TEA+ART: Houston Heights hand-crafted tea bar – Our neighborhood is undergoing a renaissance of business and art, what’s missing? A rad tea shop surrounded by artisan vessels.

THE CONCEPT

Houston’s legendary 19th Street Heights District has already become a place for bold shops, daring entrepreneurs, and pioneering artists to come together. Now it’s time for us to give our neighborhood a tea bar as fresh and free spirited as the folks who have made this place their home. 

You’ve watched the trends – it started with fine wine. Then coffee got a closer look. Then waters, craft beers and spices flooded the market. Now it’s time for something you really love – tea. The momentum is huge!  

TEA+ART will house hand-crafted TEAinTEXAS teas surrounded by fantastic art installations and vessels for a unique cuppa every time. Monthly shows will showcase student artists, weavers, pottery tournaments, french antiques and native jewelry at 613 1/3 19th St.  [Behind Heights Glass]

WHY DO IT?

Tea drinkers have limited choices in restaurants: a box of tea bags on top of the coffee machine or an offering of the same brand you have at home. There’s no magic; there’s no joy. In exchange for our cash, we are presented with a cup of not-quite-hot-enough water with a bag hidden somewhere in the cloudy depths. Where did tea go so wrong?!  

THE TEA

Unfortunately, most tea in HOUSTON is low grade black tea: the “dust” from broken tea leaves to give a quick drink, losing most of its essential oils.  TEAinTEXAS has chosen full-leaf teas that are produced using ‘orthodox’ production, meaning the leaves are handled with great care so that, by the time they arrive in your cup, all their flavor and aroma potential been kept intact. We partner with herb farmers to blend natural fruits and herbs into each brew. 

This is where it gets interesting, as each tea requires different brewing specs. So while one black tea steeps for around 3 minutes with boiling water, a green might be best with 150 deg water brewed for only a minute. Let our tea baristas make a proper cup for you in our casual and inspiring warehouse gallery.

 WHERE YOU COME IN

Let’s talk shop. We are hosting this campaign to raise money for the equipment and lighting we’ll need to make amazing drinks for our neighborhood. Much of the equipment can be purchased refurbished or used- but investing in quality basics will be the starting point for what will be a long and exciting journey for this space!

Let’s turn this:

 into this:

Our funds have gone towards sourcing the teas, herbs and setting up our online and wholesale programs. TEA IN TEXAS ONLINE We have also ordered all the supplies, from wood stirrers and agave to the tea packaging itself, and the environmentally-friendly kind costs that little bit more. Finally, we have found and leased the warehouse. 

It’s not an overly complicated build out, but in order to open quickly, we need the basics – that means flooring, pedestals and lighting, worktops,  health & safety-approved sinks, a small fridge, ice machine and of course  the all-important water boiler. It might not sound like much, but it adds up to a scary amount – $17,000 to be exact. So we are asking for your support to get TEA+ART up and running on the best street in Houston; where cultures, ideas, and neighborhood zest collide. 

$17,000 will get us our standard equipment, but if we raise more than our funding goal, we will be able to buy even better gear.

$23,000 will get us a tea latte machine and Curtis brewer instead of a basic Bunn we have budgeted for.

$27,000 will get us the first FUDI tea bagging machine in the city – to create silk sachets like the pros on the west coast.

If we more than double our goal, we might just have to unlock extra rewards for all of you guys to thank you for your support.

REWARDS

Tea is a powerful drink. It has the fantastic property of bringing people together. A good tea bar facilitates conversation between neighbors and good tea turns conversations into friendships. 

To thank you for supporting the project, we have put together a list of rewards to get you as excited as us we are about tea. 

Our backers will get TEAinTEXAS tea either shipped to their door or available for pick-up in our tea bar as well as some awesome merch designed by the TEA+ART team. 

As Kickstarter backers, you will be the first to try our brand-spanking-new mugs and experience our tea flights.

We will also be offering backers a super convenient in-cup tea ball, which makes steeping loose teas a bit less scary…

TEA LOVERS UNITE: Backers can take over the space for pop-up shows and poetry readings! We will provide the mood… Pledge now.

So there it is, thanks for visiting #excitedyoureadthisfar

Source: icnw