Rooibos Chai

Quality water is just as important as quality tea when it comes to your brew. Here's what we recommend:

• Filtered Water - standard home filtration systems, Brita, Hydros, you name it. Filter that isht!
• Spring Water - have access to bottled spring water, or have an actual clear spring by where you live? Try brewing with spring water and unlock unique sweetness in your cup!
• Reverse Osmosis - RO filtration systems are standard for tea and coffee shops, and provide the most consistently great water for brewing any of your favorite drinks. For your home, counter-top as well as below-the-counter systems are great to help step up your water game!
• Customized Recipes - are you a budding scientist? Check out custom water recipe kits like Lotus and Third Wave Water

Most of us turn to tea when we're sick, or when we're looking for a caffeine-free alternative later in the day or for our health. All of these are fine reasons to turn to tea...but wait, there's more!

Let's explore tea ways to get energized without relying on caffeine, ranging from no caffeine whatsoever to low caffeine synergizing with amino acids.

NO CAFFEINE, PLEASE

Teas can be decaffeinated through a chemical process or be caffeine-free on their own. All of the teas in our "Herbal" category are naturally caffeine-free. However, that doesn't mean they are energy-free! Herbal blends offer boosts to your mind, body and emotions in various ways -- for energizing towards work as well as rest + recovery!

SOME CAFFEINE, PLEASE

All our non-herbal tea options contain some caffeine per serving. Different processes, terroir factors, growing practices, and brewing methods will result in more or less caffeine being brewed into your cup. Additionally, catechins, and amino acids from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) create different interactions with the body's metabolism to change the effects you may feel from the caffeine content. Everyone's metabolism is different, so take some time to explore how each tea energizes you!

LEAF VS. MILLED TEA

Brewing liquor from leaves reduces the amount of caffeine consumed in your cup, and then there's milled tea like Matcha, where you're drinking the whole leaf in milled powder form rather than just liquor from the leaf, in which case you could be getting as much or more caffeine per serving compared to coffee. Matcha also contains a high level of L-theanine which slows the absorption of all the caffeine, so it offers a calm increase in alertness and transition alternative to a jolt or crashing experience of caffeine.

BEYOND CAFFEINE, PLEASE

There's this phenomenon or state of flow (call it what you want) of being "tea drunk" -- for our teas that include a brewing guide for multiple steeps, be prepared to venture into possibly new flow states with each repeated steep. Create a new ritual and brew multiple steeps throughout the day and notice your energy evolve with the tea in your cup!

If you’re local to the State College area, we’ve partnered with Chew Chew Bun as our official pickup location! Chew Chew Bun is a locally owned Taiwanese bakery + coffee shop in the heart of the downtown area (115 E. Beaver Ave.)

Tea is that much better with delicious pastries, so be sure to pick up some noms with your order!

The pickup tray is on top of the pastry case on the left side of the counter. Look for your name and order number!