In June, the foreign dignitaries who attended the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles returned home with a wooden box housing a trifecta of specially commissioned teas in custom-designed tins.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. David Hochman covers the worlds of luxury, travel, and entertainment. When it comes to organic tea, it’s hard to beat Art of Tea.

The power of seeing, the power of owning, the power of naming, the power of displaying, the power of writing: Japanese collectors have long engaged with objects through the formalized tea presentation ...