Welcome To The Simpson And Vail Loose Tea Blog

My name is Cyndi Harron, one of the family members here at Simpson and Vail.  On behalf of my family, I wanted to welcome you here to our new loose tea blog.

I thought I’d give you a little introduction to our family run tea business.  In the 70’s my parents, Joan & Jim, purchased Simpson & Vail, which was located, at that time, on Park Place in New York City.  Pretty soon after they purchased it, my father was asked to join a friend running a textile company, which left Mom to learn and operate Simpson and Vail.

She did an outstanding job!  I have 3 brothers and in the summers and school holidays my parents roped all of us into working for them.  It was exciting traveling to New York, riding the train, taking subways, immersing ourselves in the hustle and bustle that was in sharp contrast to our little town of Pleasantville.

In the 80’s they moved the business to Pleasantville, NY, which made it easier for them to keep an eye on us and insured that we were available for after school help at the store!  We all continued to work in the business on and off for years, but after graduating college and working in other jobs for a few years, my oldest brother, Jim, and I joined Simpson and Vail in 1990.  In 1997 we decided to move the business to Brookfield, Connecticut, where we still reside today.

I was about 10 when my parents started with Simpson and Vail, so I’ve been fortunate, for most of my life, to have the finest coffees and teas available to try.  You may wonder, as you see our unfolding videos, why I don’t appear in them often.  Trust me, the rest of the family are not camera hogs.  There is no conspiracy to keep me in the background.  It’s just that I much prefer the medium of writing.  I’m sure they’ll try to propel me out of my comfort zone, but for as long as possible you’ll get to know me through the power of words.

So why do I love tea?  Well … what’s not to love?  Next to water it is the most consumed beverage on the planet.  The history of tea and tea trading is long and rich.  Wars have been fought, economies have been shaped and so many people’s lives have been, and continue to be, shaped by these leaves.  And while this fascinates me, it’s not the whole reason why I love tea.  I love tea because it is delicious.  The tastes of the teas alone are intriguing but the limitless combinations of tea blends that are possible are scrumptious and exciting.  I am referring here to the plant camellia sinensis, however, I am also a lover of all herbs and plants.  I have developed most of the herbal blends we sell at S&V and enjoy their history, cultivation, tastes, and aromas.

The world of tea, camellia sinensis, is never dull.  As many of you probably know, tea is grown and produced every year.  So every year there are new treasures to discover, new tastes to experience, new things to learn.  It’s definitely a “job” where you never have the opportunity to be bored.  With every growing season we anxiously await the latest batches of loose leaf delights that arrive.  We’ll be sharing some of our findings in this blog.

I hope you enjoy this journey with us!