Enter through this door located at the corner of N Magnolia St. and E 2nd N St. in Summerville and you will embark on a journey into the diverse world of loose leaf tea brought to you by Old Barrel Tea Company and hosted by proprietor, Maggie Brooks. With blends like Pumpkin Pie Chai, Blood Orange and Lemongrass, and Coconut Black and Vanilla Rooibos, all you Lowcountry tea lovers wouldn't want to miss it for all the tea in China.
Old Barrel Tea Company is a female run, family business, and there is nothing dainty about this group of tea vendors. For this mother/daughter collaboration, Dana Huffman and Bailey Riddle, tea is more than just an afternoon break. It is a way of life. "We drink tea and tisanes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and all the time in between. We don't put our pinkies up while drinking tea," is part of their motto. Rounding out the tea cadre are Dana's daughter-in-laws, Paola and Nenada. Paola does all of the blending at the business's warehouse.
Old Barrel Tea Company had its beginnings in Ruidoso, New Mexico, but through the endeavors of Maggie Brooks, it is fitting O.B.T.C. has found its way to the place where in the early 1700's tea bushes, also known as Camellia Sinensis, first arrived in the United States from China and in due course, through the efforts of Dr. Charles Shepard and Summerville's Pinehurst Tea Plantation, American grown tea become a reality by 1888.
Maggie grew up in Florida and like most Southerners drank sweet tea. She attended Jacksonville University where she acquired a Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Science. After graduating, she moved to New Mexico and worked for the White Sands National Monument--the world's largest gypsum dunefield with glistening white sands engulfing 275 square miles of desert making it one of the world's great natural wonders. She was there for four months.
After leaving White Sands National Monument, Maggie worked at a high school for 2 1/2 years. It was there she met Bailey, who introduced her to her first loose leaf tea experience--a Pu-Erh tea. It was then her career would take a different path. With passion in her voice, she recounted how she petitioned O.B.T.C. with the request, "Please let me work for your company." Her heart felt plea did not go unanswered. Maggie considers herself the adopted daughter of the Huffman clan.
With a husband in the military, Maggie, along with their daughter, ended up stationed in Myrtle Beach. While doing a Google search for festivals in South Carolina, Summerville's Sweet Tea Festival popped up. She came in contact with Summerville DREAM and a partnership was entered into. The Summerville Tea Emporium was created. Wine barrels were brought in and iron pipe topped with wood shelving were installed on the walls. Over 30 different blends of tea with emphasis on flavor and wellness are offered along with raw, unfiltered honey and various other products.
Summerville Tea Emporium is a neatly arranged, welcoming space. Maggie greets you with a warm smile and possesses a commanding knowledge of her products. Her love and conviction for O.B.T.C. and its goods is unmistakable. Of the three taste offerings presented on my visit, the Blood Orange and Lemongrass--a lightly tart blend full of citrus flavors and naturally caffeine free--was my favorite. The color of the brewed blend was inviting to the eye and the flavor was soothing to the palate. The shop's blends are so voluminous that even the most discriminant tea drinker will not go away unsatisfied.
Old Barrel Tea Company's web blog is called A Dose of PositiviTea and is managed by Maggie. Check it out by clicking here. You will find recipes, product summaries, tea suggestions, and a boun-tea of loose leaf tea trivia.
Summerville Tea Emporium's official opening will take place with a ribbon cutting on Friday, October 25th at 3-6 pm. On Sunday, October 27th, there will be a Garden Tea Party at 1-4 pm.
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