Meet Jesse — Founder & Resident Comedian
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
Our Team
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Alex 杨淏名
Logistics
Alex is passionate about sharing gongfu tea with our tea friends around the world and he makes sure our tea and teaware enjoy smooth sailing on the logistics side. He started a Canada-China trade business while he was still in college. Fun fact: He is a certified snowboarding instructor in Canada - you can ask him for a free lesson if you're ever in Vancouver! -
Angel 安琪
Customer Service Lead
Angel was one of the first people to start working at the Teahouse. She grew up drinking herbals as a kid but fell in love with Chinese tea as an adult, so much so that it inspired her to start to learn Chinese! In her spare time, Angel enjoys studying textile history. -
Cassie 欧阳静溪
Media Team Lead
Cassie helps guide creative direction, marketing, and content strategy across JTH's global platforms. With over a decade of experience in marketing and a background living in China, she brings a thoughtful, cross-cultural perspective to her work. Cassie speaks Mandarin, practices yoga and breathwork, enjoys meeting new people, and controversially believes you can love both tea and coffee. -
Claire Lu 卢红红
China Lead & Designer
Claire loves to share her love and passion through design, art, and tea. She used to work at Harper's Bazaar as a fashion editor. Fun fact: Claire's baby daughter Little Bell (first official JTH baby and its youngest member) is an experienced tea drinker because she has been "drinking tea" since she was in Claire's belly! -
Claudene
Customer Service
Claudene helps customers resolve issues and ensures a positive tea journey. She has worked in a wide range of customer service roles from the music industry to the hands-on, personalized nature of cottage-based businesses. Fun Fact: Claudene lives on a hobby farm with her own livestock! -
Gerard 欧阳哥
Website Manager
Gerard looks after the JTH website and makes sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. From checkout flows to little fixes that keep things simple for customers, he enjoys making the online shop feel easy to use. Fun fact: Gerard’s son already loves making little animations in Canva — and says one day he’ll create his own games and animations! -
Jay Wang 王造玢
Community Champion
Jay loves connecting with people across cultures and crafting engaging experiences, and his role at JTH allows him to do just that. He's also an experienced improv comedian, and has performed with Jesse in Beijing. Fun fact: Jay used to work at TikTok, but only recently signed up for an account! -
Jules
Email Marketing
Jules is an email marketer with a soft spot for literature and poetry. He’s worked on both B2B and DTC campaigns across different industries, but outside of marketing, you’ll probably catch him at the gym or off exploring. Fun fact: Jules is on a mission to visit a new spot in his home country of the Philippines every chance he gets! -
Marissa 邓玉珊
Chief of Staff
Marissa spent 15 years in Bejing, China, connecting people and sharing culture and knowledge, but found her love for tea after she moved back to the US. A former chef and extensive sampler of the delights of the world, Marissa loves to try and share morsels, joy, and laughter wherever she goes. Fun fact: Marissa plays multiple instruments...guess which ones? -
Mickey
Customer Service & Blogs
Mickey (Kenzie) is the chatty voice behind many Teahouse blogs, blending her love of tea, late-night research, and connection. When she’s not writing or helping customers out, she’s diving into new hobbies—collecting antique teaware, fibre art, or trying any other craft she can get her hands on. -
Xixi 刘俊汐
Product Development
Xixi's background is in marketing, where she focused on introducing great products to more people. At her current role JTH, she enjoys sharing quality products with new customers in a different but equally meaningful way. She loves spending time in the natural beauty of the tea mountains and chatting with tea farmers, because it lets her experience the dedication they bring to their craft.
Mission & Values
Our Partners
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Duidui
Duidui has been a tea guy for over 30 years, working with farmers in Yunnan to find the best tea long before the pu'er tea boom. He also designs teaware based on his principals of practicality mixed with beauty.
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Sister Ai
Sister Ai is a 4th-gen tea farmer from Qianjiazhai, home of the world's oldest tea tree. She hosted the entire tea team at her home when we visited in spring 2025.
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Yunqing
Yunqing is one of the first tea friends Jesse made in Beijing. A big fan of pu'er teas, his shop in the Maliandao Beijing tea market has thousands of tea cakes and is filled to the brim with tea and Chinese antiques.
