Arogya of Westport—a holistic healing center, offering acupuncture, massage, Chinese medicine, yoga and more—is also a retail shop that sells herbal remedies and organic tea. In fact, a lot of tea; it offers more than 100 different types of organic tea from around the world. Recently, the shop was chosen to be the tea supplier for Martha Stewart’s recently opened 107-square-foot cafe in the Starrett-Lehigh Building, headquarters for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, in New York City. Choices include Emerald Mountain and Jasmine Silver Needle under the brand Martha Stewart Thé.
Wei Bertram, the director, founded Arogya fifteen years ago based on her love, respect and knowledge of Chinese tea and medicine. With her boundless interests, a discussion with Wei could easily turn into a tea education, including its history, health benefits, hallmarks of a tea ceremony and how tea is made. It helps one see tea with new eyes—its vast culture, its healing power and its meditative art form.
Wei runs the shop and center with her husband and licensed acupuncturist, Gregor Bertram. Here's what she shared with Westport magazine:
Matcha
"We love Matcha, which is a powdered green tea made famous by Japanese Zen monks. The powder is whisked with low temperature water and creates a creamy, bright green beverage. I like to think of Matcha as a cross between espresso and wheatgrass. It has the chlorophyll and nutrient density of wheatgrass with the energizing quality of a shot of espresso. What makes Matcha different from coffee is the particular sense of calm and focused alertness it provides, as well as the taste. A good Matcha tea is creamy, nutty, complex, grassy, sweet yet savory, light and uplifting, with notes of dark chocolate. Our Matcha is produced from the earliest Spring-harvested tea leaves, which grow in a deliberately shaded environment. This increases the sweetness, as well as the anti-oxidant, chlorophyll and amino acid levels. The tea leaves are then individually de-veined before being carefully stone-ground and packaged."
Digestive Aid
"Not only is our Digestive Aid healing blend refreshing and delicious, it’s also an essential first-aid tea to help with digestion. If I’m coming home after a heavy meal at a restaurant, or I just need a little digestive boost, this is the tea I turn to. I even pack a few bags of Digestive Aid when I travel, just to be safe. The fresh cleansing action of sweet basil and clove combine well with the warm zing of ginger, the nuttiness of cardamom and the cool spark of peppermint. This caffeine-free blend is a true ally for the digestive tract that can be enjoyed at anytime."
D’Stress Calming
"Our D’Stress Calming Blend is an ideal herbal tea for our modern times. It features one of my favorite herbs, a highly medicinal variety of basil known as Tulsi, or Holy Basil. Tulsi has been used for thousands of years in the Ayurvedic tradition and is known as an 'Elixir of Life.' It increases natural energy while reducing stress and cortisol, as well as regulates blood sugar levels and boosts immunity. What more could you want from an herbal, caffeine-free blend? The Tulsi is in this blend is harmonized with sweet fennel, orange peel and spearmint."
Love Blend
Arogya founder and tea master Wei Huang Bertram created a soothing jasmine silver needle white and rosebud tea called Love Blend.