In a city that’s on a constant coffee buzz, what about tea?
A new tea destination has opened in The Heights, and it isn’t quite like a typical Victorian teahouse. Tea+Art, which opened in May, is a warehouse transformed into a tea bar and art gallery.
This month’s art exhibit features Japanese tea bowls made by ceramic art students from Lee College in Baytown and legendary potter John Britt. Over 150 test tiles made by the students are on display, as are various bowls that are for sale. The Japanese tea bowl exhibit comes to a close July 31, and the August gallery will focus on an array of works from Texas’ ten top art colleges.
Tea+Art’s designated art space emphasizes white walls and a minimalist look – a common gallery aesthetic – allowing the vibrant Japanese tea bowls to shine. They appear in a range of shapes and hues; the wide bowls are for whisking matcha (photo above), while other bowls – perhaps in a shoe or a curved lip shape – are crafted for everyday tea drinking.
On the other side of the room, the softly-lit tea bar evokes a more eclectic, vintage vibe. The tea flight ($10) offers your choice of three teas from an extensive menu that ranges from signature Texas black blends to herbal concoctions.
The owner of Tea+Art, Lee Garcia, makes all the loose-leaf blends in-house and opens her tea bar only Thursday through Sunday in order to prepare fresh leaves on the other days. Her tea company, called TEAinTEXAS, sources everything from Texas vendors – lavender from Chappell Hill, peaches from Fredericksburg and rosemary from Trinity. Garcia’s TEAinTEXAS blends can be found in Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts and shops outside of The Loop (Galveston, Sugar Land, Katy, etc.)
The tea flight we chose was a pretty gradient of colors, beginning with the malty Potter’s Brew. It’s one of TEAinTEXAS’ most popular black tea blends, featuring a light amber hue and just enough bitterness in flavor.
The next one in the flight, the Genmaicha Matcha, was a strong Japanese matcha infused with toasted rice. According to Garcia, one cup of matcha is like ten cups of pure green tea, since matcha consists of ground-up leaves for a concentrated flavor. The Genmaicha tasted like the rice crackers I’d hunt down in the Asian grocery markets as a child, the ones that have a hodgepodge of different shapes and crunchy wasabi peas.
The last one, called “Down Home Goodness,” was like drinking a sugar cookie. This tea has a deliciously indulgent scent with a sweet vanilla almond aroma.
For tea accompaniments, Tea+Art offers baked goods such as scones, banana breads and cakes. We tried a slice of cranberry orange banana bread (served on a paper plate), which paired best with the Potter’s Brew to mellow out the bread’s sunny citrus notes.
There are also unique classes offered at the tea house-meets-art-gallery, such as a macaron cooking class and a lavender workshop. Tea+Art even has a tasting room available for special events such as bridal showers.
Come in to Tea+Art for a serene afternoon of wandering through the gallery and enjoying a cup of tea. But boy, Houston is hot – so make it iced, please. It is worth noting that the tea bar is very small, and they have outdoor seating but no shade or umbrellas.
Tea+Art, 613 1/2 W. 19th St., 832-955-1767, teaplusart.com
Hours: Thurs.-Sat. 10 am to 7 pm; Sun. noon-7pm