The first tea business I co-founded was incorporated in 2004 and I am now a minority shareholder.

Loose-leaf tea shops have been springing up all over the United States in the last five years or so. In our concept store model, we developed a loose-leaf tea brewing technology that sets us apart, in that we can brew any loose-leaf or herbal tea, including tightly wound oolong leaves, in just one minute and the infusions are consistently delicious every time.

Our demographic statistics show that our customers are 58 percent female, 42 percent male, and the largest group is aged between 25 and 44. In our shop, tea is brewed 'to go', in addition to customers buying the leaves to brew at home. We also offer ceramic pots and cups if they prefer to stay and spend time in the shop

Our business is seeing double-digit growth every year, even in an area in the US experiencing high unemployment and financial difficulties, which is exciting to see. Our best selling teas are still Chinese black teas, although greens and oolongs are gaining momentum. In the US, about 80 percent of all tea sold is black tea, and about 80 percent of that is iced tea.

We also have teas on display and use small containers specifically designed to allow the customers to smell the fragrance.

At the other end of the store, we sell pots, infusers, and gift and stationery items with photos of loose-leaf teas by Regina Fell Designs. We also offer brewed samples at the customer's request so they can judge if they want to buy any particular tea. We never pre-brew, we only brew fresh tea on demand.

We never work with just one source. We speak to growers' representatives, or to the growers themselves, in a number of countries. We also buy through importers and blenders we have worked with for years. We attempt to purchase Fair Trade and organic products whenever possible, and the majority of our teas are of this type.

We have a number of teas from the region of Yunnan province, including Jasmine Yunnan, Golden Yunnan and a Yunnan breakfast tea. In all, our shop carries between 50 and 55 teas at any given time, and we are constantly cupping, sampling and looking for the best in the world.

The Chinese "tea brand" is well established throughout the world. If you were to ask them which country they associate with tea, most people in the US would likely say China. The tea complements herbs, and vice versa.

This is an area that we see growing significantly in the future in the United States. The Chinese tea growers and their representatives have done a good job of promoting Chinese tea, but we are always in need of more information and education to keep our customers informed about the teas we sell.

Diane Walden spoke to Zhang Yuchen.