When Derek Poskin first arrived in the historic canal city of Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, in 2016, he was tracing a poem by Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Li Bai and developing a growing appreciation for Chinese tea culture. Nearly a decade later, the American, born in 1988, has become a tea entrepreneur, sourcing premium leaves across China and selling them to customers worldwide.
"Coffee is for work. Tea, though, is for life. I've always been passionate about Chinese tea," Poskin says from Empty Cup, his renovated tea house nestled in Yangzhou's old quarter, where he introduces visitors from around the world to China's tea traditions.
"I started drinking and buying more, and eventually turned my house into a warehouse. I had to share it somehow, and that's how the business began."
From passion to business
Poskin launched his tea venture in 2018 as a side project, aiming to connect Western tea enthusiasts with the traditions behind it. However, the early years were challenging.
"The first three or four years were really slow," he admits, recalling how only family members purchased his products initially. "I still remember the first time I got an order from somebody I didn't know. I was like, 'Oh my gosh'. That was the moment I knew I was making it. It's been a long, long process."
Navigating China's tea landscape is no simple feat. The country produces thousands of varieties across six main categories — green, white, yellow, oolong, black, and dark teas like Pu'er.
Rather than working through middlemen, Poskin travels directly to tea-growing regions across China, from the ancient forests of Yunnan province in the southwest to the oolong gardens of Fujian province along the eastern coast.
"One of the reasons I came to China was to live the tea culture. The best way to do that is to go where the tea is made," he explains. "Before coming to China, I had been drinking tea for a long time but had never actually seen a tea plant. Now I've hiked through some of the country's most remote tea mountains."
Connective expeditions
One of Poskin's most memorable expeditions took him to Guafengzhai, a remote village of the Yao ethnic group in Yunnan's Yiwu town, about two kilometers from the border with Laos. Renowned for its high-quality Pu'er tea, the village had long been a bucket list destination for the entrepreneur.
The journey began with a leap of faith — connecting through social media with a young, local farmer named Zhao Xiaoyun. "I had this prearranged date with a person I'd never met, in a town I'd never been to, to venture to the borders of China," Poskin recalls. "But as soon as I met her, I knew we were on the same page. We both spoke the language of tea."
The four-day expedition immersed him in every aspect of tea production. Joining Zhao, her mother, sister, and friends deep in the tea forests, he picked leaves, laid them out to sundry, and helped with the roasting.
"We've hosted foreign tea merchants who have visited our plantation for business before, but Derek stands out for his exceptional knowledge of tea," says Zhao. "When we taught him the leaf fixation process, a critical step that halts oxidation and preserves flavor, he learned it immediately."
The primeval forests, with tea trees hundreds of years old growing wild among other vegetation, left an enduring impression. "Walking through those ancient groves felt like stepping into another world," Poskin describes. "The farmers would point out edible herbs along the way, letting me taste spicy leaves that would numb my mouth like Sichuan peppercorns.
"That's one of the most magical aspects — experiencing the land with the people who live on it," he adds.
Pieces of a puzzle
Poskin's dedication to understanding tea goes beyond sourcing trips. He spent a year in Chaozhou, Guangdong province, studying the art of making clay teapots used for gongfu cha (tea with skill). This method uses small pots and cups to bring out complex flavors through multiple short infusions.
He has participated in some local customs and festivals during his trips, often as the only foreigner."One time, around Qingming Festival, I was invited to join a family's tomb-sweeping ritual," he recounts."We killed chickens, burned incense and paper money, and set out meals for the ancestors. It was incredible to be part of that living tea culture."
The tea is just the surface, he emphasizes. "When I experience the world through the eyes of the people in the mountains, I realize how deep tea culture really is. The leaves themselves are just a piece of the puzzle."
Through his travels across different provinces, Poskin's understanding of the drink itself has shifted from a search for correctness to an appreciation for diversity.
"I came thinking there was one correct way to drink tea," he explains. "But I've learned that Chinese tea culture is incredibly fluid and varies by region." For example, people might drink green tea straight from a glass jar in Yangzhou, while in Chaozhou, elaborate gongfu cha sets are the norm.
"Chinese tea culture is fluid, more Taoist," he says. "Every place has its own style, and any way you drink tea is the right way. I find that very welcoming and liberating."
