En-Jie : Owner of Valley Green Tea

En-Jie is owner of one of the top online tea stores in Australia - Valley Green Tea. En-Jie's knowledge, passion and experience in all things to do with tea make her very valuable in the collating of information for our readers - you!

We asked En-Jie to answer a few questions on green tea for us, and we think that you will find her answers helpful and interesting. Enjoy!

1. Hi, En-Jie. Thanks for sharing your time with us today. You must lead a busy life as owner of an entrepreneurial business, Enjie, what other passions do you have and how much time can you devote to them?

Like others living in our ‘fast pace’ world, it is an effort to find time for personal recreation. I do however enjoy opportunities for outdoor activities such as bush walking or swimming at the beach or other water ways. Australia is a perfect place for this. I also enjoy travelling and experiencing different cultures.

2. You are a doctor too, and have a Masters in Public Health from the University of Sydney. What do you see as the main threats to our health in this decade in Australia?

Life style related health conditions such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity.

Some life style concerns:

3. Tell us about the travelling to China that you do when inspecting tea farms in Fujian Province.

It is an indulgence for me! It feels like going back to my grandmother’s farm country and evokes many childhood memories: green leaves, wild flowers, flowing creeks and high mountains. I enjoy discussing with farmers the way their crops are progressing, weather conditions and plans for harvest.

There is always something new to learn. I have opportunity to visit local tea houses and savour fresh local grown tea.

As a tea importer, I source teas and tea producers. To find a good tea producer who takes pride in their products is priceless. They offer premium teas and the knowledge that is not available in classrooms.

4. EnJie, the readers would be very interested to know about your tea demonstrations and how they can go about watching you prepare tea in the traditional way.

Poor brewing technique reduces tea quality and can even make premium tea unbearable to drink. To brew a good cup of tea, many factors need to be taken into consideration, grouped around issues such as the characteristics of a particular tea, personal preferences and what tea vessels to use.

Tea brewing demonstrations provide opportunity to discuss all these considerations with the tea drinkers so that they can go away and commence their personal journey of tea discovery.

It is also a great opportunity for those who are interested in various teas to taste a variety of samples at the same time. The traditional tea brewing is based on simple concepts, executed with skill.

I have posted some videos I took on my last visit of tea preparation in Chinese tea houses online. See http://www.valleygreentea.com.au

5. Your business, Valley Green Tea, is an online site with a range of very fine Chinese teas. How would people in other countries go about ordering from you?

Tea is a light weight product that is a relatively low cost to post to any counties in the world compared to some other products.

Teas can be ordered online at our Valley Green Tea online store. Orders are despatched promptly and can take between 1 to 2 weeks to arrive depending on the country.

6. How often do you drink tea and which ones are your personal favorites?

I drink tea every day and prefer different teas at different times: In the morning I drink Oolong or black tea, after lunch it’s a green tea and then a herbal tea before bed time. Da Hong Pao and Tie Guan Yin are my favourite Oolong teas. Bi Luo Chu & Mao Jian are my favourite green teas.

7. I know that you are passionate about being a purist, what does this mean for you in terms of your teas?

There are many suppliers that import low quality teas from China and then mix these with almost anything, often cheap ingredients (eg, chilly mixed with Silver Needle white tea) and call it a blend.

Purists like me don’t go for these blends. Additional flavour is often used to cover the lower original quality.

Additionally I ensure tea is stored optimally ie vacuum sealed and in a dry place at room temperature (moisture is an enemy of all teas) with good ventilation or refrigerated.

8. After the recession is behind us, how do you see the retailing industry's future Australia? Are people really drinking more tea and less coffee these days as seems to be the trend in Europe?

Tea has a production and consumption history of more than 2000 years. The west has recently discovering this. Globalisation has assisted its accessibility through spread of cultural diversity and open markets.

Information technologies like those that underpin the Internet have further increased its availability to niche enthusiasts, who can access information and product regardless of their geographic location.

Enthusiasts are resilient and maintain their indulgences in the face of recession. They like to share their “discovered treasures” with others. In this way the industry grows and the market becomes more perceptive. This trend is continuing, but there is a long way to go before achieving the mature market that exists in countries like China or Japan.

There is a further ‘come back’ effect in favour of tea drinking in recent year, mainly as a result of publicity of related health benefits.

Another effect is the coffee substitution factor. Coffee has in some ways paved the way for tea, developing the palette away from mass produced instant to quality brewed coffees. People are open to similar in tea, and some in fact want to substitute the quality experience compliment or even away from coffee.

9. Which is your favorite green tea and how do you like to drink it?

I like many green teas. My favourites are Bi Luo Chun and Mao Jian. I drink them every day after lunch. A cup of Jasmine green tea is great for after dinner. I also like the sweetness of yellow tea which is quite similar to green tea in many ways, but with less ‘green’ taste.

10. This is something that many of our readers will be interested to hear about. What do you believe tea can do for us with our modern lifestyle that gives rise to disease, conditions and disorders such as heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes?

Tea consumption can contribute as a preventive for all those conditions. The emphasis is on tea consumption as a life style habit rather than as a medicine. Health benefits will accumulate naturally. I believe tea is a source of health as well as enjoyment.

11. Do you have children and do they share your love of tea? What are their favourites?

I have a ten year old girl and an eight year old boy. My daughter enjoys tea drinking very much, so do her school friends (of course introduced by her)! Her favourite is Jasmine tea. My son has very narrow eating manner and is yet to be encouraged to drink tea.

12. How did your upbringing in contribute to your passion for tea?

I remember my grandmother drinking tea every day since I was a young child. She always said ‘drinking tea is good for you’, even though she could not rationalise why. Tea drinking is part of our Chinese culture and life style. Growing up in a tea producing area I had class mates who became tea producers. Visiting their plantations stimulated further appreciation and interest in tea.

As a Chinese trained doctor, our education whilst mainly in the western empirical medical tradition, paid respect to the ancient wisdom that produced Chinese traditional herbal remedies. Tea, even though its benefits were not as well researched then as today, was viewed along similar lines.

I am very proud as a Chinese tea drinker. Chinese tea is an ancient cultural jewel.

13. What are some of the sorts of tea accessories you offer at Valley Green Tea, and which are your best sellers? Do you do gift packs and samplers, too?

We have a range of tea accessories: from clay teapots, glass cups/saucer to office use tea strainers. Different people use different tea accessories. Our Tea infuser-all-in-one is one of our better sellers.

We also offer a great gift pack where people could select 2 of our 50g premium teas and present it in a gift box. For those who wish to try a variety of teas, a selection pack is also available.

14. What do you love about running your online tea business? Are there any disadvantages?

I enjoy the flexibility of an online tea business: flexible working hours, ease with which a wide audience can be accessed or a special request accommodated. I love the customer contact ie any issues can be discussed by email or phone in detail.

Customers often initiate an idea for a new product line ( ie requests for tea pots to brew tea with) or to research some new health aspect. They have been instrumental in advising what works in an on-line shop and what does not and have guided the sites development. I get a buzz out of their enthusiasm and kind words of appreciation for our product and service.

With an established web presence, it is relatively easy to disseminate new info or add new product lines. Disadvantages include that the hours are diffused (they are not “9 to 5”): you are always “on” and taking phone calls, and it is hard to keep away from email.

One needs to keep up with the web technology and practise, even when outsourcing to specialist. This takes time and can sometimes be a bit dry and a distraction from the tea culture aspect of the business.

It can be difficult to differentiate a quality brand amongst the noise of everyone claiming the best product or be able to procure amazing results ( ie: ”melt fat away in so may weeks” )! The web is still a bit “wild west” in terms of extravagant claims!

We want to very much thank En-Jie again for taking the time out to speak to us at Healthy Green Tea. We hope that she has given you some great information and helped you out with her medical knowledge about the benefits of tea drinking habits.

Be sure to check out En-Jie's website and her photos of recent trips to suppliers in China. The store is loaded with great teas of all kinds to order and sample, as well as many types of tea accessories.

If you're in Australia, be sure to give her a call!

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