Markus Stocker bio photo

Markus Stocker

Between information technology and environmental science with a flair for economics, the clarinet, and the world of soups and salads.

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Around the turning point of 2008, in a somewhat turbulent phase, I was a regular customer at a neighborhood café of the city that was then my home. In the midst of a sense of loosing too much, there, I found something: The Best Ginger Tea Ever.

Since then, I moved twice, across oceans and seas, nations and cultures. Something remains constant; The question, can I replicate that Ginger Tea? While I found Ginger Tea at a local grocery store, I’m afraid it just doesn’t get close enough to that Ginger Tea. So, up to now I wasn’t very successful.

There is new hope, though. Yesterday, I contacted the neighborhood café with the question if they are willing to share their insider knowledge. Utmost surprised by their kind answer – which included a full description of the tea, distributor (Rishi Tea, Milwaukee, WI) and link to the distributor’s online store – I checked if Rishi Tea delivers to my new home country. They do, indeed, but I was told a better option might be to contact their distributor in Norway, OrganicHouse AS. Now, Norway is not my new home country but they do deliver plus they will be up and running in 2010 here too.

I suppose, globalization is at play here and you might argue shipping tea from Milwaukee, WI, is anything but ecological or even reasonable for its tea price and shipping cost ratio, perhaps even for Norway. Agreed. That said, they have The Best Ginger Tea Ever.

On a side note. I wonder, what the answer of a random café in the country I’m a citizen of would have been. Without wanting to generalize, I’m afraid, it would have been something along the lines: “We appreciate your interest in our products and regret telling you the ingredients are a business secret.” Of course, I might just have been lucky with the neighborhood café but I love their answer which kind of suggests I find it unique. Kudos to you guys across the Atlantic.