The Rendezvous With Tea

A friend told me about a tea shop that opened in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI in November 2013, so I stopped there on Wednesday afternoon while I was out and about. The Rendezvous With Tea not only has a website, but a Facebook page as well.

A local television station was just finishing filming the shop when I arrived.

Just inside is a retail gift area where porcelain, caste iron, stainless steel and ceramic teawares are sold.

A silver tilting teapot was beautifully displayed, but is not for sale.

I loved the set below.  The small handleless tea bowls are reminiscent of those from the eighteenth century that were designed for just a few precious sips of tea.

The shop is neither a British nor Asian tearoom where food and tea can be ordered from a menu. It is a retail tea shop selling over 200 types of loose tea, and over 75 varieties of packaged tea.  Below is the interior of the tea shop.   The style is meditative zen.

Cute little baskets are provided to hold sachet selections.  8 sachets for $5.  These teas have been blended in Sri Lanka exclusively for The Rendezvous With Tea.  Eventually there will 12 black tea selections and 12 green.   The owner is proud that there will be three black teas representing the countries where she has lived - Serendib [Sri Lanka], Malaysia Boleh [Malaysia], and Magical Motown [Detroit, MI].

~ Below are the eight sachets I purchased. ~

While the shop doesn't sell food, the owner offered me a  complimentary piece of artichoke quiche and a chocolate raspberry cupcake, with a cup of chocolate flavored black tea to sip as we talked about her shop. 

The cupcake was made with Green Bohemian Raspberry tea which she stocks, so I purchased 25 g. since the recipe will soon be posted on her Facebook page.  Not only was there a fresh raspberry garnishing the top of the cupcake, but a surprise one in the center of the cupcake. It was delicious, and the raspberry tea flavor definitely came through.

The owner [pictured below] was born in Sri Lanka and lived there until the uprising in the early 1970's when her father moved their family to Malaysia.  When asked how she came to Michigan from Malaysia, she said they have a family member who lives nearby and they liked the area when they came to visit, so they made the move here in June 2013.   Now that she has an "empty nest" she decided to open a tea shop where she can share her life-long passion for tea with others.

While I was there, a gentleman came in to purchase some loose leaf tea, and the owner said a lot of young adults also come to the shop for loose leaf tea purchases.  At present, she estimated her sales are about 50% loose leaf tea, and 50% packaged tea, with her own blends being her biggest sellers.

Best wishes to The Rendezvous With Tea for a long and successful business.  The shop is located at 20792 Mack Avenue, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236.