Shisso 質素 [shees–so]

Japanese Kanji

noun; simplicity, modesty, humility

We at Shisso Tea Company have watched the North American tea industry, culture and supply chain shift, transform and evolve over the last decade and a half that we have been working with tea. We have watched the overall Food & Beverage industry also make leaps and bounds towards more ethical and sustainable practices across the supply chain. Consumers are waking up to the role in which they play in choosing what they purchase more consciously and that there is power in voting with their dollars. We all have our part to play in making the world a better place and we must make choices that are mutually beneficial for everyone from garden or farm to cups and plates.

We have refused to cut corners, to cut costs at the expense of quality and ethics, we have made the hard choices to establish our company on a foundation of moral principles so that we do not waver from our goal. We are dedicated to sharing only the freshest, flavour filled teas and botanicals from around the world, ensuring that everyone in our sphere of influence benefits, from the women picking leaves in the fields, to our customers here discovering the vast and rich world of tea. No man woman or child left behind to fend for themselves.

Shisso’s Seven Sacred Virtues

1. Humility { Transparency & Integrity }

2. Curiosity { Intellectual & Alchemical }

3. Liberation { Ethical & Sustainable }

4. Healing { Medicinal & spiritual }

5. Creativity { Expression & Innovation }

6. Expansion { Growth & Evolution }

7. Philanthropy { Give & Sustain }

Traceability & Accountability

Elevated Tea Education

The Ethical Tea Revolution & Reformation

We bring honour back into the sacred medicinal ritual of tea service through enlightened education and offering an authentic experience reflecting teas culturally & spiritual rich roots.

We believe that revolution is in the reformation and that it is time for an ethical tea revolution.

Ancient Plant Medicine

Tea { Camellia Sinensis }

Tea is one of the oldest plant medicines on our pale blue dot. Originally discovered by Buddhist Monks in Yunnan China over 5000 years ago, it was incorporated into their meditation ritual to awaken and calm simultaneously.

Botanical Concoctions

Herbal tea is not true tea, which is derive from the Camellia Sinensis plant. Instead, herbal teas are an infusion or blend of various leaves, fruits, bark, roots, or flowers belonging to almost any edible, non-tea plant.

Spirituality { Origination & Genealogy }

The Legend of ShenNong (2737 BC)

Once upon a (prehistoric) time, in a land far far away {unless you are in China} lived the legendary deity, Shennong. Shennong was a mythical sage ruler, and the mastermind behind Chinese agriculture and medicine. One windy day, he was drinking a bowl of boiled water {all the subjects of the land cleansed their water by boiling it first} and a few leaves blew into the cup, changing the colour. The emperor took a sip of the brew, and was pleasantly surprised by its flavour. Some tell a variant of the legend, in which Shennong tested the medicinal properties of teas on himself, and found them to soothe ailments and work as an antidote to poisonous herbs. {For more on this legend and others, check out Lu Yu's famous early work on the subject, The Classic of Tea.}

The Legend of Bodhidarma (Tang Dynasty 618 - 907AD)

Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China. According to Chinese legend, he also began the physical training of the monks of Shaolin Monastery, which led to the creation of Shaolin kungfu. In Japan, he is known as Daruma. The rather gruesome legend dates back to the Tang Dynasty. In the traditional folklore, Bodhidharma accidentally fell asleep after meditating in front of a wall for nine years. He woke up in such disgust at his weakness, that he cut off his own eyelids. They fell to the ground and took root, growing into tea bushes. This myth expresses the sentiment that tea is the drink of woke-folks: open eyes as a metaphor for staying present, engaged, and aware in the world.

*sometimes, another version of the story is told with Gautama Buddha in place of Bodhidharma.

Collaboration Over Competition

Few things bring us more joy than to share our beautiful, vibrant tea with Chefs, Barista’s, Mixologists, Alchemists, Plant Medicine Practitioners, Mindful Meditators, Yogi’s, Healers across the full range of ages, children to seniors. We love the way tea brings us together with meaning, intention and deep connection, whether it be served in a porcelain cup, chilled in a crystal vintage etched cocktail glass, or baked into the most mouthwatering creme brulee desert. Tea as an ingredient, infused into the whole dining experience is where our creative sweet spot can flourish with ecstasy, we would love to explore all the ways in which we can collaborate!

We are always open and looking for new creative partnerships with chefs, mixologists, restauranteur’s and gastronomist’s of all shapes and sizes who are excited to explore the world of flavours, textures and expressions! If you identify as any of the above, feel free to reach out to explore possible alignments and collaborations by clicking the link below!

Gastronomic Expression of Flavour & Colour

Culinary Creations as Edible Alchemical Art

We at Shisso Tea Company believe that food is our medicine, and that we are either feeding health or illness in what we choose to fuel our bodies with. Our obsession is to connect the historical roots of our relationship to plants as medicine through gastronomy, creating menus which evokes connection to each culture from country of origin. By intentionally sourcing ingredients as locally, sustainably and ethically as possible, as well as the spirit of our preparation and experience we offer to our guests, mindfulness is at the centre. We want our dining experience to evoke an experience of travel through flavour, presentation and ambiance, each libation and dish telling their own travel stories.

In a world where our physical, emotional and psychological healths have become a vital focus for many of us, we want to acknowledge the detrimental effect that alcohol can have on the our bodies. We know that, if there are underlying emotional or psychological factors, that it can most certainly amplify in its natural mind-altering effects. We believe that everything in moderation is a key factor in protecting our health and how can we help to infuse the medicinal properties of our Tea & Botanicals into the Spirits as a way of transmuting the poisons into medicine. We believe that the world of distillation could also be elevated, infusing healing into spirits.

We are also passionate about flavours, blends, and creating intentionally curated ingredients which tell stories from afar, tailoring each beverage to suit the needs of the guest. We infuse history, culture and the medicinal roots of alchemy into our cocktail elixir collaborations. Our bespoke cocktail menus disrupts the status quo, elevating the bar with superior ingredients we carefully curate and artfully incorporate. We have had a lot of fun over the years at brief moments in time, creating cocktails with local restaurants such as; Proof Cocktail Bar, Cannibale, Untitled Champaign Lounge & The Derrick Gin Mill, The Coup, The Nash & Off Cut Bar.

We in the western world are beginning to open our eyes and minds to the wisdom that there is a fundamental connection between the brain and the gut when it comes to our overall health. We know that sugar and carbs are the two categories on the nutritional scale which directly correlates with obesity, heart complications, diabetes, cancer and many other diseases. “But I like the cookie!” Said Hammy and every other human whose ever been exposed to our conventional refined white sugar. Yet, what if there was another way, other botanicals, fruits, and sources of sweetness detached from the toxic, overly processed ingredients in most pastries for the purpose of “shelf stability”? Well there are many ingredients found in nature which can produce sweetness without the crab loading.

We believe that it is time to infuse our baked goods with the tea & botanicals to help you curb and cure your addiction to sugar without the cravings. We have been delighted to partner with some incredible pastry chefs and sweet treat creators to develop some amazing baked goods!

Parallel Markets & Industries

Tea is inevitably interwoven globally amongst all demographics of age, race, education level, socioeconomic status, cultural heritage and over the course of the last 5000 years of human history! It has interlocked fingers with the wise medicine men and woman of old, the spiritual leaders, warriors, royalty, peasants as it migrated from continent to continent. Similarly, we also find tea under the umbrellas of Food & Beverage, Health and Wellness, Hospitality and Tourism.

We invite guests to purchase the freshest farm-direct and ethically sourced tea in the world. Supporting our business means participating in an enterprise who strives towards creating a more sustainable and ethical tea industry.

Full-Circle Ecosystem

Circular Economics & Suppy Chain

A circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. Circling back around to our 1st Sacred Virtue: Humility { Transparency & Integrity }, we believe that closing the loop looks like us giving back to the communities, organizations, partners along the supply chain to be fed back into the garden & grower partners.
“From garden to cup and from cup back to garden!”

Since globalization which along with it came, colonization, civil war, human trafficking, slavery, greed and the drive for power and control. When trying to understand the tea supply chain, we must look back into tea's long, rich and treacherous history. When we dig even deeper, we see the global systemic issues creating such inhumane, unjust and predatory conditions for tea pickers, averaging from 70-90% of workers being female. These structures of control are still in effect to this very day, and we must face these facts if we are to set higher standards within the tea industry. This is one of the driving factors for that fuels our fire to be a positive catalyst of change within our industry!

As our business grows in profitability, we have created the Shisso Generous & Sustained Funds will dedicate 10% {Wholesale} & 15% {Retail} of our profits to supporting our charity partners in their HR & Agricultural sustainability needs and goals.

The InCeption Of Camellia Sophia

To follow the White Rabbit, for our Expanded, poetic, scientific, spiritual, theatrical & whimsical tale of our Founer’s Journey . . .