On Jan 24, 1:19 pm, "Jo" wrote:
I can
count on two fingers the number of perfect cups I have ever received
in my life, one espresso and one regular cup of black coffee. Sadly
both establishments are now out of business.

Guess what happened to the first "real" (i.e. knowledgable, honest,
high quality & NOT foremost profit-oriented) tea-shop I found in
Germany about 15 years ago? After having an eye-opening experience
there with an outstanding Darjeeling I went back a couple of months
later to restock and all I found was an empty store... It's a sad story
that seems to repeat itself.

I have toyed with the idea of opening a tea cafe for a few years, and
in my initial research and planning stages the result is always the
same, no one really cares. A nice quiet environment, quality tea
brewed perfectly, cool Asian snacks, traditional music, special gong
fu brewings, and local poetry/artists. Basically my personal t'ien.
Who knows, maybe I'll take the plunge someday but for now signs don't
point to success.

People want mediocre, fast, impersonal, loud, uncomfortable, and
hurried. Maybe in NYC there are enough people to fill such niches but
I'd imagine it to be mostly a fad following with a few regulars that
would quickly taper off.

Another check mark. We DID take the plunge and did fulfill our dream of
opening a teahouse here in New Zealand. Our vision sounds strangely
similar to yours. And we found out...
... that your research is correct. Sadly. The fact that blew us away is
that people DO want to be uncomfortable. We created the place as
comfortable as possible. Seating choices ranging from floor cushions to
sofas and regular tables. But it seems that people are intimidated by
comfort and a peaceful environment.
They also don't see the point in paying, say NZ$8 for a pot of highest
quality tea. They don't mind, however, to spend NZ$40 every weekend on
5 beers or NZ$8 for a glass of mediocre wine at a restaurant!

The good news is that there ARE people who appreciate a space like the
tea place you envision. They are VERY rewarding customers and we have
met many great people through our business. Unfortunately, there might
not be enough of them to sustain business. We have been in business for
about 18 months now and have been struggling ever since opening.

Dominic, if you're ever down here in Kiwiland, please drop in and I'd
be delighted to share some of our treasures with you.

Jo
Ya-Ya House of Excellent Teas

PS: I memory serves me right, then I remember to read a post by Houde
about not selling anything at some expo. Another proof that Western
people might not be ready for the leaf (yet)!

Hey Jo,

Thanks for sharing! My background in business and logic tend to
overrun my emotional side, I'm slowly changing that and would still
like to do it at some point or in some way... I'm just looking for the
right time and place. I have very close personal friends who live in
NZ and I do plan on visiting there in the next year or two... so hang
in there In the meantime I will gladly tell them about your
teahouse (feel free to email me details of its location if you don't
want to post them here)

I did some different research projects into it and exactly what you
state is correct. I had tastings and questionaires at a coffee shop,
and the only two teas anyone liked were a strawberry sencha and a
ginger peach black tea. Both flavored teas. Even things like jasmine
were passed over.

I keep hoping there is an angle I'm missing or an idea to showcase the
tea while having enough other options to stay afloat. I don't want to
do food (beyond basics), and my only other choices so far are an art
gallery or niche book shop/filmhouse with cool indie films.

I wish you nothing but the best success, and keep at it!
- Dominic