THE TOCHA STORY

People always ask us, “What does TOCHA (pronounced toll-cha) mean?” In Chinese, “to” means “contented” or “happy,” and “cha” is a name for tea. So TOCHA simply means HAPPY TEA!
 
Indeed, “To” is also in the Chinese names of both of my children, Kyra and Kephas. It was with Kyra that our TOCHA Organic Tea journey started.
 
When I was pregnant with my first child, Kyra, due to the displacement of one of my ribs, I was not able to sleep well during my pregnancy. The sleep problem got worse after Kyra was born. She was a bad sleeper, and easily awoke. In the first two years, I had to wake up multiple times a night to comfort her crying. Eventually this became a pattern, and no matter whether Kyra cried or not, I woke up every hour or so. I was not able to get any deep, quality sleep, and my nights were made up of fragments of sleep and constant wake-ups.
 
I was severely sleep-deprived from my pregnancy and being a new mom. The problem with sleep deprivation is not just that it makes you sleepy during the day; it makes you simply not yourself at all. I became a lot more irritable. My brain was not functioning well. I was very depressed about my inability to control my emotions, and I had little energy to do anything.
 
During those days, I was not fully enjoying my time with my precious daughter and my dear husband, and my problems with sleep were putting a lot of stress on my body and family.
 
Since I was still breast-feeding Kyra, I did not take coffee or any heavily caffeinated drinks at that time. I have a book of old Chinese remedies at home, which my mom got me some time ago. One day, I came across a couple of remedies in the book that promised to improve sleep quality and brain functioning. Chinese believe in “yi shi tong yuan,” which means food and medicine are from the same source. Our ancestors revered the healing property of food and tea. Many Asians still use a lot of food ingredients — in soups, broths and teas — as a means to improve and enhance daily wellness. Many of the ingredients called for in those remedies are common Chinese foods, which made me comfortable taking them as I nurtured my beautiful, growing daughter.
 
These natural remedies put me fully back on track. My sleep was deep, and my daily energy levels returned. I started once again to function like a normal person.
 
These tasty teas have been a blessing to my family and me. They really helped to pick me up on cloudy days and boost my active lifestyle. The impact of these simple teas on me and my entire family got me thinking about how I could share their benefits with others, too. Motivated by this wonderful shift in wellness, we started our journey, which eventually led to the formation of TOCHA Organic Teas.
 
It might be the wellness benefits of the teas and various botanicals, or simply the delicious flavors, aromas and colors. No matter what it is, we hope you will find enjoyment in these simple, natural brews as much as we do, and be delighted by TOCHA.
 
To your health and well-being,
 
Venus Tsui / Founder
TOCHA ORGANIC TEAS