

Emilie Jackson

Biography
Emilie is originally from Nantes, France – she has had a passion for tea for as long as she can remember…starting with her mother sharing a nighty tisane with her and then later introducing her to tea rooms in France.
Before settling in the United States, she followed her love for travel and culture and lived in Portugal, England, and Mexico where ancient healing traditions are still alive. Always interested in natural healing and herbalism, Emilie first experienced Traditional Medicine when she moved to Mexico City. In 2010 she met her husband Alex in Guatemala and a year later moved to the United States.
After working in International Business and Marketing for over 15 years, Emilie decided to pursue her dream of entrepreneurship. In 2017 she co-founded with her husband Alex, Centered Spirit: A Cultural and Holistic Center and Emilie's French Teas: the first French Tea Room in the Midwest.
Emilie has a passion for cultures, traditions, and rituals from around the world — especially tea rituals. She describes tea as being “as fascinating and complex as wine.” Her love for the tea plant and tea culture led her to partake in writing articles in a local and national magazine as well as being a speaker for several institutions like the International Relations Council, the Midwest Tea Festival, The World Tea Conference in Las Vegas as well as local Libraries. Visitors to the French Tea Room quickly find out that her enthusiasm for the Art of Tea is contagious.

about the course
Tea vs. Tisanes: discover the beauty of mother nature
Not all hot herbal beverages can be categorized as tea. Tea comes from the tea shrub (Camellia sinensis). From this plant black, pu-erh, oolong, green, yellow and white teas are made. Tisanes on the other hand are often wrongly referred to as ‘herbal teas,’ but since they don’t come from the tea shrub, they’re not truly tea. In this workshop you will learn the differences between teas and tisanes, how to brew them and what are the health benefits of those herbs that have been used for thousands of years.
