Norbu Tea Company,

Norbu Tea is a specialty tea sourcing and import company founded by Greg Glancy, who established the business following a formative 2007 journey along the Old Tea Horse Road in the Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Region of Northern Yunnan Province, China. The company name derives from a Tibetan word meaning 'precious jewel,' reflecting the founder's deep personal connection to Himalayan cultures and the traditional tea-producing communities of Asia. Over more than a decade of operation, Norbu Tea has cultivated direct relationships with tea growers and producers spanning the full breadth of the tea-producing world, from India to Japan and across Taiwan, Hong Kong, Yunnan, Guangdong, and Korea. A cornerstone of Norbu Tea's sourcing is its longstanding partnership — spanning over ten years — with the aboriginal Tsou Tribe tea farmers in Taiwan's Ali Shan mountain range. These farms are situated at elevations between 1,200 and 1,500 meters, producing some of the most prized High Mountain Oolong teas available. The company specializes in sourcing Qing Xin Oolong cultivar teas processed into a wide variety of styles, including white, red, dark, and aged expressions, as well as classic 'green style' High Mountain Oolong. Several of the Ali Shan farm plots are currently in the multi-year process of conversion to USDA Organic certification, signaling a commitment to traceable, responsibly grown product. Beyond its core Taiwan offerings, Norbu Tea provides access to aged Oolong and Pu'Er teas sourced through an extensive network of contacts across Asia. Rare and competition-grade teas — such as Taiwan Competition Dong Fang Mei Ren (Oriental Beauty), Dong Ding, and Li Shan — are available for procurement on request. This bespoke sourcing capability allows buyers to specify exactly what they are seeking, with the company leveraging its network to locate even rare or unusual selections. Norbu Tea operates as a small, founder-led business with a highly personalized approach to sourcing, making it particularly well suited for specialty retailers, tea shops, restaurateurs, and connoisseurs seeking direct-trade, high-altitude, and limited-production teas from verified origin relationships. The company's catalog spans most of the major tea-producing regions of Asia, and its deep field experience gives it credibility and access that larger, less specialized importers cannot easily replicate.