When one of my dear customers, Shaylee reached out to me about her new endeavor Topaz Tea Co, I knew I had to do a spotlight post! One of the fun things about being a small business and using social media to communicate with people is that you get to forge connections and friendships, like I did with Shaylee! Shaylee has so sweetly cheered me on and now it’s my turn!

Normally, I purchase the items in my small business spotlight because that is my way of supporting the business I’m spotlighting in addition to sharing about them. To be transparent, the 3 teas I was given from Topaz Tea Co were gifted to me but I will definitely be back for more.

Topaz Tea Co is launching on 10/15 and you can use code TOPAZLAUNCH for 15% off from 10/15 to 10/17! You can check out all their offerings on their site now though!

I was gifted the Evening Zen, Pumpkin Spice Chai and Beauty & Balance. It’s really hard to choose my favorite. The evening zen and beauty & balance were both brewed before bedtime and gave very different feelings. The evening zen was definitely more chamomile forward and mellow. The beauty & balance was nice and tart due to the hibiscus. I loved them both and I think choosing between then would depend on my mood before bed. Sometimes I just need something mellow but sometimes I want something with a strong punch of flavor even though I want to go to sleep. Last but not least, the pumpkin spice chai! I made this on the stovetop adding a little honey and milk. I used a bit too much water but even still I got a nice pumpkin flavor that wasn’t too overwhelming :)

Want to learn more about Topaz Tea Co?! See what the founders have to say!

1) Can you give us a little introduction about you/Topaz Tea Co?

We're a team of two (Shaylee and Alison), launching our first business. Officially, we've been working on launching Topaz for a few months, but it's been a dream of ours for quite a bit longer. We really became friends through our shared exploration of tea, and it has become something sort symbolic of our friendship as well as our individual journeys. Because of that, we began dreaming of having our own tea shop long before we had the knowledge or experience to really give it a shot. Topaz Tea Co is the culmination of a lot of work, a lot of learning, and a lot of love.

2) When did you start drinking tea?

Both of us are sort of late arrivals to the tea scene. Because of our upbringings, neither of us had even tasted tea until adulthood. Prior to the age of 24 or so, Alison's experience was limited to tisanes and the occasional Starbucks chai latte. Shaylee had sipped a small selection of tisanes as well, but only for medicinal purposes, until she took the plunge at age 26 and tried Earl Grey and English Breakfast tea bags for the first time. Shortly after that, we were trying new teas together as fast as we could get our hands on them.

3) What inspired you to start Topaz Tea Co?

We’re both rather ambitious, so as we fell in love with loose leaf tea we decided we wanted to learn how to make our own. As we considered the idea of creating tea blends, we immediately started dreaming about opening a tea shop together despite now living across the country from each other. With our own past experiences with being new to tea culture, we also wanted to create a space for other beginners to find answers to their tea-related questions and feel a sense of solidarity as they embark on their tea adventures. We’re both very passionate about tea, as a beverage and a philosophy, and while we have a lot yet to learn we’re eager to share what we do know so that others can enjoy the beauty that tea has to offer.

4) What does your personal tea ritual look like?

Shaylee: Honestly, I haven’t really established a ritual yet, but I do try to make each drink special. Each morning, I choose teaware that fits my mood for the day, and then select a tea to match. I try to remember to inhale the aroma before I take a sip, and when I do remember that deep breath can be magical. In the future, I plan to incorporate aspects specifically related to witchcraft for more intentional tea sessions.

Alison: A lot of the time I’m drinking tea on the go, or while multitasking elsewhere, so my personal rituals tend to be a bit scattered and hectic. However, the part of the process I enjoy the most is selecting and brewing my tea. Aroma is a huge part of the tea experience for me, so I always try to be present and mindful during the brewing process when the complex aromas are changing and growing so rapidly.

5) Do you have a current favorite tea?

Shaylee: It’s hard to choose a favorite because everything I have in my tea drawer is so delicious, but my top three go-to teas are Lavender Earl Grey from Hackberry Tea, Ya Bao Silver Buds from Curious Tea, and our Lavender Berry blend at Topaz Tea Co (can you tell I like lavender?).

Alison: I love mint in my tea blends, so my favorites would probably have to be Hackberry Tea’s Pomegranate Mojito (which is unfortunately no longer being sold), and our own flavor, Vanilla Mint. I also love just about every chai I’ve ever tasted.

6) Where do you draw inspiration from for your blends?

More than many other senses, scent and flavor are tightly tied to memory. Think about walking into the kitchen as a child and smelling your favorite meal cooking--for most of us, smelling that same dish again, in any context, can transport us back to those happy childhood memories. This is part of why there are certain seasonal flavors that get so popular every year, such as pumpkin and turkey over the holidays. These sensations can remind us of the past, and help us to create new memories in the present. When we’re thinking about creating new flavors, the question for us is always “How can we use these scents and flavors to make us feel a certain way?” You’ll notice if you read some of our product descriptions that we like to mention some of the moods and memories that we are trying to evoke with that blend.

7) What are your hopes for the future of Topaz Tea Co?

It would mean a lot to us if Topaz Tea Co became a place that was known for helping people to learn about and explore loose leaf tea for the first time. We’ve worked hard to create blends which provide familiar and accessible flavor combinations, while still celebrating the unique flavor of our teas and other ingredients. Many of these blends would be a fantastic early step into the world of tea. We’re also working hard behind the scenes to develop a lot of short and easy-to-understand articles to help people learn more about tea, from tea science to tea history and culture. As we grow, we hope to provide more and more options that are appealing to just about anyone; delicious, interesting, and made with love.