Sufi Tea Company commissioned a long-form photographic story to accompany the launch of three loose-leaf blends — a hibiscus and rose, a black tea with cardamom, and a single-estate green from the Nilgiris.
The brand wanted a story rather than a campaign — five long-format vertical scrolls and a printed booklet inserted in every gift box. Photography had to convey ritual: water heating, leaves opening, steam carrying scent.
We were also asked to capture the tea as a still-life subject — leaves dry, leaves wet, leaves brewed — so the brand had specimen material for the website's sourcing pages.
Shoot one was the ritual: a single hand pouring, lifting, steeping. We worked in a near-empty room with a high north-facing window, a low cedar table, and a single linen runner. Steam was real, not fogged in. The motion of the hand was rehearsed for thirty minutes per pour.
Shoot two was the specimen work: dried leaves on slate, wet leaves on porcelain, brewed leaves in clear glass. Macro distance, single soft top key, no fill.
The booklet was eighteen pages, foil-stamped on uncoated stock. Customers began posting it on Instagram within days of receipt — an unintended outcome the brand has since leaned into editorially.
Project closes
Sufi Tea Company
Product Story Series, 2024
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