New Farm’s own loose-leaf tea boutique Tour de Tea is run by sisters Amy and Hannah.
Tour de Tea has been a fixture of the Brisbane tea scene since 2009, originally selling to tea lovers at Brisbane’s Farmers’ markets.
Amy and Hannah offer over two decades of combined industry experience, with Amy’s tea journey beginning in Melbourne and being further explored in Paris, and Hannah’s beginning in Queensland, with sojourns in Sri Lanka, highlands of Malaysia and Japan. Together, they wistfully dreamed of creating a perfect sanctuary for tea lovers in Brisbane; a place where tea can be explored, and people can be educated and introduced to the very special world of fine tea.
In 2018 the stars aligned and Tour de Tea’s retail space in New Farm opened its doors, welcoming tea lovers of all kinds to stop by and be reminded of tea’s place in today’s society. Dedicated to improving sustainability in the tea industry, Tour de Tea was the first tea store to offer zero waste options for customers and reusable tasting cups. Most packaging materials in-store are recycled, and all tea leaves are composted once spent. The store itself is built from recycled materials including the doors and windows of an old Queenslander home.
Tour de Tea offers over 60 varieties of hand selected, meticulously curated artisanal teas, each hand packaged by Amy and Hannah with its own specific story of place – many drawing upon familiar aspects of Brisbane’s scenery and culture. Both Amy and Hannah hand blend a number of their infusions – with many currently in creation, however, a dedication to the highest quality and perfect balance means this is a slow and diligent process.
Since opening, Hannah and Amy have been passionate about fostering Brisbane’s growing tea culture, collaborating with Tea Masters, public workshops, cafes and restaurants, with the agenda to build strong foundations for tea appreciation and improve Australian tea culture.