An Interview with Lisa Boalt Richardson

Lisa, you hold the distinction of being a Certified Tea Specialist. How does one become a tea specialist?

I love studying about tea, and getting certified was a natural next step for me. There are many venues offering tea training, but in my opinion the Specialty Tea Institute is the best at this time. I achieved my title by taking classes offered by the Specialty Tea Institute, which is a division of The Tea Association of the US. To become a Certified Tea Specialist, one must take Level I, II, and all Level III courses offered and pass a test at the end of each. It is the equivalent of about 80 to 100 hours of studying and class time. I plan on continuing with my tea education when new courses are offered and adding new titles as they become available!

In Tea with a Twist, you share many wonderful and creative ideas for enjoying tea with friends. Since money is tight for many people right now, what’s your advice for putting together a tasteful tea party on a budget?

Tea with a Twist was written with the budget savvy reader in mind. I created tea parties that don’t require fine china and sterling silver. Entertaining at home is an affordable way to get together with friends and family. A lot of the finishing touches I share for decorating your table involve things that are reusable, such as fruits and even bubble wrap. It is important to remember that presentation is not always everything. If finances are tight, skip some of the finishing touches and have the party anyway. Your friends and family will love getting together.

Another way to make a party more affordable is do it potluck style. Give your guests the recipes and let everyone bring something. The theme still remains intact and you have more time and money to spend on some of the “extras.” I offer more budget saving ideas for the parties in the introduction of the book under shortcuts.

Tea in itself is a very affordable luxury. You can have an amazing cup of tea that has been hand plucked and hand processed from across the globe for pennies per cup. There are many ways to cut and save, but because great specialty tea is so affordable, be sure to buy the best. After all it is a TEA party!

Will you share about the first tea you attended?

When my kids were little, I would pack up and go see my mom most every spring break in Boca Raton, Florida where I grew up. I had just gotten interested in tea, so my mom and I started a tradition of going to tea when I was there visiting. We would find a babysitter and escape for the day with our “tea by the sea” at either the Ritz Carlton or the Breakers in Palm Beach. We would take the freeway up to the hotel to hurry and let our escape begin. I remember sitting in the comfy couches, watching the waves roll in and out as we sipped tea together and chatted about life. When our tea was over, we would usually go outside and sit on a lounge chair in the shade and listen to seagulls and the waves crashing to the shore and talk some more. We would eventually have to leave, but we would take the long way home along A1A. We would listen to classical music and drive by all the mansions of the rich and famous on one side and the beach on the other, all the while talking and dreaming.

It was at those teas that I shared my dreams with her about having a tea business and writing a book. In 2003, my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at the early age of 64. The disease has robbed her of her memories, but I still have mine, and I will never forget about our teas by the sea. Tea with a Twist is dedicated to her. Although she is unaware of the dedication, it is the least I could do for the woman who has not only been a mom to me but my best friend as well.

What is your favorite tea, and how do you take it?

I have several favorites depending on the time of day and my mood. My favorite morning tea is a second flush or autumnal Darjeeling from the Himalayan Mountains of India. I also love oolong teas of all kinds for the morning or early afternoon. Sometimes late in the afternoon I like to have green jasmine pearls. The flavor is light and refreshing with a soft hint of jasmine, although the tea doesn’t have any flowers in it. Its flavor comes from the petals, which the tea has been layered and gently tossed with to marry the flavors together. I sometimes sweeten my tea with a natural sweetener called Stevia but not always. Some teas taste so good on their own that they don’t require anything.

Are there any myths or surprising facts out there about tea?

Most people who attend my classes and seminars don’t realize that all teas, whether white, green, oolong, black, or Puerh, all come from the same plant, the Camellia sinensis. It is the processing of the tea that changes it into the different types. Another interesting fact is that the United States was drinking tea before England. The Dutch colony called New Amsterdam, now known as New York City, was sipping tea by 1650. England didn’t get their first shipment until around 1657.

You have your own business, Lisa Knows Tea. What’s your advice for people who want to combine their passion and their career like you have done?

I started working for myself at a very young age by babysitting when I was 10 years old. By the time I was 12, I had a paper route too, which I ended up keeping for six years until I graduated from high school. I loved my customers, and it was a great way for me to start honing my business and customer service skills as I went around collecting my customers’ bills each month. I always knew I wanted to be a CEO, but I had no idea at that time that it would be with my own company. I went on to college and majored in business administration/marketing, which has helped me understand the business side of my passion and how to get my message out.

I think it is important that you base a business on what you love. If you love it, you don’t mind all the hard work, time, and money it takes to build it. When I started my tea business, tea wasn’t as popular as it is now. I based my business on what I loved, not on what was the latest trend. I have been blessed that tea has become more popular, but I didn’t know that would be the case when I started. Secondly, you should become an expert in your field and never stop learning and becoming better. There are still many more things for me to discover in tea, and I never want to stop learning. It was important for me to put my family first, so I started slowly with Lisa Knows Tea and have built it over time. I have been blessed to have a husband and family who have supported me. As my children have grown, so has my business!

Do your children love tea? How have you shared the experience of tea with your family?

When I was first “investigating” the tea business, I wanted to visit as many tearooms as I could. One time while we were living in Memphis, we took a family trip to Nashville right before Christmas. Along with some of the other attractions of the city, we had planned to have a “Dickens Tea” at a tearoom near Nashville.

We woke up to discover it had snowed during the night. If you have ever been in the South when it snows, you know that everything shuts down. To our surprise, the tearoom was still open. When we arrived, only a handful of people were there as Southerners don’t like to travel when it snows. The tearoom was a charming old two story house that had been converted into a business. We had a wonderful time. My son, who was nine, and my daughter, who was four at the time, loved the fact that at a tea party, you can eat with your hands.

After we ate, we all ventured upstairs to the gift shop to see what treasures awaited us. I remember my daughter asking me as we peered out the window on the stairs if the icicles on the eves of the roof were just for decoration as that was the first time she had ever seen real icicles. It was a magical day filled with such wonderful memories for our family that we decided to make it a tradition. Each year at Christmas time, we have a family tea. It is a time for our family to slow down, sip tea, and eat with our fingers!

Is tea just for ladies, or do men drink tea these days?

Many people in the United States view tea as a “ladies drink,” but this is not the case around the world. In fact, in many tea drinking nations, the tea is often prepared by the men and drunk all day by both men and women. I thought it was important to have tea parties in my books where men feel welcome and the food is plentiful. Tea can be a wonderful way to entertain and have the men feel full at the end of the meal! My husband loves tea, and it is something we enjoy doing together. We love to start off our weekends with “teatime” where we relax and catch up with each other and the events of the week.

Let’s say someone has just been invited to tea. What are some etiquette pointers to keep in mind?

I remember shortly after I was trained and certified in Tea and Etiquette® from The Protocol School in Washington, my four-year-old daughter and I were having a tea party. We were sitting at her little white wicker table and chairs with our special teacups sipping tea as boas hung around our necks.

I have always thought manners were important to instill in my children, so I had been going over with her all the important table manners for a young lady to have at a tea party. I jokingly thought to myself how blessed she was to have a mom who not only knew proper etiquette, but also was trained and certified in it. She was a quick study, and after all I was an expert, so I began to quiz her before we began. I started by asking her to recall some of the important manners that I had taught her. She thought for a moment and then proceeded to explain that it was very important not to bring guns and knives to a tea party! I laughed so hard as I fell very quickly off the etiquette pedestal, which I didn’t belong on anyway. I have to assure you, though—that was NOT something I learned at protocol school but very practical advice all the same.

Proper etiquette is about being comfortable and making others feel comfortable around you. It is not supposed to make you feel uptight. If you know what to do, you can relax and enjoy yourself so much more. Proper etiquette for a tea also depends on what type of tea party it is. Tea with a Twist is filled with many different types of tea parties. Some tea parties are formal affairs where proper etiquette is important. Others, such as my Southern Tailgate Tea, are less formal, so licking the barbeque off your fingers doesn’t matter.

Are there any health benefits to drinking tea?

Experts are beginning to discover many benefits to drinking tea. Tea research is still in its beginning stages, and I think many more things will come out as more studies are done. Tea is rich in flavonoids and polyphenols, which act as antioxidants in the body. Researchers are also discovering that tea is good for your heart, many different types of cancers, and oral health. Tea also has theanine in it, which is believed to help reduce stress and help you relax. Research is being done on tea for many other diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and it will be exciting to find out how else it can benefit the body.

When you aren’t enjoying a refreshing cup of tea, what do you like to do?

My husband and I like to go antique shopping together, and we love to try new ethnic restaurants. We have spent many a weekend on the sidelines enjoying our children playing soccer and football. I like to watch the food network for new ideas and to scope out new culinary items and trends at food shows such as the Fancy Food Show or the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show. Cooking with all the things I have discovered and coming up with new recipes are also hobbies.

I enjoy the beach and the mountains. In Georgia, we are blessed to have both within driving distance, and we try to escape to either whenever we get the chance. When life gets a little too stressful, I love to bake something chocolate, which my kids love but my waistline doesn’t. When it is done baking, I love to sit down, relax, and have a nice cup of tea with my treat!