“Dr. Tea”
The tea scene would not be complete without personalities like Dr. Tea. Mark Ukra (aka Dr. Tea), is the co-owner of the Tea Garden Herbal Emporium in West Hollywood. I noticed Dr. Tea in the History channel documentary Modern Marvels: Tea. For those in attendance at the World Tea Expo, you could not miss his bright orange lab coat that is one of the trademarks of Dr. Tea’s style. If you’ve seen Modern Marvels you can’t miss Dr. Tea’s interviews. His enthusiasm and knowledge for tea mixed with his infectious personality makes for a very entertaining individual. Dr. Tea is not a doctor. In the interviews I’ve read, he makes it very clear that he is not a doctor. “Dr. Tea” was a nickname given to him because of his extensive knowledge for tea. He means no disrespect to the medical professionals. That said, the nickname really suites him. If you can, try to find Modern Marvels: Tea to see his interviews. He literally inspired me to be more passionate about tea. For example, although I blog about tea and drink more tea than anyone I know, I realized I wasn’t doing enough to truly learn the finer details of tea. When I watched his interviews, he holds the dry tea. He puts his nose in it. Obviously, you may not want to stick your nose in tea that your guests are going to drink, but for me to truly appreciate tea I’ve learned to hold it in my hands. It may sound crazy, but by holding the tea and really focusing on the leaves you start to pick-up on the quality of the leaves. Anyway, check out Dr. Tea’s website. This guy is really entertaining. If you are in West Hollywood, you definitely want to visit the Tea Garden Herbal Emporium.
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Tags: Dr. Tea