At Rishe Tea, we are guided by three core values:

Quality. Sustainability. Integrity.

We work exclusively with organic farmers – pioneers of ecological tea cultivation in Japan – who are also our long-standing friends and partners.

Each year, we carefully select only teas that meet our uncompromising standards for taste, aroma and purity.

Our teas are packaged in a protective atmosphere directly on the farm in Japan to preserve their freshness and integrity.

Unlike many wholesalers, we never repack – ensuring that what you receive is exactly as it left the hands of the farmer.

My story

began twenty years ago, when I first stepped into an exotic establishment with a "tea room" sign above the entrance. At the time I knew nothing about tea, so the number of unfamiliar names was overwhelming.

Whether it was coincidence or fate, after a moment's consideration, I chose Gyokuro tea. It was the most expensive item on the entire menu, but I didn't want to judge the unknown world of Tea by the cheap stuff.

Whereupon I was initiated into the tea preparation and tasted my first cup...

The experience of quiet joy and clarity was as unexpected as it was overwhelming.

At that moment, I entered the journey that never ends - the Journey of Tea.

Over the next days and weeks I gradually tasted perhaps all the teas on offer and soon found myself behind the tea counter, working for several years in tea shops in Pardubice, Prague, Brno and Bratislava. Later, I took part in an expedition to South Asia, visiting plantations in China and Taiwan, until I finally remained loyal to Japan. Thanks to the great people I was lucky enough to meet, I learned a lot about tea.

As time went on, I began to organize tea tastings for friends, lectures and eventually started selling tea myself. And so I gained more knowledge of tea and the tea ceremony. As a result, my demands on the quality of the tea continued to grow until I had no choice but to find teas to my liking and start importing them. All the teas I bring are grown by honest farmers. They believe that growing tea in harmony with nature, without chemical helpers, is a much better idea than spoiling great tea with chemicals and poisoning themselves and their loved ones with substances that are miles away from tea.

And so I am fulfilling my dream - making people happy by doing what I enjoy.

I import the best teas from amazing people for those who want the best.

Areek J. Martinec