About us
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide high-quality, sustainable, and ethically sourced tea to meet the needs of our customers. We offer a variety of tea products and use only the finest ingredients, with no artificial colors or flavors. In addition, we source our tea from producers who participate in the Ethical Tea Partnership. You can learn more about the Ethical Tea Partnership here.
What is a "Lota"?
In South India, the word "lota" simply means "cup". Usually, a special type of "lota" is used for serving tea - a small steel cup, as shown here The tea is usually strong and very sweet, so it is served in small quantities. Because the cup will be hot when used to drink tea, tea drinkers typically hold it by the rim.About the Owners
We are Vinay and Tara, the founders and owners of Lota Tea. We are also husband and wife! We both grew up drinking tea, and we wanted to share the experience of good tea with the world. For us, tea is not just a business, it is our passion.
For Vinay, tea was a big part of life growing up in India. His favorite memory related to tea is when his relatives would get together and share tea and conversation. Tara worked in a mom and pop tea retail shop in Wichita, KS while going to school. She enjoyed learning about the different varieties of tea, but the real joy was in helping customers find a new tea that they really enjoyed.