Okay, so everyone knows that I LOVE my tea. There’s no questioning that.
About a month ago, I was in Gibsons (Sunshine Coast) for work, and I had about an hour or so to kill before heading to my ferry. I REALLY just wanted a tea. It was one of those not so great days out, kinda chilly, and I was craving something soothing and delicious. Now of course, I have my emergency tea stash in my car (obviously) all organized and ready to be used… But in order to do that, I still needed hot water – so if I could find some new and exciting tea to try while I’m at it, well… that’s a bonus. I was about to give up as I was approaching the very end of the little ‘downtown’ strip by the water in Gibsons, when I stumbled across possibly the cutest little shop I’ve ever seen, titled ‘1902 Tea’. I was SO EXCITED. I would have settled for a Timmie’s or Starbucks tea at this point (no dis-respect), but to find an actual LOCAL, specialty tea shop, called 1902… I was STOKED.
I went in and was greeted by the sweetest young gal named June and she told me a little bit about the shop. The owners are a husband and wife (with 4 kids all under 4… AMEN!) and they put a TON of focus on ensuring their teas are not only TOP notch in terms of quality, but also making unique and delicious blends. They pride themselves on knowing exactly where their teas come from, to ensure quality, growing practices etc.
One of the things I found super cool too, was that the husband and wife hand blend all their teas in store! That means they LITERALLY know every single ingredient that is going in because they not only choose it, but they see it, as they blend the teas. It’s just really neat how much of a personal process it is, and how much they invest into the teas that they sell. I remember reading somewhere on their site also, that they will absolutely take requests into consideration — if you have a tea you want or have seen somewhere else, let them know… they’ll make it, and they’ll make it better!
The flavour options were never ending – I was super impressed. Anyone who knows me, knows that on any given time I house 100+ types of loose leaf tea (bless my husbands heart for not divorcing me haha) and I am always collecting and trying new teas from new places. Anyway – because I had some time, I enjoyed a hand blended iced tea (so fresh and delicious tasting…) and looked around the shop some more.
One of the things I found super intriguing was that this little shop makes their own kombucha as well! (sayyyyy whattttttttt!?) Ya! That’s right. They make it from their own teas hand blended in store. They bottle it themselves too… the kombucha process happens 100% in store for them from start to finish. Now I’ve gotta be honest, these little babies aren’t cheap to buy ($4+ dollars each), but they are SO delicious – hands down the best kombucha I’ve ever had — and you can taste the purity in the ingredients. In my opinion… totally worth it! (don’t tell Greg … the budget master side of him may not agree! Haha)
Anyway – Upon time for me to go, I decided I hadn’t quite had enough so I purchased another tea (hot this time) to go to take on the ferry with me. Good choice. It was a coconut chai black tea, that I literally was SO upset when it was finished.
Long story [not so] short… you need to check out 1902. In store, facebook, or online. Such a great place!!!