Sweet dreams are made of Tea Featured Article

left school,” said Mr Webb, “and I was an executive at David Jones for many years.”

“I oversaw the Food Hall marketing and visual merchandising, and I was mentored by some very good people in the industry who taught me about how to utilise space in the shop, how to create interesting corners to make people want to walk around and see the see what's there, it's like a new discovery for them.”

Walking around The Tea Shop it is undeniable that Mr Webb has infused his vibrant personality into the store, blending his love of tea, his passion for small business and love of community to create a tea expe rience like no other, leaving notes of enjoyment and quirkiness on the palate.

Speaking of tasting notes, tea drinkers more accus tomed to staple brands like Tetley and Bushels would be amazed by the variety of ethically sourced teas on display.

“Well, I don't ever wish to put Tetley or Bushels down, they've been a great standby for generations of Austra lians, and I've drunk those teas, and a lot of people have become accustomed to those teas.”

As the research and development of teas has taken place, the ways in which tea is enjoyed has also evolved.

“Teas today are like drinking a good glass of red.” Said Mr Webb, “Their character, the way they leave a flavour on your palate, could be from oak to malt to fruity to muscatels to really, fresh and invigorating.”

Interestingly, it’s not just the taste that sets them apart, with many staple tea brands being harvested by machinery, says Mr Webb.

“They are all harvested by machinery, whereas all our leaves we sell here are all handpicked by usually women, all paid a fair wage, that's part of our mantra. They have to be paid a fair wage.”

In addition to supporting women, the Tea Shop has also recently added a line of first nations teas to its shelves, being selected as the location for the world release of this exciting new brand of teas.

“I think that to me it's the changing face of Australia. Who'd ever thought a guy would be running a tea shop? Once the domain of a woman, and the guys did all the blending, the marketing and everything behind the scenes and now it's a big turn around.”

The Tea Shop is a major stocker of T2 teas, a popular Australian owned business owned by Women, which produces a range of teas, with something to suit everyone.

Bruce is proud to sell Tasmanian made and owned Teas as well, one of which was selected as an official coronation tea and encourages everyone to walk up the George Street Boulevard to rediscover your royal tea shop.

For those looking for something more exotic, Bruce is also keen to showcase teas from around the world, including his new range of Sri Lankan teas.

With Mother’s day this month, it’s the perfect time to visit the Tea Shop to purchase a gift pack, peruse the variety of teas, and enjoy the quirky experience of the store.

You can find the Tea Shop at 101 George Street, Launceston, and find them on Facebook.