The Northwest is celebrated for its wines and microbrews and coffee culture, with craft distilleries and custom cannabis on the rise. Is it tea time yet? Josephie Dean Jackson hopes so. The Australian-born Texas transplant is putting in camellia plants at her new home in east Coeur d’Alene with the goal of producing premium teas for an exclusive clientele under the name Coeur d’Tea or Coeur d’Thé. “It’s just a journey. Tea is always considered to be a journey; even the act of drinking it is a journey,” Jackson said. “We’re just wanting to start this adventure and see where it leads. It’s a matter of curiosity – scientific as well as cultural – to see what happens.” A certified tea specialist, Jackson has grown the Camellia sinensis evergreen shrubs since 2009 in east Texas, plucking the leaves for white, green, black, oolong and pressed teas that sell for up to $600 a pound retail. With multiple infusions from premium loose leaf teas, that works out to about $1 a cup, she said/Scott Maben, SR. More here.

Question: How much have you ever paid for a cup of tea?