A 6,000-year-old practice, from Zhena's own tea tray to yours.
The Japanese have a saying: ichi go, ichi e — this moment only occurs once. It's the idea behind a ritual Zhena has carried for 25 years, ever since she brought home a small tea tray from her first trip to China. It's traveled with her to thousands of meetings since — and it taught her something she wants to teach you: there's a tea for every kind of love, every kind of conversation, every kind of connection.
"I always say that tea has chi, and she is life force. So there's a chi of tea for every conversation. I know it's a lot to gather, but this has been done for 6,000 years. I did not invent this. I just simply know how to do it, and I want you to be able to do it for you and your best connections." - ZHENA
For the First Date, or the One You Love
Damiana blends + Oolong (Kuan Yin)
"If you are meeting with a lover, or if you are on a first date, you can use any of the teas that have Damiana in them. Oolong is sort of a truth serum in my book, so you could have, like, Kuan Yin, which is compassion tea... it gets you tea drunk almost immediately. It's like an intimacy serum."
For Repair & Reconciliation
White Tea
"If you are wanting to have conversation with somebody that might be a little hard, you can use white tea. In traditional Chinese medicine, [it] is used to open the heart channel... connecting your head, your heart, and your hands together. It's almost like a peace offering."
For Big Meetings & Courage
Skadi (black tea)
"When I was in corporate America, I worked at Simon and Schuster, and I used black tea for big meetings. I loved Skadi. Skadi is a goddess of sovereignty from the Norse tradition. That tea is very big and bold and gives you a lot of energy and a lot of courage."
For Psychic Clarity & Dreamwork
Artemis of the Wilds, High Priestess & Angel 111
"There is a tea for when you want very powerful psychic dreams. I drank mugwort — I drank Artemis of the Wilds, which is also in our High Priestess tea — and in my dreams, I literally saw every scenario play out. You can also add Egyptian Blue Lotus, found in our Angel 111, one of our bestsellers. Angel teas raise your vibration, 'cause they're made with flowers."
For Study & Memory
Green Tea
"L-theanine is found only in tea... it reduces inhibitions and relaxes the mind so that if you're having resistance, the conversations can flow more freely. The other thing that is found in tea is EGCG — it actually helps create new neurons. Green tea is the highest in EGCG, and you'll remember more if you drink tea while you're studying, and then drink tea again while you're taking the test."
The Ritual That Makes It Land
"The ritual that makes all of this land even more is if you pour them the tea first, and you serve it to them, before you serve yourself. I always say you can't pour from an empty cup, but you can always make an offering and serve them first. That's also tea ceremony etiquette — you serve them first in honoring of their heart and soul."
