When its cold out it warms you up, when its warm out it cools you down, and when you just need a cup of something to sip, its always there for you. Tea, for many people around the world is an essential part of life and every day living. So, having home grown teas is something that can comfort a whole community and give out the taste of something local. Making this possible is Jenny Tse, who grew up in Fairbanks and after years of training and building knowledge is back in Fairbanks. Tse is an international award-winning tea expert, consulted by artisanal growers in Hawaii, India and China. She runs the leading tea manufacturing company in Alaska. Now she’s starting the only tea farm in Alaska. Developing how to grow tea in Alaska has been no easy task and she was able to obtain and plant some tea plants, camellia sinensis trees in last year. During the pandemic, Tse also started a podcast with interviews with international experts. She started a YouTube channel to reach customers who couldn’t come into the shop. And she continued her online tea certification program with students across the country and in the UK. The camellia sinensis trees came from a farm in North Carolina making the 5,560ish mile trip to Alaska. Tse shared the tea plants’ journey on her Instagram account.