Global Tea Club

ABOUT US:

BACKGROUND

The Global Tea Club (GTC) was founded in 2016 in hopes of creating a community through drinking tea — a safe space where tea drinkers can interact with and converse with one another. GTC hosts meetings and events where new aspects of tea culture are shared and discussed. We aim to engage not only UC Davis students but also the surrounding Davis community.

MISSION

GTC prioritizes introducing different teas to the community while emphasizing their cultural and historical significance. We see tea as an agricultural product rooted in questions of sustainability, biodiversity, fair trade, and workers’ rights — as well as a cultural good linked to practices of hospitality, aesthetics, national identity, and tradition.

GTC meetings, therefore, tap into a wide variety of topics, from the history of the tea trade along the Silk Road to the ongoing labor inequalities in the modern tea industry. GTC highlights its global research on the health benefits of tea, best agricultural practices, and other tea news during our meetings and Teatime Tuesday posts on social media. GTC also hosts guest speakers ranging from local tea shop owners to industry vice presidents, to indigenous Amazonian tea companies.

Through the appreciation of tea, GTC can discuss global affairs while creating awareness and connections among UC Davis and the wider community. Of course, members also drink tea at every meeting — with occasional treats on the side as an accompaniment.

MEET THE TEAM:

an Asian man smiling for a portrait with clean cut hair while wearing a sweater over a dress shirt and tie.

FACULTY SPONSOR: Associate Professor of Japanese Joseph T. Sorenson

Joseph T. Sorensen is Associate Professor of Japanese at the University of California, Davis. He is the author of Optical Allusions: Screens, Paintings, and Poetry in Classical Japan (2012). In addition to his continuing research on waka poetry and literary criticism, he serves as Director of the Japan Children’s Home Internship Program (JCHIP), which sends undergraduates to volunteer over summer at orphanage homes throughout Japan. He often runs a study-abroad program in Kyoto, and as a leading member of the UC Davis Global Tea Institute, he helps organize events, curricula, and research collaborations on all aspects of the study of tea.

a woman with long straight brown hair posing with a tea set on a wooden table

CLUB PRESIDENT: Olivia Harvey

Olivia Harvey is a fourth year Electrical Engineering student. She grew up admiring her mother's collection of teaware, and fostered a love of tea over long afternoons with her grandmother. She loves tea for its variability, calming properties, and capacity to connect people.

a young woman in glasses smiling with a beach sunset behind her.

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR: Sylvie Thompson

Sylvie Thompson is the volunteer coordinator of the Global Tea Club. She is a fourth year undergraduate student studying Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity with a minor in Insect Ecology and Japanese. Her favorite type of tea is oolong, but she really enjoys trying a wide variety of teas whenever the chance is presented. Additionally, She likes learning about tea history and tea culture across different countries.

a young woman with long brown hair pouring tea with a traditional chinese tea set.

EVENT COORDINATOR: Sam Herzig

Sam Herzig is a junior studying Art History and Plant Biology with a minor in German. When she’s not researching in the Zerbe lab or walking backwards as a Campus Tour Guide, you can often find her brewing tea in the gong fu style for herself and her friends. She loves all sorts of tea, but especially dancong oolong teas from the Phoenix Mountains in China.

A young woman in a sweater with brunette bangs in front of a tower structure.

TREASURER: Julia Bertini

Julia Bertini is a senior studying Electrical Engineering at UC Davis. She enjoys drinking any type of herbal tea or tisane, her favorite being rooibos. Bertini also enjoys drinking white tea, and finds the aging process of it to be very interesting. In her free time she likes to bake, hike, and read, all of which are complimented well by a cup of tea!