Jesse’s tea journey started when he studied abroad in Beijing in 2010 and first visited the famous Maliandao Tea Market, where he first saw the depth of the Chinese tea culture up close. While most of his 9 years living in China revolved around performing comedy, Jesse was also able to deepen his understanding of tea. After doing shows near tea-growing areas, he would go up into the hills and build connections with the local tea farmers. During the pandemic, Jesse was stuck in the US and unable to perform comedy. To stay sane, Jesse started making videos about another one of his passions— tea— and soon realized he was a valuable resource for people to learn about Chinese gongfu tea. The initial success of the tea videos inspired Jesse to take the leap by launching a tea brand sourcing from tea farmers he trusted. In the summer of 2021, Jesse packed 600 preordered tea samplers by hand with help from family and friends, marking the beginning of Jesse’s Teahouse. The company has since expanded to global warehouses in Canada, EU, and the UK, but the goal remains the same: not just tea, tea culture. Jesse now splits time between the US and China, as well as between tea and comedy careers. He wrote a book about his time as a Chinese-language comedian, This Was Funnier in China, which launches February 2026