About

About Cultivate Taste Tea

Cultivate Taste Tea is a luxury, single-origin loose-leaf tea company dedicated to showcasing tea as an agricultural product of place, much like fine wine or specialty coffee. Every tea we offer is selected for purity, provenance, and craftsmanship, sourced directly from small, quality-focused producers across Asia.

We do not create blends.
We do not add flavorings.
We do not sell “dessert” or novelty teas.

What we offer instead is tea in its most honest form: whole leaves, clearly defined origins, and transparent sourcing: chosen for complexity, balance, and character.

A Curated Approach to Fine Tea

Cultivate Taste Tea was founded on the belief that exceptional tea deserves the same respect as other luxury agricultural products. Each tea is evaluated through professional tasting, with careful attention to terroir, cultivar, processing method, and aging potential where applicable.

Our collection includes rare and competition-grade teas such as high-mountain oolongs, traditional dark teas, distinctive Japanese styles, and historically significant regional productions, many of which are produced in limited quantities and unavailable through conventional retail channels.

Every tea is offered as a single origin, allowing its natural aromatics, texture, and structure to speak for themselves.

Expertise That Guides Every Selection

Founder Jennifer Nowicki is a Certified Tea Specialist (Specialty Tea Institute, NYC) with over three decades of experience in the gourmet and natural foods industry and nearly thirty years dedicated specifically to tea. Her background includes advanced professional tasting, international tea education, and representing the U.S. tea industry at global conferences.

Cultivate Taste Tea is built on palate-driven selection: not trend forecasting or mass appeal. Each tea is chosen because it performs exceptionally in the cup and offers a clear expression of origin, not because it fits a marketing category.

This expertise allows us to serve both discerning home consumers and professional buyers seeking elevated tea programs.

For Home Drinkers, Hospitality, and Retail

Cultivate Taste Tea serves customers nationwide and internationally through our direct-to-consumer shop while also partnering with restaurants, boutique hotels, specialty retailers, and hospitality groups looking to offer a refined tea experience.

Our teas are particularly well-suited for:

• Restaurants seeking thoughtful beverage programs

• Hotels and spas focused on elevated guest experience

• Specialty retailers emphasizing quality and education

• Tea collectors and enthusiasts seeking rare, authentic offerings

We believe tea should be memorable, not an afterthought.

A Philosophy of Purity and Respect

At its core, Cultivate Taste Tea exists to honor the work of skilled producers and to educate consumers about what tea can be when it is treated with intention and respect. By focusing on single-origin, unadulterated teas, we invite you to taste nuance, seasonality, and place; cup by cup.

Whether you are discovering fine tea for the first time or deepening an existing practice, Cultivate Taste Tea offers an experience rooted in authenticity, expertise, and quiet luxury.