“A lot goes into a cup of tea,” says Hartley Johnson, owner and tea blender at the Mark T. Wendell Tea Company. Founded in 1904, it’s one of the country’s oldest and most respected fine tea importers. “And it takes a heck of a lot to get to you.”
Inside an unassuming building in an Acton office park, Johnson is surrounded by the rich, mingling aromas emanating from rows of containers of loose-leaf teas sourced directly from gardens. This is where he blends, packages, and ships teas straight to customers — alongside boxes of teas from brands like Grace Rare Tea, Boston Harbour, Birchall, and more.
Johnson is the second generation to lead the family business, which has a winding backstory. His father, Elliot, with his brother Alan, as young men, bought the mail-order tea business in 1971 from the man who had inherited it after Mark T. Wendell’s death. Wendell, a Harvard grad, had earlier inherited the company from his uncle, a luxury-goods importer who also sold rare teas from China and Taiwan. Over time, Wendell focused the business entirely on exceptional teas, running it from an office on the Boston waterfront.
Today, the company offers more than a hundred loose-leaf varieties — like Brandy Oolong, unique to Taiwan, and Imperial Gold Oolong with its twisted dark and green leaves. There are tisanes —infusions made from herbs, spices, flowers, fruits, and leaves — as well as yellow teas from China’s mountain regions and rare white teas plucked by hand in Fujian. Among the long-standing favorites is the Hu-Kwa, one of Mark T. Wendell’s very first offerings. It’s a lapsang souchong famous for its bold, smoky aroma created by firing the leaves over burning pinewood. Once brewed, it softens into a rich, smooth cup.
“We still make blends that Mr. Wendell created,” says Johnson. “And we still have generations of customers.”
Some of Mark T. Wendell teas are available at Boston General Store, 305 Harvard St. Brookline, 617-232-0103 and 626 High St., Dedham, 781-323-7560; Cardullo’s Cambridge, 6 Brattle St., Cambridge, 617-491-8888; Wasik’s Cheese Shop, 61 Central St., Wellesley, 781-237-0916, or go to marktwendell.com where there is also a tutorial on tea.
Ann Trieger Kurland can be reached at anntrieger@gmail.com.