything, you have to be willing to, like, have a little bit of rejection and have a little bit of, you know, hurt, it just goes along with it. And it honestly, I mean I definitely have had my heart broken by people, and by people that they don't even know me, but that they felt okay attacking me. And that really hurt and it really crushed me. But at the same time, it's like I look at the amount of people that I get to connect with and that I get to talk with, and, you know, that far outweighs it. And, you know, having the love and the support of the community and having the love and the support of the people that I get to talk to behind the scenes and, you know, through my YouTube channel, that far outweighs the the negative comments that I have now learned just to delete. That's it. It's as simple, you know, I don't need to see these negative comments. My viewers don't need to see these negative comments. And you know, it's delete and block. That's my, that's my motto. Like, you know, it's not the space for hate.

Marika de Vienne 14:45

Good for you. Yeah, no, it's not the space for hate, especially since I know that you've become a person of hope to a lot of young people for various reasons. I think, you know, we've spoken about this offline before about how you know, teenagers have reached out reached out to you in terms of coming out, or in terms of being accepted by their own local communities, and that you've been able to give a positive reply to that, or, you know, help them a little bit in some way. I mean, that must be so rewarding. That must feel just incredible.

Jann 15:24

It is extremely rewarding. Like, yeah, I'm completely shocked every time that somebody like, messaged me privately. And they're like, you know, either asking for advice or telling me that, you know, seeing me and my wife interact, gave them the, you know, courage to go and tell their parent and, you know, to actually come out. And I think that's one of the reasons why, at the very beginning, usually, very, very soon, in any of my videos, I'm usually very like, "Oh, my wife," or "Oh, Jeanette, who's my wife," like, I'm very upfront with that, because I don't want people to... I don't want people to start to enjoy my content, and then turn around and hate me for being who I am. That sounds awful.

Marika de Vienne 16:11

I mean, nobody wants to be hated! It doesn't sound awful. It makes complete sense to me. I think, to me, the way I've always seen your relationship with Jeanette is as a very honest one, like, "This is my wife, she's a part of my life, she's a huge part of my life and if you don't like it, you can leave." I don't know who could not love Janette, she's in very few of your videos, and I'm already obsessed. She was in a video the other day with some vinyl records she found, and I am going to need a part two, already. But you know, being who you are, and being upfront about it, you know, I think that gives a lot of people courage, and that shows them that you know, it does get better, it can be great. You can be in a loving, wonderful relationship, gay, queer, whatever it is, it doesn't matter. Having someone in your life that loves you and supports you, you know, and encourages you to be better and encourages you to be kind. Who wouldn't want that for another human being. And so I think it's just wonderful and Jeanette should be in more videos. She probably doesn't like me saying that. But it's true. It's the truth.

Marika de Vienne 17:39

I'm gonna pivot slightly, but stay with me, stay with me. Because one of the things that you talk about on your channel that I have never given any real or genuine thought to, is in terms of tea, you talk about cups and packaging a lot. You'll like, feel the tea tins sometimes, like, "I love the feel of this tin." And I'm like, am I interrupting something? She seems to be having a moment. So I never take these things into consideration. I'm all about what's in the cup. Tell me what's in the cup, you know. And in a world with so much falsehood, like or, you know, putting up a certain persona, like we'll see on Instagram, or a fake filter. I have always tried to look beyond the cup and beyond the packaging to see the content. But you seem so deeply enamoured by it. Can you just explain why these things hold such magic for you?

Jann 18:39

Yeah, for sure. And you're right. I do...caress? It's that whole, the magic before the whole package, if that makes sense. So can you imagine DAVIDsTEA without teal, without any of the packaging. without any of the branding? DAVIDsTEA is just tea in a bowl. It's not going to entice somebody that's never looked at tea before. D'you know what I mean?

Marika de Vienne 19:19

Hmmm, for someone who's never looked at tea before, I think... it's because as you're saying that, I can't imagine DAVIDsTEA without the teal. That is true. The teal is integral to it. So yeah, if you're introducing it to someone for the first time, okay, I'm on board, please continue.

Jann 19:34

Right, so when you get something in the mail, and it's like a teal box, and it's all pretty. It's that whole, that rush of excitement. And then it's also the fact that there's so much care that's been taken into that. So I think about like somebody actually had to come up with, "Hey, that's teal, like instead of just like a black and white box, we're going to use teal for the branding and the marketing, and the choice in the selection for the different materials like for the, the Favourite Tumbler that you know, has the different textures on the outside. Like yes, it is a vessel that is going to hold my tea and make it very cold. But what does it feel like? Like the Tumbler that I use every day feels completely different than the Tumbler that Jeanette uses every day. And I can't stand the feel of her Tumbler.

Jann 20:33

So it's all of those things. I think for me like it really, it brings me back to when I was little. My dad, who's since passed away, but when I was little, he was a gruff really mean man. But for some reason he taught me how to giftwrap packages at Christmas time. And it was it just blew my mind. And I was terrified. And like, I was so many emotions, so many emotions, but crisp corners and creases on my packaging, they shall have. I remember him saying like, it was just so out of character for him. But it was just him and I and him telling me like, you know, "This is how your mom will know that you care. Because you took the time to make the corners correct. You took the time to make it wrapped pretty. You took the time to present it to her, not just like, hey, here's your gift, which is the inside, which is what you want." But that it's the whole experience, it's that feeling before you get to it, which is also the actual tactile feeling of a item as well, which is why I loved caressing the packaging.

Marika de Vienne 21:57

It absolutely makes sense to me, and I can't say that I'm 100% converted because I am the person who tears into the packaging, I am the person who just, "Just send me the tea in a ziplock bag. I'm fine. It's okay, I just, all I want is the tea." But I think at first when I saw how much you loved the packaging and loved the look of the cup, I was like, well, that's kind of superficial, isn't it? You know, it's not the real content of what you're drinking or what you're about to experience. But you've actually really edified me to the point where there's an emotionality and an emotional connection to it. It's not about appreciating it just because it's pretty, it is conveying the whole experience to you. And that's a really beautiful way to look at it. It's not just oh, this is so edgy or so trendy, or like I'm cool, look at how it looks. There's a real connection that you're making with these things, so much so that you know, like a pet cat you arecaressing and loving them.

Jann 22:59

Yes, yes, I am. Yep. And I love it when people say to me, "Jann, you're gonna love this packaging." They now know, you're gonna love the feel of this.

Marika de Vienne 23:10

Oh, that's good. I'm gonna start, I'm going to go home, and I'm going to start feeling my packaging a little bit more. And I'm going to give myself that moment. So thank you very much for adding that to my day, my goodness. All right, so let's go straight to the heart of the matter. The tea, the tea in the Tea With Jann. I love how you describe tea flavours. I love how you describe tea flavours because I think a lot of us in the tea world get bogged down by the minutiae of the description. Is the ginger from India or China, you know, we love to know, the tiny little details behind it. And your descriptions are very much emotionally based as opposed to taste based, which I really, really enjoy. Because when you describe a tea, I know what you're tasting, but I don't know what you're tasting. Does that make any sense?

Jann 24:10

So much, yes!

Marika

It's a wonderful way to to describe tea. How do you feel about it? I feel like you're always like, "Okay, how do I describe this," you always seem slightly hesitant.

Jann 24:24

Because I don't feel like I described teas well. And I really don't. And it's probably because I am an extremely, extremely emotional person. So for me, if you tell me a story, I am not going to remember the time, place, the person. I'm not going to remember any of that. I can tell you how I felt. I can tell you what the emotions were. I can tell you what memories it conjured up for me. But yeah, it's just not the way that I operate. So I don't feel like I do a very good job at describing teas. So I try.

Marika de Vienne 25:07

Well, I'm here to tell you to do a fantastic job of describing teas, certainly, especially within the aspect of today's question, which is how do you build a community? And one of the things that I've struggled with in the past, I'd say 10 years, been about 10 years now, that I struggle with describing teas myself. Because when I'm in a room full of culinary enthusiast, tea enthusiast, there's a certain as I said, the minutiae of the tea tasting notes becomes a part of the ritual of drinking tea, we like to pinpoint exactly what each flavour note on our tongue is hitting. But I have found that anytime I've introduced tea to someone, or I've been in a culture that was not North Americans, specifically when I was living in China, or when I visited, you know, Sri Lanka, or any of the countries I visited, I found that professional tea tasting notes, even with tea professionals, but in different cultural communities other than my own, has a tendency to alienate people.

Marika 26:20

I remember once drinking a green tea made by a producer by hand, this man made a tea by hand in front of me in a woodfired wok, and then gave it to me to drink. And I said, oh, this is amazing. And it was one of the most amazing teas I've ever had. And he said, "Well, what are you tasting?" And I said the notes of asparagus are fantastic in this tea. And he said, "What's an asparagus?" And in that moment, I had completely alienated a person with whom I was, you know, trying to build a connection. And so coming back to your tastes, descriptions, you're conveying a feeling, you're conveying an emotion, you're conveying a moment, and in that way, you're building inclusivity, within that description. I mean, you say you don't like your tea description. But can you see how it actually helps to build your community? Or am I just putting words in your mouth.

Jann 27:14

No, I love those words. Just continue.

Marika de Vienne 27:18

Well it's true, it's true! It's, you know, I think it allows for a lot more people to join you at your tea table, because they don't feel necessarily intimidated, or they don't feel like they don't have the right you know, "knowledge." Or anyone can sit at any tea table, as long as the person who's hosting is welcoming and inviting of them. And I think your tea tasting notes do that perfectly.

Jann 27:46

Thank you, thank you. I do, I always try to, like I said, I try to envision certain people when I'm creating videos, and you know, I try to think of like, somebody like me, I'm not an expert in tea, but I want to feel comfortable exploring, and I want that person to feel comfortable. I don't want people to feel afraid to try different things. I mean, at the end of the day, it's, you know, it's a beverage and it's your taste buds, do what you like. I understand that there should be you know, certain ceremonies and stuff like that, that needs to be kept. But that's, that's not where I'm coming at it from. For me it's, you know, I want to enjoy something and I want to help others enjoy it as well. And not be afraid.

Marika de Vienne 28:39

Don't be afraid. Exactly. Don't be afraid to try new things, or to say the wrong thing. You can't taste the wrong thing. There's no way for you to taste the wrong thing or to enjoy it the wrong way. So, agreed, Jann, keep it going! I could talk to you forever, but I have one last question. And it's a loaded one. Are you ready?

Jann

Oh, I don't know.

Marika

What does tea mean to you?

Jann 29:07

For me tea means something different every day. It, I guess, depends on the day, the moment, where I'm at. But ultimately, I guess it means like, a warm, comforting space and being able to share that with other people.

Marika de Vienne 29:25

It's a perfect answer. It's a perfect answer. No I mean, my first memories of tea are sharing it with other people too. And so it's a very, it's a very good answer, and it's a very true to you answer, Jann.

Jann 29:39

I'm so corny.

Marika de Vienne 29:40

You're not! No. Noo

Jann 29:43

All my emotions coming out.

Marika de Vienne 29:45

Well, if you're corny, then so am I. I'd rather be corny than being pessimistic or sarcastic or nihilistic all the time. If corny means wanting to share a nice cup of tea with someone than I am corny! On board. On board! So I see you've been sipping on something this whole time, as I, because there's no way I'm going to have a conversation without a cup of tea! What's in your cup?

Jann 30:14

Wintergreen Wonderland.

Marika de Vienne 30:17

Oh, that was a good tea, that was a good tea. I can go into a lot of details why we don't have it currently. I won't because I can't but that Wintergreen, that is a wonderful, wonderful cup of tea.

Jann 30:37

It's so good. Yes. It's like running through the forest. I love it.

Marika de Vienne 30:40

Why did you pick it today?

Jann 30:42

It's one of the ones that I have such a small amount left.

Marika de Vienne 30:48

Oh my goodness. You just showed me the tin and it's like you can see the bottom of the tin, there's almost nothing there.

Jann 30:56

And I save it for very special occasions and I found that this has to be one of the most special occasions, so thank you.

Marika de Vienne 31:04

Oh my gosh, I feel completely unworthy of Wintergreen Wonderland, I know how good that tea is!

Jann 31:10

It's so amazing.

Marika de Vienne 31:15

Oh my gosh thank you so much for sacrificing a cup of it, to Steeping Together! I can't thank you enough. So, in complete opposition to what you've done, I'm drinking a new DAVIDsTEA.

Jann 31:30

Oh! tell me.

Marika

That, at the time of recording hasn't been released but will be released once this episode airs, and it's called Very Cherry.

Jann 31:40

*Gasp* That sounds lovely.

Marika

I'm in love with this tea Jann. I'm obsessed with this tea, I really am and the reason I chose it is because we called it Very Cherry because it's very cherry but it's a layered cherry. So the first note is a really kind of playful, fun useful cherry. And then it's layered with a more kind of sour cherry. So it's like, imagine like, what do you call those? I know you like these cherries... Machino? Mach...

Jann 32:15

Maraschino?

Marika de Vienne 32:16

Maraschino! It's kind of like a maraschino cherry. And then it's got a summer ripe cherry. And then it's got like a very sour cherry that you'll find like in Turkish food and Syrian food. Extremely layered, very playful, yet sophisticated. And it made me think of you!

Jann 32:36

Awww.

Marika de Vienne 32:37

How off the bat, you're just like, oh, she's just talking about tea and cups and whatever. You know, having fun over there. And then, you know, there's such a depth to you. And there's so much more beyond the surface, and you have such a vulnerability in showing it, and it remains playful, and it remains fun, but it is deeply, deeply sophisticated. And it reminded me of you. So I'll raise my cup to you.

Jann 33:07

Thank you.

Marika de Vienne 33:09

Thank you so much for just sharing with me all of your insights, I hope I can I can use them to build a better community online.

Jann 33:19

I hope so too. You know, just get all emotional.

Marika de Vienne 33:22

I think you and I both have that thing in common where our emotions don't run quite below the surface as we think they do. But we're gonna take a break here, enjoy our cups of tea, and we'll be right back.

AD BREAK 33:37

Today's episode of Steeping Together is brought to you by that one tea that got away. Are you ever gonna bring back Caramel Corn? Why did you get rid of Love Tea Number Seven? Look, we hear you, we release a lot of new teas here at DAVIDsTEA it can definitely sting if a tea you love gets retired. Or if you can't stop crushing on a limited edition blend. We promise that it's not you. It's us. It's us. There are a hundred different reasons why some teas just don't work out. From trends no longer being trendy and inconsistently available ingredients all the way to problems like performing under pressure. So hey, it's nice to look back on those past steeps fondly and wonder if they will ever make their way back into your life. But we hope that you put yourself back out there and try to meet some new tees.

Marika 34:37

All right, welcome back. It's time to play "What Are You Drinking?" The quiz where we ask our guests three situational questions, some realistic, some completely out there, and they have to use all their experience and expertise to tell us what they would drink in any one of these given situations. Jann, are you ready to play "What Are You Drinking?"

Jann

Aaahhh, I'm so nervous!

Marika

Well remember, this is a game with no points, no wrong answers. And you basically can't lose, so.

Jann 35:13

Okay. I feel better now. Thank you.

Marika de Vienne 35:16

All right, here we go. Question one. Oh, good God, it is Monday morning at 7am and Janet has already sent an email reminding everyone about the importance of her project. Like she's the only one working on something these days! What are you drinking?

Jann 35:34

Most definitely Coffee Pu'erh. That is like my go to, you know, if it's a Monday to Friday, I'm working. I need that. Yep. Sorry.

Marika de Vienne 35:50

No! Don't apologise. No, you don't. I already told you, you know, before we recorded that you do not have to pick DAVIDsTEAs. I haven't made anyone else pick DAVIDsTEAs.

Jann

I know!

Marika

I also know based on your YouTube channel what a fan you are of this now discontinued tea, Coffee Pu'erh. And I know that you go to it a lot. But specifically, I mean, this question is a annoying, frustrating situation that happens to anybody who works in an email-based environment, right? There's that email that comes in on Monday morning, and you're like, are you kidding me? I haven't even had my first cup of tea yet. So Coffee Pu'erh is not just a staple to you, but it's also the tea that you're going to take in that kind of annoying moment.

Jann 36:37

I think it's because it's like, work. And it's like I need that push to get through. But I also need that comfort. There's so much like, so much in that cup for me. Like, and I let it steep like forever. So yeah. But it's just like a cracking the thermos open, and that smell is like it's calming, but then like you drink it and it gives you the energy and it's like bold enough to let me like, conquer my fears of the day. Yeah, no, it's all of the things that I need for an average annoying Monday morning.

Marika de Vienne 37:23

Okay, okay, no I can completely understand that. I think that in that frustration, you want a go-to, you want something that you know is going to work, because you need it to work right now. And Coffee Pu'erh is a very earthy combination of tea and coffee. You're not even choosing between the two. You're just like, I'm going to take this middle road that I know works. I'm going to get through this situation, and it's going to be okay. And Janet's going to get her information when she needs it.

Jann

Exactly.

Marika

Perfect. 10 points.

Jann 37:56

I love it. Wait, I thought there was no points.

Marika de Vienne 37:59

I know, I give stars. I give points. I've had to, I've had to send tea to people. It's a whole thing. All right. Are you ready for question two? Yes. All right. It's your anniversary and your partner has planned a romantic hot air balloon ride for you both, complete with champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and of course tea. What are you drinking?

Jann 38:27

Okay, so first off, I'm going to be terrified because I'm in the air. And that's terrifying. But it sounds super romantic. If I can just kind of hide in the basket. And I'm with Jeanette my wife so this is spectacular. I'm going to pick the Wedding Blend from Fortnum and Mason. Also discontinued... What is wrong with me?

Marika de Vienne 38:50

You're reaching for those moments that you know you had such a wonderful time! So I've had the royal blend from Fortnum and Mason. Is it similar or?

Jann 39:01

I believe it's called the Wedding Blend... nah I'd have to double check. Gracious, this is where my brain fails me. It was a special one for somebody that got married in the royal family.

Marika de Vienne 39:15

I remember now. Yes.

Jann 39:17

Yeah, so what had actually happened was Jeanette and I were only dating at the time. And my now mother in law, went to the UK and brought that back for me. And I was like "Is this a hint?" She brought it back for Jeanette and I, and I was like is this a hint! And at the time I didn't really like floral in my tea, and that was the tea that completely changed my taste buds on florals. Yes.

Marika de Vienne 39:49

Really? Oh, okay, so bviously you have the emotional memory of it being you know, your mother in law's-

Jann

Romantic!

Marika

Romantic, exactly.The ultimate romantic thing that is that people consider in our society to be romantic, which is to get married. But it also converted you to floral teas. That's really interesting. It's an excellent choice and I think it would pair well with the strawberries and chocolate.

Jann 40:17

Yes, for sure. See, and that's where I also fail in like, I'm just like, I'll eat and drink anything together.

Marika de Vienne 40:25

Well chosen, Fortnum and Mason's. 10 more points, why not? Because we're here.

Jann 40:33

I hope these are 10 out of 10 and not like 10 out of 100.

Marika de Vienne 40:36

Can you imagine? I get to the end like, so you have a total of 30 out of 1000, not doing great. Not doing great, but we persevere. All right. Jann, I warn you this third question is the strangest question I've asked to date. Are you ready?

Jann 40:54

Yes. No.

Marika de Vienne 40:58

Question three, Jann. You're a tea. You're a tea now! You're not human anymore. You've been completely transformed. You were human yesterday and today, you're a tea. I don't know how it happened, you don't know how it happened. What tea are you?

Jann 41:14

I'm gonna say the Paris by Harney & Sons.

Marika de Vienne 41:19

Paris by Harney & Sons. I don't know this one, you're gonna have to walk me through it.

Jann 41:25

It's an oolong and black tea mix, with black currant, vanilla and caramel flavouring and bergamont oil. It's just like, cozy and reliable. But like complex and emotional. It's me!

Marika

It's Jann! The way you describe it at first, I was like, oh, that sounds messy. That sounds messy. But as you, just as you told me the ingredients I was like, oh that that seems like a lot going on there. But it seems to marry very very well together and become harmonious and have all those components that I feel like you've described, you are describing yourself very well. I don't know that that was your intention. But you did describe yourself perfectly so. Perfect. 10 cups of tea out of 10! I changed it, I changed it from stars to cups, I love it. Oh my goodness Jann, thank you so much for taking the time, thank you so much for you know building the community that you have, for including us in that community, for including anyone who is curious about tea or curious about life or curious about quiet moments, or curious about Gary. Thank you for having each and every one of us at your tea table and part of your channel. You know, just thank you. You are the embodiment of brewing kindness and I know that's part of your brand but it is a genuine thing that I feel from you. When I talk to you.

Jann 43:08

Thank you very much I so appreciate being here and your kind words are going to like melt my heart for days.

Marika de Vienne 43:17

If people want to reach out to you, Jann, how do they do that? What are the best... do your plug, plug away Jann, plug plug plug.

Jann 43:25

So it's Tea With Jann. Jan is with two Ns. So J-A-N-N. Anywhere, so on YouTube, I have a website. You know, all the social medias. Everything's the same Tea With Jann, two Ns.

Marika de Vienne 43:40

Nice, simple, easy to write. I love it. I love it. Well thank you again so much from the bottom of my heart. And thank you to our listeners for tuning into today's episode. If you would like to reach us with comments, questions or suggestions for the "What Are You Drinking?" game, you can do so at steeping.together@davidstea.com or through our website davidstea.com. Have a great week and happy steeping everybody!