BS: Aside from the obvious, what is Wendigo Tea Co?
SW: Wendigo Tea Co. is a cryptid and monster themed premium craft tea company.
BS: How did you get involved in the tea business?
SW: I just loved tea and was importing it for my own personal use. I was traveling the world playing piano in my band Foxy Shazam, playing 200-300 shows a year. When you travel that much, you need something to make you feel human or at home with wherever you are on the planet. I may have slept in an airplane or van the night before and had only used public restrooms for a week with little or no way to shower… but I always could find a way to drink an absurdly high grade cup of tea.
BS: How do you view the success of Wendigo Tea Co?
SW: I think is a success because I truly love the company and am proud of it. We are rapidly growing and just trying to keep up without ever sacrificing quality. I thought we were successful last year, but this year we are on track to sell 20x what we did then.
BS: Is there a special way that your tea is made, that you can share with us, that sets your tea apart?
SW: Wendigo tea is a curated small selection of teas that we have arguments for why each may possibly be the greatest of its kind available on the planet. Wendigo focuses on purist and traditional teas that have interesting or ancient roots. The most recent tea to the roster, King Dragon Oolong, has over 1000 years of lore behind it. For each tea that we offer we have tried hundreds of different varieties to come up with that which we find the best. And if none exists that we feel to be perfect then we work with our suppliers to find a way to make it the best humanly possible. For example most tea blends such as Chai or Earl Grey use a lower grade tea base because most people would not be able to tell the difference after mixing in herbs and spices. So in keeping with our goal to only have the most absurd high quality possible we found indian black teas from premium Darjeeling tea estates that alone would be gourmet teas if drank alone and used them as the Bases for our FireBird Chai and Black Shuck Earl Grey. I like to compare tea other products more familiar to Americans. Nobody makes cocktails out of only top shelf ingredients, but it would be delicious if they did. Nobody makes burgers out of filet mignon, but it would be delicious if we did. Nobody make tea blends out of crazy high grade tea, but Wendigo Tea did.
BS: I’ve personally never been a tea drinker. Knowing that what flavor and/or style would you recommend for new tea drinkers or people that may not be a fan of traditional tea?
SW: Most Americans don’t like tea because the only tea they have ever drank is garbage tea. It is the same way that many people hated beer when all they ever tried was Bud Light. The most common review I get is along the lines of ” It is like I have never drank tea before”. Bigfoot and Siren are always my 1st suggestions. They are very easy to not mess up while brewing and have a flavor profile that is simply delicious. Bigfoot tastes similar to what you would think of a black tea but is naturally more powerful, sweet, and woodsy- much like the beast himself. Siren is an organic herbal tea that is throat soothing and fierce. It was designed for vocalists and others that rely on their voices for their living. It tastes immediately of spicy ginger and citrus and is followed by a long sweet and soothing sensation down the throat.
BS: What is your personal favorite tea that you sell?
SW: I am a green-tea-everyday kind of man so get a warm fuzzy feeling in my tummy every time that I drink our Wendigo Green Tea. It is my favorite that I have ever found. It is a 100% Organic Japanese Sencha which has a more elegantly savory and grassy flavor and aroma than more expensive Japanese green teas that I had tried. It tastes like you are drinking a big beautiful landscape of nature.
BS: When someone orders from you, what can they expect from your company?
SW: Expect a hand written note from me and a cool as hell looking tea tin that contains some of the best tea you could possibly ever drink.
BS: What is your current goal for Wendigo Tea Co?
SW: Same thing we do every night. Try to take over the world.
BS: What’s next for you?
SW: I’m ship out a ton of tea to people then hang out with restaurant CEOs and head chefs and drink some tea or a few beers. Then play some piano at night.
BS: Where can people purchase your tea?
SW: The best place to find us is at www.wendigotea.com or any of our social media sites. Or you can hit me up directly at sky@wendigotea.com
BS: Anything else you would like to add?
SW: Life is short. You should spend your time doing with what helps bring you true happiness.
