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LOEYTEA Love&Obey LOEYTEA embodies the essence of genuine quality tea infused with a spirit of 'gift'.

23-49, Jeongseung-ro 88beon-gil, Tanhyeon-myeon,
Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea 10857
david@clayton.co.kr 82 31 815 1199

Blog

Embark on a journey of discovery as we unveil our story, sharing insights into who we are and what drives our passion for excellence.

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Love&Obey LOEYTEA, Neighbors 01

29 November, 2024

A Tea Sampler That Shares the Warm Stories of Neighbors

At LOEYTEA, we believe that a simple cup of tea can be more than just a drink—it can bring small moments of happiness into everyday life. Our first tea sampler, Neighbors 01, was created with this hope in mind. Featuring four premium blends, this beautifully crafted tea set is the perfect gift for friends, family, or any tea lover.

Blessing Neighbors

“Blessing Neighbors” is more than just a slogan—it reflects our gratitude to those who supported us during our humble beginnings. When we started from scratch, there were people who chose us, and their trust and encouragement shaped who we are today. Neighbors 01 is our way of expressing heartfelt appreciation for their role in our journey.

Shaping Neighbors

In the past, we’ve created collections like Avenue and Village, inspired by various spaces. This time, we wanted to capture the essence of “neighbors” through the concept of houses, which led us to the iconic red brick buildings of New York.

Modern Neighbors

New York’s red brick houses beautifully embody the spirit of modern neighbors—unique yet connected, much like the way we live today. While people live independently, their lives remain intertwined in meaningful ways. This idea inspired the design of Neighbors 01, which celebrates the harmony and individuality of modern communities.

New York Red Brick

The tin case is the centerpiece of Neighbors 01. Crafted from screw-sealed aluminum, its tall, elegant shape was inspired by New York’s brick houses. While we initially considered using two tins to better represent the traditional house design, practical considerations such as cost and durability led us to the current single-tin format.

Gallery, Art in Life

Our signature color, Cyan Blue, is one of the key printing colors used worldwide and represents our philosophy of staying true to the basics. With a desire to bring beauty into daily life, we designed Neighbors 01 with a gallery-like aesthetic. This tea sampler isn’t just a product—it’s an artistic expression meant to add value and beauty to your everyday moments.

Neighbors 01

Neighbors 01 is LOEYTEA’s first tea sampler, sharing the warm stories of neighbors. Like New York’s brick houses, it captures the beauty of individuality and connection. We hope this collection brings a touch of warmth and joy to your life, just as our neighbors have done for us.

Experience the art of life with tea. Discover the heartfelt story of neighbors through Neighbors 01 by LOEYTEA.

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September 2024 Title Image

09 September, 2024

For the coming months, we will be featuring old photographs. A brief escape from the present to evoke nostalgia. Childhood memories that everyone holds—times with friends and family. The joy of having an ice cream or a brand-new bike felt like owning the world. We hope that, even if just for a moment, these faded photographs allow you to become part of them and bring back the warmth of cherished memories.

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Blessing Neighbors

Starting from scratch, we initially launched a few products that were embraced and enjoyed by the younger generation. To warm their small and mundane living spaces, we created a gallery-themed sampler.

This sampler was a success, and the minimalist design inspired by the gallery style became the hallmark of LOEYTEA’s identity.

The generation that began this journey with us still lives on their own. We wish to warm their hearts and be a good neighbor to them because they did the same for us.

Thus, “Blessing Neighbors” naturally became LOEYTEA’s slogan.

It reflects our gratitude for those who stood by us through the challenges of our early days.

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LOEYTEA IN ASSAM

06 May, 2024

In April 2024, we traveled to India. It had been eight years since we started our TEA company, Clayton. While we are still relatively new compared to well-established brands with histories spanning 30 or 100 years, our journey has been far from easy.

One of the initial and most significant challenges was finding reliable suppliers and partners. We had to establish factories and import tea bag machines while advancing on multiple fronts simultaneously.

Currently, our partners include Sri Lanka, India, China, and Germany. Sri Lanka and India supply black tea, China provides Chinese tea, and Germany offers various herbal refining services. The tea industry is vast and global, involving large-scale operations across extensive plantations.

To build trust in our products’ taste, we began by focusing on both historical and operational scale. Our partner in India is a leading exporter with five plantations in Assam, plus an additional one acquired in 2022, bringing the total to six plantations, which include both tea fields and refining factories. For our Breakfast Blend, Assam, and Assam CTC, we cultivate directly without going through auctions, importing only the appropriate amount for the current year.

Most Indian teas, like those from Sri Lanka, are distributed through auctions, similar to other agricultural products, both domestically and internationally. Each company selects quantities based on tasting and requirements. In the case of Darjeeling, large-scale cultivation in mountainous areas is challenging, so we purchase the necessary quantity from auctions. All Indian teas are evaluated by a taster with 22 years of experience.

During our visit to India for discussions on black tea, we recorded our visit to the sixth plantation with the manager. For our international sales efforts, we are engaged in activities such as trademark applications for LOEYTEA, participating in exhibitions, and developing our YouTube channel and Amazon store. We aim to provide meaningful content on YouTube, including field trip footage, reflecting our past experience as a documentary producer.

We captured the manufacturing process of black tea and scenes from the tea fields, which were truly beautiful and pure.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our customers who consistently choose and support us. Thank you.

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2024 World Tea Exhibition, Las Vegas, USA

25 March, 2024

We recently participated in the 2024 World Tea Exhibition in Las Vegas, which offered an excellent opportunity for emerging brands like ours to connect with a variety of consumers and industry professionals in the US.

During the event, we showcased prototypes of our existing products, and the response from visitors was overwhelmingly positive. Encouraged by this feedback, we’re preparing to launch an Amazon Store to better serve the needs of our international customers.

One of the highlights was the chance to interact with neighboring booths from India, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. These connections blossomed into valuable friendships, and we’re even planning a trip to India in April to meet with our existing partners and explore collaboration opportunities with our new friends for crafting our masala chai.

We’re thankful to all the visitors who showed interest in our offerings during the exhibition. Looking forward, we have ambitious plans for future exhibitions. While we’re considering having a booth at the 2025 event in Japan, we’re also exploring opportunities in other Western countries like SIAL or even considering returning to Las Vegas.

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LOEY’s Earl Grey

06 March, 2024

Hello, I’m David, the founder. When it comes to Earl Grey, I have to talk about the story that marks the very beginning. I spent my twenties exploring three different paths: fashion design, band vocals, and documentary production. In my early thirties, I entered the food industry, starting in Eastern Europe, moving to Australia, and returning to Korea. I managed international food brands in Korea for a significant period. Throughout my life journey, I traveled extensively, visited numerous places, and met many people.

Approaching the latter part of my thirties, I finally embarked on the business I had been preparing for a long time. I secured a small office space—a place with nothing, extremely small and cold. Choosing tea from the diverse forms of food was due to its universal appeal worldwide. If I were to create a tea company, the most crucial element would be Earl Grey.

Having enjoyed tea during my travels, it was essential to have a unique, high-quality, yet typical Earl Grey. To achieve this, I conducted extensive research and traveled extensively. I believed that starting would be challenging if we couldn’t offer a good Earl Grey.

Tea was a field unfamiliar to me, and there were no acquaintances or known companies. It was a challenging environment compared to existing companies. However, I was a well-trained, familiar person starting with nothing. Starting without knowledge might require paying tuition through trial and error, but the advantage was having no preconceptions.

Above all, we aimed for our Earl Grey to be smooth. Not too intense, with a softness and a distinctive scent beyond just bergamot, distinguishing it from other brands and being memorable. So, I sought Sri Lankan tea and wanted a partner who could handle substantial quantities for the future. Tea is a collaborative industry worldwide, where major origins mix and products traverse the globe like one body. However, even in my thoughts, it seemed impossible.

During various trials, I visited a food exhibition, not specifically for tea. There, I encountered a booth of a Sri Lankan tea company. The exhibition wasn’t tea-focused, and they seemed to have little to do. I greeted them, shared my background, preparation process, and future plans. They were one of the top companies there at the request of the Sri Lanka Tea Board. Later, I found out that they had come to that place only once. I was deeply impressed by their humble and sincere attitude and the quality of their tea.

After several journeys to Sri Lanka, they dedicated efforts to create the Earl Grey I desired. The scent of Earl Grey we have today, emitting a silent sigh when the lid is opened, was finally completed. Clayton Tea’s unique Earl Grey. Now, we’re ready to start. I had the confidence to begin. Despite ongoing challenges, those joyous moments propel us forward.

Every Earl Grey product from Clayton Tea company features the same tea leaf, and LOEY follows the same principle. This is the story of how we crafted our Earl Grey. When I inhale the aroma, it takes me back to those days, evoking not just a delightful flavor but cherished memories as well.

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Our Commitment to Sustainable Practices in Tea Packaging

Observing the plight of polar bears dwindling due to melting ice, witnessing the annual temperature shifts, and making efforts for the environment are now considered natural for everyone. Simple actions in our daily lives can make a significant impact. Choosing not to use one or two items that won’t decompose, whether it’s ten people, a hundred people, or even 1% of the population of each country, can lead to substantial change.

In our tea business, sensitivity to storage conditions and humidity led us to use sealed packaging, often in the form of plastic bags. One effort we made was to eliminate a machine—one that individually wrapped each tea bag in a plastic pouch. While every production day may not be perfect, sometimes, many plastic wrappings end up as waste. Even products produced normally can be torn open by customers and eventually accumulate somewhere. We got rid of that packaging method.

Of course, complete freedom from plastic bags may not be achievable. Though we explored paper-based bags, we couldn’t find a perfect solution that guaranteed shelf life. Efforts to place multiple tea bags in one bag, minimizing printing, and using filters made of PLA (corn-based) have become routine. It’s not entirely corn, but it’s undoubtedly a better choice than nylon.

Launching LOEY TEA, we spent a long time contemplating the packaging type. To maintain consistency with our existing business identity, we kept the blue color while aiming to create a sustainable form for the future. Thus, we opted for aluminum with minimal labeling—a sealed aluminum cap. Its design embodies a modern texture and form, reflecting our intentions toward contemporary individuals.

While using PE Pack for the bag, we also commit to minimizing printing or diverse usage. If a better option arises, we’ll gladly make the switch. Although there are large aluminum cans available, the issues of deformation during transport and potential price increases due to rising packaging costs may arise. The key point is not to linger on environmental concerns in documentaries but to execute what can be done now.

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The Art of Brewing: A Comprehensive Tea Brewing Guide

Brewing the perfect cup of tea is an art that combines precision, patience, and a genuine appreciation for the leaf. Whether you’re a seasoned tea enthusiast or just starting your tea journey, this comprehensive guide will walk you through the essential steps to brew the perfect cup every time.

  1. Choose Quality Tea:
    The foundation of a great cup of tea lies in the quality of the leaves. Opt for loose-leaf teas or high-quality tea bags for a more authentic and nuanced flavor profile. Explore different varieties such as green, black, white, oolong, and herbal teas to discover your preferences.
  2. Measure the Tea:
    The right tea-to-water ratio is crucial for a balanced and flavorful brew. As a general rule of thumb, use one teaspoon of loose tea leaves per 8 ounces of water. Adjust the amount based on your taste preferences and the type of tea you’re brewing.
  3. Choose the Right Water:
    The water you use can significantly impact the taste of your tea. Use fresh, filtered water for the best results. Avoid using water that has been sitting for too long or has a strong taste of minerals, as it can alter the delicate flavors of the tea.
  4. Water Temperature Matters:
    Different types of tea require specific water temperatures for optimal brewing. Here’s a quick guide:
  • Green Tea: 175-185°F (80-85°C)
  • Black Tea: 200-212°F (93-100°C)
  • Oolong Tea: 185-205°F (85-96°C)
  • White Tea: 160-185°F (71-85°C)
  • Herbal Tea: 212°F (100°C)
  1. Preheat Your Teaware:
    Warm your teapot, teacup, or teapot with a splash of hot water before adding the tea leaves. This ensures a more even brewing temperature and enhances the overall flavor extraction.
  2. Brewing Time:
    The steeping time varies depending on the type of tea:
  • Green Tea: 2-3 minutes
  • Black Tea: 3-4 minutes (Remove tea leaves or teabag after 3-4 minutes to avoid excessive tannin extraction, which can lead to a bitter taste)
  • Oolong Tea: 4-7 minutes
  • White Tea: 4-5 minutes
  • Herbal Tea: 5-7 minutes Experiment with different steeping times to find the perfect balance between strength and flavor.
  1. Strain or Remove Tea Leaves:
    Once the brewing time is complete, strain the tea leaves or remove the tea bag to prevent over-steeping, which can result in a bitter taste.
  2. Savor the Moment:
    Pour yourself a cup, take a moment to appreciate the aroma, and savor the flavors. Whether you enjoy it plain or with a touch of honey, lemon, or milk, make it a ritual that brings joy and relaxation to your day.

Conclusion:

Brewing the perfect cup of tea is a delightful experience that allows you to connect with the rich traditions and diverse flavors of this ancient beverage. Use this guide as a starting point, and don’t hesitate to explore and customize the brewing process to suit your personal preferences. May every cup bring you warmth, comfort, and a moment of bliss. Cheers to the art of tea brewing!

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Modern Minimal

21 February, 2024

Our brand embraces a ‘Modern Minimal’ design identity, focusing on clean and sophisticated aesthetics. This identity naturally emerged through the creation of our gallery-concept tea sampler, and we incorporate our signature color, cyan blue. As one of the four CMYK colors, cyan blue symbolizes our commitment to fundamentals and our vision of becoming a globally recognized brand with consistent messaging. In a modern world overwhelmed by complex content and information, we aim to simplify our message and focus on the essentials. Our packaging is made from aluminum, prioritizing sustainability, with minimal printing and stickers to maintain a refined look.

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Art in Life

Discover ‘Art in Life’ on Our Products

At the start of our journey, we were making teabags in pouches. One day, we decided to add a little extra as a token of appreciation. Our first souvenir was a pencil, but as we noticed young people decorating their walls with art, we wanted to give them something special for free—a beautiful postcard with paintings on it.

A Gift of Artistry: The Gallery Concept Tea Sampler

The warm reception of our postcards motivated us to introduce the Gallery Concept Tea Sampler—a remarkable gift set. We recognized that many tea products were priced beyond the reach of young consumers, and so we set out to change that. Our gift sets feature thick, premium paper with exquisite teas sourced from trusted suppliers with a long history of serving major brands. Then we wanted to make it an affordable price, $10 each.

Spreading Joy: Art in Life Philosophy

Over the years, our product range has expanded, offering different versions of our tea samplers. People continue to enjoy them, proudly gifting them to friends as a symbol of sophistication and premium quality. This journey has not only brought happiness to our customers but has also enriched our own lives. Guided by the spirit of Victoria, we are dedicated to infusing art into the lives of our consumers. ‘Art in Life’ isn’t merely about creating products; it embodies our passion for excellence. We eagerly release new product groups with fresh concepts each year, and we are immensely grateful to everyone who has supported us in this artistic endeavor, enabling us to continue sharing the joy of ‘Art in Life.’