Bardo Tea, a Portland-based tea company, has recently opened its first brick-and-mortar store in the Concordia neighborhood, marking a significant step in its mission to redefine the tea-drinking experience. The store is designed to offer a distinctive tea-tasting experience, featuring high-quality single-origin teas, premium blends, curated teaware, small-batch incense from Asia, and lifestyle products. The store's unique structure, divided into three segmented spaces, is aimed at providing a distinct and exceptional tasting experience that highlights the nuance and complexity of each tea.
According to Kroesen, the store's founder, Bardo Tea's purpose is to change the conventional tea-drinking mold. The store's design, a converted carriage house split into three rooms, offers a unique tea drinking experience with teas served in high-end teaware, emphasizing the purity of tea without milk, sweeteners, or additives. Kroesen's extensive experience in the tea industry, including five years as the Head Teamaker at Smith Tea and over two decades of traveling worldwide to connect with tea growers and experts, underscores the store's commitment to quality and authenticity.
Veronika Vogler, Bardo Tea's co-founder and a mindfulness facilitator, highlights the importance of mindfulness in the tea-drinking experience. The store encourages visitors to be present and fully engage with the tea, recognizing the journey and communication between the clay pot, boiling water, and tea leaves. This approach not only enhances the flavor of the tea but also deepens the drinker's appreciation and understanding of tea culture.
Beyond offering a unique tea-tasting experience, Bardo Tea is committed to supporting women's roles in the tea industry. The company actively builds relationships with female tea farmers and supports them as tea growers, going beyond the traditional roles assigned to women in the industry. For more information, visit https://www.bardotea.com.
