Jennifer Nowicki’s early introduction to tea came at her Grandmother’s knee.

She carries fond memories of drinking tea with Grandma following delicious homemade family meals. As a young adult, Jennifer discovered loose-leaf teas in Seattle in the mid-nineties that developed her palate even more. In 2005 she enrolled in the Specialty Tea Institute in New York City and immersed herself in the world of tea. Jennifer had found her passion and became acquainted with owners of tea estates, tasted teas not available in the United States, and learned from the experts. Jennifer is the only Certified Tea Specialist in Wisconsin since 2009 and continues to pursue her education with the Institute.

Jennifer owned and operated a teahouse in Milwaukee for three years before relocating to Northeast Wisconsin. Having visited a plantation in South Carolina, witness the Japanese tea ceremony, saw the Korean women’s ceremony, was one of eight people to represent the USA tea industry in two world tea conferences in China, and having enjoyed a samovar in Russia, her dream is to travel the world visiting plantations in India, China, Taiwan, and Japan. She has contacts with small farms in origin countries and gets many of her teas directly from them with a focus on procuring high-quality teas that are organic, fair trade and ethically sourced.

Contact the host of Zen Sundays: Japanese Tea & Flute