It started with a warm cup in Jamaica.

For Rose Hall, tea began as a morning ritual in her family in Jamaica. Today, she brings that tradition to three simple, caffeine-free blends: ginger, date and mint.

A 2021 pop-up at Bayside Marketplace in Miami, from the brand's own photos. A past event; the people pictured are not named here.

Before we left the house, we had tea.

Rose Hall, Ed.D., founder and CEO of Tessie's Teas, grew up in Jamaica, West Indies, where the day began with something warm in your belly. Tea came from the backyard: freshly picked ginger or mint, prepared at home before the children went out for the day.

Her grandfather, who lived to 107, was an avid tea drinker. For Rose, memories of him are part of the family tradition behind the company: familiar ingredients and a warm cup to start the day.

A new chapter

A second chapter, rooted in home.

After more than thirty years as a mental health professional in the United States, including time teaching at a local college, Rose moved to the Abu Dhabi-Dubai area for her husband's work. When he asked how she would stay involved in her new community, her answer was something she had always wanted to do: start a tea company.

A journey across Asia.

Rose's search for ingredients took her to about ten countries. In Sri Lanka, she remembers seeing herbs and spices growing at high elevations, where the air and soil made a lasting impression on her.

The journey, as Rose tells it

01Across Asia
02Shanghai
03Port of Miami
04Sunrise, Florida

Rose says she decided to bring together ingredients from across Asia. In her account of the process, the herbs, root and fruit are sent to a company in Shanghai with more than fifty years of experience freeze-drying food. They are freeze-dried, packaged and shipped to the Port of Miami, then transported to the company's warehouse in Sunrise, Florida. Rose describes the full journey as taking around ninety days.

Moments from the journey.

A smiling woman waving beside rocks, with elephants and green hills in the background.

Elephants bathing in a river beneath palm-covered hills.

A group of elephants in a clearing beneath green hills.

A smiling woman in a black cap standing beside a large elephant sculpture indoors.

A root. A fruit. A leaf.

The collection stays deliberately small. Ginger root. Date fruit. Mint leaf. Three familiar ingredients, freeze-dried for a cup that starts with water and a stir.

Ginger
Ginger root with a little honey and raw cane sugar.
Date
Date fruit with a little raw cane sugar.
Mint
Mint leaf with a little raw cane sugar.

Although Rose calls them teas, these blends contain no tea leaves. All three are caffeine-free.

A little of home, in every cup.

Single-serve satchels beside a burlap Tessie's Teas pouch, from the brand's own photos.

Tear open a satchel, add water and stir. Enjoy it hot or iced. It is Rose's way of sharing the tea tradition she grew up with, made simple enough for an everyday cup.

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