There’s probably no better remedy to the sun, sweat and swelter of mid-summer than a tall glass of ice-cold tea. We are very supportive of any such beverage, but we’ve done a lot of experimenting lately at home and farmers markets, and we figured we would give you a couple of tips to help take your tea from good to outstanding.

Legendary comedian Mitch Hedberg once asked “what the f*ck is a sesame?” Meaning we’re all familiar with the sesame SEED, but no one really knows what they come from, or what they would grow into.

Similarly, many tea drinkers know that ‘bergamot’ is they key ingredient in Earl Grey tea—but few take the time to ask, “WTF is a bergamot”? Is it an herb? A spice? A kind of plant? Some kind of algae or fermented fish paste?

We chose a San Franciscan as our coffee roaster for lots of great reasons. Top notch quality and reliability, amazing customer service from a company comprised of good, down to earth people. That’s right up our alley. When we realized they were built in Carson City Nevada, that was icing on the cake.