Tea People: Linsey Manning, Owner of The NecessiTeas

Welcome to another Wednesday Interview! This week we're getting to know Linsey Manning, owner of The NecessiTeas tea company.

Q. What kind(s) of tea/tisanes do you sell?

A. We sell mostly unique flavored blends along with many dessert type blends. We offer black, green, oolong, white, herbal and rooibos.

Q. Where do you get your teas from?

A. We blend all of our own teas.

Q. How do you decide which teas to carry?

A. After I get an idea for a blend I make a few different samples and test them out on my family and friends. I try to offer blends that you wouldn't normally find at any other tea shop. I really want my uniqueness and creativity to set me apart from the other tea companies out there.

Q. Do you blend any of the teas you carry?

A. Yes, all of them.

Q. What made you decide to go into the tea business?

A. I got married at 19 and have been a stay at home mom for the last 10 years. I went to an afternoon tea one day about 4 years ago and fell in love with the whole experience. I wasn't to sold on the tea but the pastries, little tea sandwiches and teaware really got my attention. It was more about how you felt while being there rather then just about the tea. I soon started going more often and actually started liking tea and even did a little online shopping for different teas. I really couldn't find what I was looking for out there so my husband who has owned his own business since the age of 18 suggested that I just started my own. And from that moment on I made my dream a reality.

Q. How many people work for your company?

A. Right now we have 5 people.

Q. What is your stance on Fair Trade teas?

A. I agree with fair trade and try to buy my tea bases fair trade when I can.

Q. Are your teas organic? Why or why not?

A. Some are and some are not, it just depends on what I am blending and what flavors and ingredients I am using. I find that organic tea flavorings taste different and don't seem to keep as strong of a flavor as long so it just depends.

Q. Is your company environmentally friendly? If so, how?

A. We are trying to be more environmentally friendly everyday and coming up with some new ideas like refill programs and such.

Q. How many pots of tea do the people in your office consume each day?

A. We drink tea all day long!! from Morning until bed time we are drinking tea. I would say maybe 6 pots a day, give or take a little.

Q. Do you remember the first cup of tea you drank? How was it?

A. The first cup of tea I had was at an afternoon tea. I cant remember if it was green or white but I know I didn't like it much and had to keep adding sugar! A little on my history, I am from Utah and was raised Mormon. In the Mormon religion you are not supposed to drink coffee, tea, caffeine etc.. so I didn't have many experiences to try tea until I was older and started making my own decisions. Now tea is my drink of choice regardless of religion and the more I started drinking it the more I liked it.

Q. Do you drink tea predominantly for health or enjoyment – or both?

A. The health benefits are amazing but I would honestly say that I drink them for pure enjoyment.

Q. What tea would you recommend for a coffee drinker considering a switch?

A. We have an amazing Cafe Latte black tea that gets huge reviews from our ex coffee drinkers. This blends even has coffee beans in it.

Q. What’s your favorite pairing of food with white, green and black teas?

A. I love a good Milk Oolong with fresh Spring Rolls or any unflavored green tea with chineese food. I also like a lightly flavored green tea with tea sandwiches for an afternoon tea. I don't normally pair my tea with my food, I just drink tea buy its self most of the time.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

A. We are currently ranked the #1 tea company on Teaviews and we now offer wholesale and custom blending for tea and coffee shops. We can also flavor coffee beans.

Thanks so much for the interview, Linsey! You can visit The NecessiTeas at www.thenecessiteas.com, and follow Linsey on Twitter at: @TheNecessiTeas. Comments or questions are welcome below.