New Horizons in Specialty Tea
Spirit Tea Promotion and Giveaway, Events in Austin, NYC, Portland
Eric Park
April 06, 2023
Have you encountered the following scenario?
You meet up with a new friend at a coffee shop (naturally). Only to discover that this friend isn't a coffee drinker. Thankfully the local shop has a tea menu. But it turns out to be decidedly underwhelming. The friend lives to see another day.
I met Jordan Scherer, one of the co-founders of Spirit Tea, at a tea tasting event at Loveless Coffees a few months ago. And in short, his company is changing the paradigm of what tea-drinking customers can now expect to see at their local coffee shops.
He founded Spirit Tea with college friend Taylor Cowan eight years ago. When he realized that the tea menu was always limited at coffee shops he would visit in cities across the country.
To change this, Jordan and Taylor focused on offering a different product: Traditional Tea. With no additives like fruits, flowers, or flavoring. The dominant traits of commercial teas which are designed to reach as many people as possible via inexpensive and volume-based distribution.
Traditional tea, which offers cultivar-based (or plant-based) flavors, help people understand tea as something that's artistic and nuanced. Not unlike like the way specialty coffees help consumers see the drink as more than just a commodity.
Jordan explains: "We envisioned a menu that would change seasonally. Harvest periods as origins. Early spring green tea. High mountain oolongs from Taiwan. Each according to the season."
When the two friends started the company, they were initially met with resistance from coffee shop owners. So they cooked up a new program to prove that American audiences were ready to embrace traditional tea.
They invested heavily in training programs to help baristas take their customers through their tea menu. To offer practical everyday information. Like how to set expectations for brew time. Or explaining how tea is actually produced.
The goal was to get baristas to become knowledgeable. And plant the seeds for further learnings. While at the same time focusing on direct relationships with customers (coffee shops, hotels, etc.). As opposed to distributors with little to no incentive to absorb this type of information.
Jordan says: "The best thing is for people to have true enthusiasm and knowledge of tea. The worst is when people don’t have any interest in tea. And to see it as a commodity."
After successfully incubating authentic passion and enthusiasm for one of the oldest beverages in the world, Spirit Tea is now available in more than 800 coffee shops across the country.
As it happens, I met up with a not-so-newish friend at a Stumptown coffee shop here in NYC a few days ago. A friend who doesn't drink coffee. On the menu: Spirit Tea.
I asked him for his reaction after he'd tasted the beverage.
"The tea is very good."
Today, we're pleased to partner up with Spirit Tea to give away a set of tea drinking essentials to one lucky person subscribed to our newsletter. The springtime goods:
A White & Green Tea Sampler Set, featuring three exquisite samples to gently wake you up to a cascade of light floral notes 💐
A Standard Brewer, made only of pure glass and steel to optimize and accentuate your steeping experience ✨
A Spirit Tea Tote Bag that's spacious enough to hold these prized beauties 💎
To enter the drawing, enter your name and email in this Google Form by the end of Sunday, April 9. The winner will be notified on Monday, April 10.
Until then, please give us a follow on IG:
NEW COFFEE
We have a new coffee on our marketplace! Arches - Colombia Natural is our second offering from Denver-based Park Pass Coffee. Whom we profiled in our newsletter back in February.
Inspired by the national park of the same name, Arches is a naturally processed Colombian with a light-medium profile.
And it's a dazzling trip. That first envelops you in an intoxicating, fruity aroma. Before indulging your sweet tooth with juicy notes of raspberry, rosehip and maraschino cherry.
Grab yourself a bag and immerse yourself in this trip-tastic experience.
Park Pass roasts weekly and ships same day if the order is placed before 3pm Mountain Time (MST).
MORE COFFEES
Ethiopia Belayneh Bariso by Elm Coffee Roasters (free shipping)
Chiapas, Mexico Medium Roast by Others Coffee
La Favorita by Good Citizen Coffee Co.
Rocky Mountain Blend by Park Pass Coffee
Don Eli - Miramar by Loveless Coffees
Sumatra, Kerinci by Tanbrown Coffee
EVENTS
Austin
Taiwanese Tea Tasting with Spirit Tea (RSVP here)
Rising Tide Roast Collaborative, 1606 W. Stassney #2
Friday, April 7 (11am - 1pm)
NYC
Bring Them to Nationals Fundraiser (tickets $25)
Academy at Coffee Project NY, 21-10 51st Avenue, Queens, NY
Sunday, April 16 (10am)
Coffee Cupping with Nikolai (free; donations encouraged)
Principles GI Coffee House, 139 9th Street, Brooklyn, NY
Sunday, April 16 (11am - 12:30pm)
Portland
Celebrating Women in Coffee (tickets $5)
Costa Oro International, 4825 NE 185th Drive
Saturday, April 22 (4 - 6pm)
Do you have an upcoming coffee event in any of these cities? If you do, reply back to this email and let me know! As our newsletter continues to reach new heights (2100+ subscribers and growing 🚀), we're aiming to connect our readers to events happening in cities across the country.
Tastings, latte art throwdowns, coffee shop openings. And other events that promote specialty coffee and provide opportunities for learning.
Would love to help all of you connect with each other through future newsletters. So reach out and let me know what you're working on!
Our Referral Program
Due to the popularity of our recent promotion with BrewSleepDraw, we've decided to partner up again to offer a Hot Coffee Sticker to the first five people who refer 3 of their friends!
If this is the first time you've encountered our Referral Program, please see the directions below on how to make a referral:
We’re on a mission to amplify small roasters all over the country.
By sharing the link below with your friends, co-workers, and loved ones (and getting them to sign up for this newsletter), you’ll help us get there much sooner 🙏
You can share the link via email 📬, on Instagram 📸, or using your favorite messaging apps 🤖 like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord. Just to name a few ways.
As a thank you, we’ll reward you with gifts, perks, and privileges based on the number of referrals you make.
To see what rewards you can get, hit the button "Click to Share" below 👇️
Note: Each person has a unique link embedded in this newsletter. Meaning that sign-ups will always get attributed to the right person.
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