Welcome to this fabulous tea and chats episode with Rainy, a tea vendor who at the time of recording had been traveling in Thailand exploring tea farms and sourcing delicious tea! I learnt a lot in episode 61, from the existence of tea forests (yes, you read correctly!), what Pu-erh tea is and we also had an honest conversation about some of the unethical practices farmers and vendors in Thailand are faced with in the industry today. I feel so grateful that Rainy found time on her travels to share her knowledge with me, and I hope you enjoy learning about Thailand's tea farms as much as I did! Grab a cuppa and join the chats! (Also, I will now be taking a little two-month tea break - so the next season of Pod of Tea will launch in July! Follow me on Instagram @podoftea to keep up to date with my day to day teas in the meantime.) Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Rainy Huang from Serene Tea Rainy was drinking raw Pu Erh 2017 from Wawee Vilage, Northern Thailand. She also recommends trying Oolong Tea from thailand!

This week's episode is a little different. Emma and Jack were recently invited on the Scandal Water podcast and interviewed for National Tea Day. We had a wonderful time chatting to the Scandal Water hosts about how our podcast started, our relationships to tea and Jurassic Park - and they have kindly shared the episode with us.  This is an edited version, so if you enjoy it and would like to hear more please do check out the full version over at www.ScandalWaterPodcast.com Pop the kettle on and join the chats! Credits: Scandal Water created and recorded by Ashley Raymer-Brown and Candy Thomas Pod of Tea created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins

Drumroll please for the delight that is Jasmine Green Tea. Join us in episode 59 as we discuss how green tea is scented with Jasmine and take some jolly conversational tangents on geography and what we wanted to be when we grew up! Find yourself some Jasmine Green Tea and try it while listening to the episode, you shall not be disappointed. Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins Tea Jasmine Romance by Ahmad Tea London

Emma and Jack try arguably the most widely enjoy tea in Japan, Sencha, with a butter twist! We have a little trip down memory lane to when we visited Japan in Episode 58 and also indulge in Emma's annual rant about daylight savings. Gran a brew and join the chats! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins Tea Butter Sencha by David's Tea Big thanks to Kimberly for sending us this tea - you can check out her awesome blog here!

It is time for some magic as Emma enjoys a pot of Butterfly Pea Flower tea. This vibrant blue brew can magically change colour with the addition of some lemon. Episode 57 is a solo Emma one for the most part, reminiscing about magical fiction and battling with an un-open-able jar of honey! (Also all is not what it seems when Emma announces the end of the episode, a bit of true magic was afoot!) Get cosy and join in the magic. Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest...maybe! Tea Bluebellvine Flower by Lunare Big thanks to Kimberly for sending us this tea - you can check out her awesome blog here!

Have you ever wondered what a 'builders' tea is? Well the time has finally come for Emma and Jack to try and define this UK household staple! We have a lot of fun describing this tea in depth during episode 56, and go through the ingredients, the brewing process, and when exactly one should drink a builders tea! Grab a mug and get ready to make one! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins Tea Yorkshire Decaf

Emma has been having another ponder on the connection of tea to the creative process, and sits down to discuss this with musician and illustrator friend Luke Fairhead. Emma and Luke go on many tangents in Episode 55 from reminiscing over London life to imagining rockstars enjoying a nice hot cup of tea. Rhubarb was the flavour of the hour this week, a tangy caffeine free treat! Grab something yummy and join the chats. Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Luke Fairhead a.k.a Soft Shock Design Tea Rhubarb Custard from Bird and Blend & Peach and Rhubarb by London Tea

This week Emma sits down for a tea and chat with two of the founders of Nela Nela, a new tea company that sells artisanal Georgian tea made from the LEAVES of fruit bushes such as blueberry, blackberry and mulberry. These teas are part of a rich history of Georgian tea culture, which Tom and Amy explain so beautifully in Episode 54 (be warned, you will want a snack as the food sounds incredible - some would say morishly nibbly in fact!) I tried Nela Nela's Fermented Mulberry Leaf tea and I was not expecting that flavour from something connected to the word berry. I also had a bout of wanderlust after hearing tales of their biking and hiking adventures. Pop the kettle on and join in the chats! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guests Amy and Tom from Nela Nela Tea Fermented Mulberry Leaf from Nela Nela Big Thanks to Tom and Amy for sending me some of their tea to try!

After feeling a bit under-the-weather this week Emma and Jack embrace the poorly vibes and have some tea particularly suited to someone who's not feeling too tip-top. We celebrate hugs in mugs in Episode 53 and may have found an unintentional hero tea from a local tea market stall with their lemongrass and ginger Tea Rex blend. We have a good chat about our fabulous local market and discuss beverages that make us feel better. Grab something cosy and comforting, and join in the chats. Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins Tea Tea Rex by Birchley's Loose Leaf Tea

Emma and Jack try a Blooming White Tea with more Ooos and Aaahs than a crowd at a fireworks night in Episode 52 of the podcast.  Hear our descriptions as the flower bloomed in our tea pot along with some fun facts about white tea. Grab your favourite mug and join in the chats! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins Tea Blossom Rain by Creano Thank you to our friends Cathy and Will who gave us this tea for Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! In Episode 51 we decided to celebrate by drinking every festive branded tea in our cupboard and ranking them to find the most 'Christmassyist' tea! This is a tea showdown featuring NINE (!) different teas.  We had  a lot of fun recording this, and if you're a recipient of a festive tea selection box you may well be able to drink along. Seasons greetings and enjoy the chats! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins Teas came from The English Tea Shop and Leaves of the World Thank you to friends/family who bought us these teas last Christmas and Kimberly for sending us some too!

Celebrating the 50th Episode of Pod of Tea! (WOW!) And we celebrate in style with a pot of a much beloved brew, Biddy's Blend. We take a stroll down memory lane looking at how far Pod of Tea has come, from a little idea jotted in a notebook on honeymoon to 50 episodes later... We also why Biddy's Blend is pure joy in a cup, yum! Grab a cuppa and join the tea party! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins Tea Biddy's Blend from Biddy's Tea Room

Have you heard of Yaupon? Emma picked out a modest little Apple Spice tea from the cupboard in honor of autumn and suddenly discovered a whole load of history behind what is being dubbed 'America's forgotten tea!' Emma and Jack try an Apple Spice Yaupon in Episode 49 and discuss what happened to this caffeinated beverage that does not come from the Camellia Sinensis plant!  Grab a brew and join the tea adventures! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins Tea Apple Spice from Frank Community Farm Big thanks to Kimberly who sent us this tea. She really knows her tea, you can check out her blog here!

The OG Pod of Tea team try Hojicha tea for the first time in Episode 48! Join Emma & Jack as they delve into the inner workings of this deceptively brown green tea from Kyoto, Japan. (They also say the word 'caramel' a potentially podcast record breaking amount of times!) Make a cuppa and join the chats! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins Tea Organic Hojicha from Blink Tea

This week Emma sits down for a tea and chat with Michael Prini, the founder of Canadian company Blink Tea, who is also a tea sommelier in Episode 47 of Pod of Tea. Armed with a mug of Organic Roasted Iron Goddess Oolong Tea we talk about the joy that is Oolong, what the caffeine content in tea does to the body and delve into the experience of tea. Get a big mug of your favourite brew and join the chats! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Michael Prini Tea Organic Roasted Iron Goddess Oolong Tea from Blink Tea

We have have thoroughly enjoyed our tea this week with Masala Chai. Autumn is well and truly here, so we're getting into the cosy spirit with this warming and comforting brew. In Episode 46 Emma & Jack discuss what a Masala Chai is and how to make it, as well as listing our Halloween movie marathon films to date! Find yourself a chai and enjoy, you won't regret it! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins Tea Masala Chai from Hope and Glory Big thanks to Kimberly who sent us this tea. She really knows her tea, you can check out her blog here!

What a fun, interesting little number Gunpowder Green tea is folks. These small pellets are full of tea goodness, and we delve into a few fun facts surrounding green tea in Episode 45. Emma maaay have forgotten to check expiry dates, but that won't stop us on our tea adventures! We're so glad to be back after our unofficial tea break, thank you for bearing with us. Get a hold of your favorite cuppa and join in the chats! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins Tea Nelson's Gunpowder Green from Nelson and Norfolk Big thanks to our buddy Will for buying us this as a Christmas gift many...many moons ago oops!

The tea, the myth, the legend...we finally try Kombucha! We had heard so much talk of Kombucha from home brewers, and yet never had tasted this fermented beverage. That all changes in Episode 44, where we delve into what exactly Kombucha tea is, debate how to pronounce SCOBY and generally enjoy something a little different to the usual podcast cuppa. Grab a brew and join the chats! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins Tea Elderflower and Lemon Kombucha from Nexba Also a shout out to Shropshire Kombucha who finally go me on this fermented tea train!

This week we play a tasting game with two* teas that taste like dessert. It has been very warm in the UK (between recording and editing this episode however the weather has returned to rain, that's summer done in England!) and in episode 43 Emma and Jack have a bit of fun tasting teas. We go on a long tangent about biscuits, generally an episode about yummy things! Pop on the kettle and join in the chats. *it is up for debate whether one counts as a dessert or not... Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Jack Ewins  Tea I don't want to spoil them incase you'd like to guess along with us, so to find out the teas click here and here. Special thanks to Kimberly, author of the blog 'tea is a wish your heart makes' for sending us this tea.

This week Emma has a tea and chat with the founder of Daughters of Botany, a company that creates incredibly vibrant and tasty botanical teas! Episode 42 is a fascinating insight in how this company started, it's multi-generational homage, and a peak into how they blend teas. This was a really fun episode to record, and might give you the excited push to take the first steps on your own creative projects. Grab a brew and join the chats! Credits: Created and recorded by Emma Ewins  Music by Apples I'm Home Featuring guest Sotonye Odugbemi founder of Daughters of Botany Tea Red Moon from Daughters of Botany