Growing up in Bulgaria, photographer and Estero Bay Olive Oil & Tea shopkeeper Diana Todorova viewed her backyard as a medicine cabinet. Within a big field of tomatoes, potatoes and other produce, wild herbs grew freely behind her family’s house. Little plants and thistles—the sort that might get weeded out of Westerners’ gardens—served a purpose: optimizing health. Her mother knew all the plants and their respective benefits and drew on ayurvedic tradition for remedies, which she passed on to Diana. “My mom would always make me a different herbal tea specific to every illness. We packaged [the herbs] and stored them for the winter … drinking them through spring and summer,” Diana says.
A few decades, one big move to the United States and several career changes later, Diana applies her knowledge at Estero Bay Olive Oil & Tea, which she owns with partner Doug Thompson. The selection of herbal and ayurvedic blends nod to her roots, but it’s the ultra-first-flush tea that sets the inventory apart and attracts purists. The shop is one of the only local places you can buy the delicacy. “It’s like you’re opening a bottle of Champagne on a special occasion,” Diana says of ultra-first-flush teas. These loose-leaf varieties, such as the Flowery grade Puttabong Darjeeling, sell for more than $50 an ounce. “This is not a tea that you would drink on a daily basis,” she says. For the uninitiated, flushing refers to the plucking season for tea.
The ultra-first-flush refers to the best of the buds from the beginning of the growing season. The terminology most commonly applies to the well-known Darjeeling teas of India, where a second and third crop grows. From November to March, the high-altitude bushes are dormant (not growing new shoots). When the bushes start growing again, the new shoots are sparse but full of ‘pent-up’ flavor. “In the first two weeks, the estate only produces about 1,000 kilos, and there is a race by the luxury stores around the world to get it,” Diana says. Ultra-first-flush teas pack antioxidants and nutrients, which can translate into dynamic flavors, rich texture and superior health benefits when brewed. “It’s very fresh, very tender and aromatic,” Diana says of the profile of these pours. She connects with the farmers of these teas worldwide, meeting many at the annual World Tea Expo.
Diana often presents pots of piping beverages and encourages customers of Estero Bay Olive Oil & Tea to sample, asking for feedback on what to stock next. Diana meets customers where they are. Java lovers, check out the coffee-flavored teas, like black tea with cocoa and coffee beans. Those who enjoy the ceremonial aspect of a morning cup will appreciate the flavored matcha. When the temps drop, she brings out a pot of mulled spice tea. “That will bring you to the winter markets in Germany and Austria,” she says.
She aims to educate shoppers about specific pours’ benefits and create community around tea. She’s hosted mocktail-making workshops, incorporating tea and balsamic vinegars and provides recipes on her social media channels, introducing followers to new ways to incorporate her products. Blue pea flower tea-infused ice pop? Yes, please. While originally the olive oil shoppers were the store’s bread and butter, Diana says they’ve now cultivated an educated tea audience who stop in daily for a cup on lunch breaks—no arm-twisting needed.
