Tea-licious Times are Brewing at Tea Shop
Turn on the kettle, pour yourself a cuppa, put up your feet and relax: Tea Master Kellie Marshall has launched an exciting new range of single-serve sachets – great news for all you (single!) tea-lovers out there. Jodie Cameron gets the tea-rrific lowdown on all things loose leaf…
Sacheting (pardon the pun) into her new shared digs on Rene Street in Noosaville, Tea Shop co-founder and Certified Tea Master Kellie Marshall can’t hide her enthusiasm and sheer delight for the latest addition to an already burgeoning range of premium tea products.
“The single-serve sachets came about while looking for a green solution for a five-star guesthouse we partner with in Byron Bay – even if the tea was untouched, the surplus tea that guests hadn’t used during their stay still had to be thrown out, so we wanted to find a way to create zero wastage,” Kellie said.
“Even though the unused tea leaves were always composted directly into their gardens, it got us thinking about how convenient a single-serve sachet would be in the rooms rather than a whole cylinder of tea.
“We are already stocking the single-serve sachets in some boutique Noosa accommodation outlets, which is really exciting, and a great result having only gone to market in January.”
Kellie isn’t one to falter from her philosophy, which has been the same since day one – clean, beautiful-quality loose-leaf tea brewed in the traditional way (no tea bags here!) and, with that in mind, her range was born from pure intention and a dedication to stay authentic to the true nature of their brand.
“It’s quite straightforward: we refuse to package our blends in tea bags because we are not convinced of their compostability – tea bags undeniably still contribute to landfill,” Kellie said.
“Tea bags pretty much instinctively compromise quality, and for those who truly appreciate tea, sacrificing quality is not an option.”
Kellie explains that when tea is in a bag, it simply doesn’t have room to unfurl: the process by which the leaf softens and begins to express its flavour, colour and strength – its essence – into the water.
“Many tea bags are filled with ‘fannings’, which is essentially tea dust, and it’s safe to say sipping a mouthful of dust isn’t enjoyable for anyone,” she said.
Tea Shop’s new single-serve sachets are 8 to 10 grams of pure loose leaf tea, perfect for a small tea pot, and come in a range of 11 unique, organic blends.
Like the brand’s full range of teas, the sachets also come in 100% compostable packaging that is air and light-proof to ensure absolute freshness and quality.
“Fortunately, our process for producing the tea for the single-serve sachets is the same, so when I’m mixing a blend, any surplus tea is now being utilised into single-serves so there’s zero wastage all the way down to the last leaf,” Kellie explained.
Kellie pours me a cup of my personal Tea Shop favourite, the Lemon Myrtle Green, and as a herbal tea-lover from way back, the zesty Australian aromatics remind me of visiting a tea plantation on the Atherton Tablelands some years ago, where I learned tea plants can keep producing up to 100 years old – kind of like a bottomless cup of tea!
“The Australian plantations are quite small scale compared to those in Asia, and they have very different processing too, which is why I decided to study my Tea Masters so I could educate people that it’s not just about what you drink, but more about the journey the tea has come through to be in your cup,” Kellie said.
“Authenticity is at the forefront of everything we do – from mixing our blends by hand and hand-crafting our flavours to sourcing our tea from reputable, ethically minded plantations overseas.
We firmly believe these locations offer the optimal growing conditions, such as altitude and climate, necessary for cultivating premium tea.”
I’m infused with happiness as Kellie gives me the brew-tea-ful grand tour of their new shared warehouse space, the pure love for her craft evident by the sheer vibrancy Kellie radiates when talking about tea being her heart centre.
“It’s really important for me to share my love of tea with my community, not just in Noosa but all over Australia, and this new warehouse space will open so many opportunities for us to take our teas far and wide,” she said. “Our vision of scaling up production and expanding our reach into more accommodation outlets is finally coming to fruition, so it’s a really experimental and opportunistic time for our business.”
Tea Shop’s commitment to quality, flavour and authenticity remains unwavering – each blend tells a story of collaboration, dedication, and a deep love for tea, including their new Tea Bundles, which showcase all of their loose leaf blends in a snazzy gift box.
“We’ve launched six new bundles – Energise, Harmony, Refresh, Revive, Tranquil and Zest – with the aim of encouraging our consumers to explore and appreciate the potential health benefits of drinking teas and herbal infusions,” Kellie said.
“Our teas can be seasonal, so Autumn is all about our Energising bundle which features Robust, Honeybush Chai and Booster for their nourishing tones, but also a flavourful way to support your wellbeing and boost your immune system heading into Winter.”
In essence, each bundle has been designed to permeate your being with distinct aromatics carefully selected to invigorate your senses and boost your energy levels naturally, one sip at a time.
As Autumn envelops us, the Danish term ‘hygge’ – the art of self-care – springs to mind. Why not bring some hygge into your home and enjoy some sereni-tea?
Visit Kellie at Tea Shop’s Rene Street space or one of their many Sunshine Coast stockists for a carefully-curated blend, run a bath, light a candle, pour a pot of tea, and enjoy a sip of real brew, mixed by hand and steeped in love.
Looking ahead, as Tea Shop continues expanding into more accommodation outlets and homewares stores, it’s exciting tea times ahead.
Keep an eye out for the Tea Shop team at the Noosa Eat & Drink Festival Village from 30 May to 2 June – sip, sip, hooray!
And who can forget the summer collaboration with Sunshine & Sons for Gin-infused iced teas and a Honeybush Chai Martini?!
GIVEAWAY!
WIN a Tea Shop Hamper worth $121 featuring a Harmony Bundle with French Earl Grey, Honeybush Chai + Lemon Myrtle Green; eight single-serve sachets: Booster, Robust, Ginger Glow, Liquorice Mint, Mountain Chai, Orange Rooibos, Dande Mint and Sleep Time; a single-serve tea stick infuser; and a Tea Shop tote!
Enter here by 24 April 2024 to be in the draw.
