If you didn’t already know of The Tea Company Cafe, you do now. This one-of-a-kind shop, located at 8 South Fullerton Avenue in Montclair, has been serving locals specialty tea and other products. Read on to learn more about why this shop is a staple in the community.
(Photo credit: @theteacompanyretailcafe)
How The Tea Company Came About
(Photo credit: @theteacompanyretailcafe)
(Sammarah is pictured on the right)
Owner Sammarah Jackson told The Montclair Girl that her passion for the tea industry began “one late summer day in 2011” during a visit to a friend’s house where she watched in awe as her friend took time to make her a cup of tea — and it wasn’t just by grabbing a teabag from a Lipton box.
(Photo credit: @theteacompanyretailcafe)
“A friend of mine invited me over for some girl time. I, unassumingly, watched her reach into her cupboard and pull out a fancy-looking teapot, two teacups, saucers, and a ceramic canister. She was boiling water in a kettle on the stove, placing a fancy porcelain teapot, teacups, cloth napkins, sugar cubes, and teaspoons on the table with a tiny pitcher of milk. Never experiencing tea in this manner, I continued to watch her calmly prep [the tea],” Jackson shares.
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“Although my love for tea grew from having tea during a visit or friendly ‘sales pitch’ at a girlfriend’s home, I can still look back and remember every emotion felt during that experience. I knew at that moment that I found what was going to be my personal fulfillment.”
All About The Tea
(Photo credit: @theteacompanyretailcafe)
The Tea Company Cafe isn’t just an ordinary tea shop — it’s all about the experience. Owned and operated by an African-American woman, Sammarah Jackson says her mission is to promote “high-quality, whole, loose-leaf teas at an affordable price,” but also “educating the public more than anything else and providing a safe and inviting space to experience tea.”
(Photo credit: @theteacompanyretailcafe)
“The mission now includes making high-quality tea accessible to everyone, regardless of age, sex, or economic status, and educating the public on the benefits of tea and how easy is it to incorporate the consumption of tea into your daily lifestyle,” Jackson notes. “For a traditional tea experience, we offer a traditional tea time and host tea time events. We hold tea sampling and tea education workshops. We have music playing in the background and have a cozy fireplace in our seating area. We invite local musicians to add to our customers’ experience.”
Teas and herbs are sold by the ounce and any tea or herb on the retail floor can be steeped on demand, hot or cold. This includes black tea, pu’erh tea, oolong tea, green tea, white tea, rooibos tea — the list goes on. Plus, there are tons of flavors to choose from.
If you’re not sure which one to select, the owner noted that some of the top-sellers are Kukicha, Assam, Earl Grey, Mango Mixer, Peony White Needle, Sweet Emerald Isle, Crown Peach, Stimulating, Cocoa Cafe, Midnight Chai, Ginger Pieces, and Spearmint.
(Photo credit: @theteacompanyretailcafe)
The shop’s additional offerings include bubble tea, milk tea, tea frappes, tea smoothies, and traditional flavored sweet or unsweetened iced tea. There are seasonal specials for various holidays. Patrons can also enjoy a selection of lite fare, including homemade soups, salads, paninis, scones, loaf cake, muffins, and more.
(Photo credit: @theteacompanyretailcafe)
There is also a wide selection of designer and brand teaware (mugs, pots, cups, saucers, tumblers, and tea sets), honey and body products, chocolates, tea-related books for adults, and gifts. Plus, kids can be entertained too with the shop’s kid-friendly selection of coloring books, drawing pads, mini cooking sets, and mini tea sets.
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The Benefits of Drinking Tea
(Photo credit: @theteacompanyretailcafe)
The Tea Company has gourmet tea and food experts on hand to answer any questions patrons might have when selecting a beverage of choice and will help find the perfect tea fix for any health concern.
“Tea is known for promoting a healthier lifestyle by supplying people with antioxidants to strengthen immune systems and encouraging healthy bones and brighter smiles. Tea also has just enough caffeine to increase energy levels without having to worry about the adverse effects on the nervous system which leads to caffeine crashes,” the owner says.
“While herbal teas contain no caffeine, they are powerfully rich in antioxidants. Black tea, on the other hand, contains more caffeine than any other tea leaf. No matter what kind of tea you find yourself drinking, you can trust there will be a positive effect on your body and mind.”
Visiting the Shop
(Photo credit: @theteacompanyretailcafe)
The Tea Company Cafe’s hours of operation are Tuesdays through Friday sfrom 9AM to 6PM; Saturdays and Sundays from 10AM to 6PM; and is closed on Mondays. Event catering options are available. The cafe offers delivery to all New Jersey residents and is available through Grubhub, DoorDash, and UberEats app.
“We try to make our customers’ tea experience as simple and enjoyable as possible,” Jackson adds. “And, we are optimistic about the future! We hope to host other local artists in the community to share their artistic creations whether it’s music, art, or poetry.”
For more information, visit the cafe’s website at www.theteacompanycafe.com and be sure to follow on Facebook here and Instagram to stay up-to-date with the latest news.
