Seasonal Release: Tea Bar Collaboration

We are excited to share that we are collaborating with Portland based Tea Bar on our seasonal jun, Cardamom Chai with Lion's Mane! We used Tea Bar's in-house Cardamom Chai blend of whole spices. We combined their delicious chai with our jun, and added our signature adaptogenic touch, creating a delicious seasonal brew now available for a limited time on our online store.

We had the chance recently to sit down and catch up with Erica Swanson, the Founder of Tea Bar, and learn about her vision for the growing market of tea drinkers.

Tea Bar, a tea shop known for tea lattes, boba and other delicious drinks, has four storefronts throughout Portland, Oregon. They focus on quality over quantity, dedicating time on the detailed preparation of drinks and sourcing ingredients locally. “Tea Bar aims to make high quality tea more approachable," Erica said. The menu is curated, their motto being less is more. Tea Bar sells high quality tea blends and matcha, some of which Erica sourced personally from small producers in Japan and all over the world. Their ceremonial grade Matcha in particular is ordered directly from Japan each month to ensure the freshest product possible. No small feat, especially when the majority of matcha is months old by the time it reaches your cup in the states. They curate and produce products beyond tea at their shops like CBD oil, mushroom tincture, and the tools needed to make that perfect cup of tea. Make sure to check out her retail offerings online at iloveyousomatcha.com

Erica Swanson is the founder of Tea Bar, and was recently listed as one of Forbes 30 under 30 for Food & Beverage. An impressive ground up story, she opened up Tea Bar in 2014 and has continued to grow into four store fronts throughout the metro area. Erica’s story is rich in worldly pursuits, she lived in China for two years prior to moving back to Portland and opening Tea Bar. Once back stateside, she saw so many coffee shops and few tea shops to balance the customer base for tea drinkers. This inspired her open Tea Bar, creating a place for people to come experience something unlike anything else in Portland.

Erica decided to simplify the experience, with minimalist interior design, reflecting her Scandinavian background. When deciding on the shop’s aesthetic six years ago she never knew that simplistic style would become so popular like it is today. The simplicity carried over to the menu, “I wanted less options with higher quality products, so customers aren’t overwhelmed with the choices,” she explained. She wants people to visit Tea Bar, have a clear head and focus on the moment whether that’s enjoying a drink or catching up with friends.

The Cardamom Chai blend we used for our seasonal brew is blended in house by hand with high quality spices. Erica found that the pedestal for a good chai tea is very high, so she wanted to distinguish her tea from others. Made with fresh whole green cardamom pods, peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves and organic black tea. Lots of cardamom is used in their chai blend, the cardamom pods are sourced from India and a sight to see. The other spices are hand-picked and sourced locally or come from small family farms.

We had fun working with Tea Bar on this seasonal jun and are excited for future collaborations. Huney Jun will now be offering seasonal/limited edition flavors to showcase collaborations with like minded companies, and new adaptogenic herbs we are using. These releases will be available online through our website, and in kegs in places where Huney Jun is on tap. We are so excited to add limited releases for all of you!

You can find our limited edition collaboration, Cardamom Chai with Lion’s Mane, online at www.huneyjun.com.

Be sure to check out Tea Bar for all of their amazing tea blends and offerings at www.iloveyousomatch.com

Visit Tea Bar in Portland

Tea Bar NW

1055 NW Northrup St

Tea Bar

1615 NE Killingsworth St

Tea Bar SW

In the Park Avenue West Tower

855 SW Yamhill St

Tea Bar SE

4330 SE Division St