April 19th, 2025. Saturday. 10 am.
Ramsey County Library, Mounds View, MN
We spent a while near the door waiting for someone to let us in, and when someone finally came to the door the response was: “I’m sorry. I’m currently the only one here, and I’m not allowed to unlock the doors.” Oh dear. I felt terrible for the lady, but I knew our time was ticking.
Thank you to the participants who stepped up and started calling other libraries to find a new room. Around 10:30, one lady said someone was coming from another library to help open it. So, we decided to wait. The sun felt nice, the wind was cold. We were ready for warm tea once we entered the library.
Our meeting today focused on Dark Tea. This category of tea is one of the most confusing. In China, they call it black tea. And what we call black tea, they call red tea. Perhaps we all need to change to what China currently uses to be on the same page. Adding to the confusion, many Asian languages use the term fermentation and oxidation interchangeably; however, both are unique processes, and only teas that have undergone fermentation can be called dark teas. All in all, Dark Tea is a scientifically rich and complex category that deserves careful understanding.
How many countries do you know that make Dark tea? Here are the one we covered: China (including Tibet), Malawi, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Korea, Bhutan, India, and Japan.
Tea tasted at this meeting:
- Coconut Vanilla – Davidson’s Organic
- Okumidori (Cultivar) – Ooika
- Red Shan – Plantrip Cha
- Liubao – GuangXi WuZhou Tea Factory. This tea is also known as “Six Forts Tea”.
- Awa Bancha – Yunomi
- Yuzu & Gold Guanyin – Unknown tea company, but here is a company that sells it: Cultivate Tea
We currently have enough members to start the nonprofit setup. However, if anyone has any ideas or wants to help in any way, I am open ears.
Our next meeting will be May 17th, 10 am at the Prior Lake Library: 16210 Eagle Creek Ave SE, Prior Lake, MN 55372
Minnesota Tea Society 
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