We can’t help but smile as we reflect on the fun we had at T2 during September, a time we went – um how shall we put it?  Completely and utterly bazaar!

The month was spent celebrating the spoils of recent travels to the magical and exotic east.  With an itinerary that included the historically rich and cosmopolitan Turkey our traveling T2 team were awe struck by the regions mind-boggling landscape, quirky characters and vibrant bazaars… those colours, the sounds and mmmm that delicious mix of sweet and savoury tastes and smells! Our teams experiences were re-created at T2 stores all over Australia with an array of bright, dazzling tea wares and decadent sweet and spicy teas.  And then, we got more bazaar!  Along came the Afghan Tea Cyclist pedaling through the streets of Melbourne serving brews at inner city T2 stores.  The bike, created and decorated by RMIT student and Afghan artist Aslam Akram was a perfect collaboration with T2 and brought urban tea lovers a tasty rare middle eastern tea experience.  What a magic month… check out.

Tym’s story inspired us to come up with our own fruity blend for the lads! (Tym’s Blend: Above Left, T2’s Blend – Fruit Royale & Turkish Cherry: Above Right)

Letting your mates know that you just got a job at a tea store is kind of like telling them that you don’t think you’d look too bad in heels. Well, it’s not quite that bad, but it might as well be at first. From what I gather, tea to most blokes is often looked at as something a bit girlie, a bit fancy and all up just a little bit much. But with the summer heat lingering in the air I devised a way to put ‘enjoying tea’ up there with ‘sinking a few beers’ on the I’m a Manly Man scale.

The key when trying to get blokey blokes to feel comfortable around exotic looking iced teas with bits of fruit bobbing around in them is to act casual. My first attempt went something along the lines of:

A group of mates gathered around an outdoor setting on my friend’s back deck.

Anonymous friend with stubby in hand: Hey Tym, what is that?

Me: What is what? Oh, this? Why it’s just nothing. Just a traditional Turkish tisane infused with a fruit tisane garnished with fresh mint leaves, apple slices, blueberries and freeze dried rose buds to finish.

Anonymous friend: I see… What does it taste like?

Me: If you cross bread a unicorn with a gummy bear and they had an adorable doe-eyed baby that ate flowers and drank rainbows. That. It tastes like that.

Anonymous friend: Can I try some?

Me: I’ve already poured you one, it’s inside next to the concentrate.

After a little more coaxing I had all of my mates drinking Turkish Apple and Just Rose and Strawberries & Cream and Mint Mix on ice. The stubbies were left in the esky, extra fruit was chopped and the kettle was boiled to make more concentrate. As the sun sunk into the trees and the afternoon turned into evening we drank more and more. And no one was opposed to adding a little bit of Malibu to the mix either.

Until next time, sip back, relax and have a lovely summer.

Tym Lee, T2 Hornsby.

Winter is here! Well if you live in Melbourne it certainly is!
Not that we need any excuse to get our Chai on, but it certainly fits better with the season and this year we all wanted to really embrace this brew.

Throughout much of Asia, the word chai literally means “tea”. In western terms when we say chai we are really referring to Masala Chai or spiced tea.
T2 has an absolutely amazing version (even if we do say so ourselves) and although we celebrate it every winter, this year we wanted to share, the right way to make it, how flexible it can be, where it comes from and more.
Its often debated that you either love chai or you don’t!
Like with most things, if someones given you a bad chai then its unlikely you’ll come back for more. If your first chai experience was a stunner, then your’e hooked.

To assist with all those tea lovers that have had a taste challenged chai, we decided that the cornerstone of our promo should be about a better way to brew.

Check out Bird Man Eating cafe in Fitzroy – brewing in bulk for savvy and well travelled customers who know the real deal.

One of our visual merchandises cooks up a storm with a truffle recipe infused with chai.

Chai brewing, simple and effective, yet above all…tasty!

On the 16th December we hosted the first T2 VIP nights, one at our birthplace store Fitzroy in the heart of Brunswick street, Melbourne, the other at Fitzroy’s twin sister, the equally exceptional T2 Newtown in Sydney. We thoroughlly enjoyed bantering and brewing, sharing tea stories and tips with our tipples whilst nibbling Turkish delight and macaroons. More pictures and events will follow, this image however is a standout and got a head start on the rest!

If you are lucky enough to live in Sydney, and even luckier enough to live close to Hornsby or North Ryde, then the enjoyment of a T2 teahouse will be something you may not take for granted, but it may be more of an accessable treat than for the rest of us. We have to make do with these lovely images, whilst you partake of tasty treats, a selection of amazing teas from distant estates served in quirky cups and pots. High tea, fresh sandwiches and an abundant array of sweets will tempt your taste.

We wanted to share some images of our Chadstone store window. All things “Red” will be on tasting tables and on displays to enjoy during these cold months.