Watch the lines at any given Starbucks, and it’s easy enough to see that consumers are coffee- obsessed. And if you don’t like big chains, local coffee shops are popping up all over Lexington, offering a place to share community and a cup of joe.
But what if coffee isn’t your thing? What if you prefer the slow-release caffeine high delivered by tea leaves as opposed to the sudden jolt from a cup of java? In Lexington, you’re in luck. Tea connoisseurs and casual tea drinkers alike have options beyond asking for their English Breakfast at the local coffee shop.
“It was very unusual, even around the U.S., to be strictly tea,” said Danielle Montague, referencing the opening of her retail tea shop, MonTea, seven years ago. Located on Euclid Avenue, MonTea is Lexington’s only retail teashop, offering more than 70 varieties of loose-leaf teas and herbal infusions. While you’re shopping, you can enjoy a steaming cup on site, as well as gather some useful information about your choices from Montague, who shares everything she knows from continuing tea education classes and world tea conventions.
“The base of our business is retail and education,” explained Montague. “People ask if we do classes, and we have in the past, but we found it more beneficial to be one on one with people.”
Montague, along with her husband and co-owner, Miller Montague, help customers decide on the right teas, sharing everything they’ve learned from continuing tea education classes and world tea conventions.
“I think a lot of people have a mindset that tea is intimidating — too hard to brew, too time consuming — but it’s not,” said Montague. “So if someone comes in and asks questions, they get a bit of education. Our motto is really education without intimidation about tea. ”
This niche market of tea drinkers might seem like a small customer base, but the Montagues did their research, which showed that while we are far behind the rest of the world when it comes to tea consumption, its popularity is growing in the United States. Gay Reading, co-proprietor along with with John Martin of Greentree Antiques & Tearoom, concurred.
“Tea drinking is, statistically, on the rise in the United States,” he said. “Our patrons’ reaction to the quality of our tea indicates that they do really care a great deal about the beverage.”
Reading and Martin opened Greentree Antiques and Tearoom to provide a venue in downtown Lexington they thought was missing.
“We wanted to create a site for elegant luncheon entertaining reflecting the best local traditions combined with the English afternoon tea structure,” said Reading.
Greentree is not a retail tea shop, but rather a place where tea lovers, and anyone who appreciates good food, service and elegance, can enjoy a sit-down tea experience. Greentree also blends its own teas — one is featured each month — from Indian estate bulk teas.
“We do, however, offer more food than is usually found in tea rooms,” explained Reading. Greentree is the only tea room of its kind in Lexington, however other tea rooms can
be found in nearby surrounding counties. In nearby Danville, the famed Elmwood Inn Fine Teas imports blends and packages teas for hotels and retailers across North America, including MonTea. Elmwood is also home to Benjamin Press, the largest publisher of tea books in America.
There’s a reason so many people want to read about, and drink, tea. Aside from the lower levels of caffeine in tea, compared with coffee, tea has many other health benefits. Tea is high in antioxidants and has been shown to boost the immune system, protect bone health, and may help reduce risk of heart attack, stroke and even cancer. At MonTea, you can find a line of herbal teas that may have health benefits, including one called “Good Night” that promotes sleep and another containing turmeric, which is good for fighting inflammation. Aside from that, if you’re a tea lover, there is nothing as comforting as a cup of hot tea.
Danielle Montague has seen her customer base grow since opening MonTea in the Chevy Chase neighborhood seven years ago. “I think a lot of people have a mindset that tea is intimidating — too hard to brew, too time consuming — but it’s not,” she said.
“It’s like wine, but tea, in my humble opinion, is far more involved,” said Montague. “The fact that all tea comes from the same type of plant but is processed differently to produce the many different types is very intricate.”
Photo by Theresa Stanley
Montague purchases all her tea from sources she trusts, including some from a master blender, which she says sell well in Lexington.
Although tea might be considered a cold weather drink, loose-leaf tea makes good iced tea, too, which sells better in the summertime.
“Over the years as people have gotten into tea, we’ve built our customer base, and people drink tea year round,” Montague said.
Traffic in the shop is 70 percent destination based and 30 percent walk-ins. MonTea is also branching out more to provide tea to local businesses, including coffee shops that also sell tea, restaurants and offices.
However, the best time for tea sales is still during the fourth quarter.
“I think that lends itself to being a retail shop,” said Montague.
During the holidays, MonTea offers anywhere from six to nine holiday teas, all tasted first by Montague and released on the shop’s anniversary in mid-November each year.
“People look forward to finding out what the holiday teas will be,” she said. “I only guarantee two flavors each year: that’s snowflake black and almond cookie; other than that, they are surprises.”