BUSINESS FEATURE
BY OLIVER CAPITO
ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES Because the avor and e ects of tea can change based on how it is brewed, Chris McKann, owner of The Path of Tea, said new variations are being discovered all the time. TEA LEAF: Traditional teas made from tea leaves vary from white tea on the less ca einated end to the stronger black teas. ROOIBOS: This herbal tea is brewed from the “red bush” plant in South Africa. TISANES: This ca eine-free herbal tea dates back to ancient China and Egypt. OTHER HEALING TEAS: Other teas on the menu are pitched as ways to help with colds and us, sinus issues, and boost the functioning of the lung and liver.
Owner Chris McKann founded The Path of Tea with his wife, Thia McKann, in 2006.
Freshly brewed teas are served hot at the River Oaks staple. (Photos by Oliver Capito/Community Impact Newspaper)
The Path of Tea Shop owner looks to bring peace to stressed Houstonians T ea has always been second to co ee in the U.S., a trend The Path of Tea owner Chris McKann said is tied to our fast-paced
over 140 di erent types of tea, each of which has a di erent taste and can o er a di erent health bene t, Chris said. Some teas have immune system-boosting e ects, while others give energy, he said. The menu features di erent types of white, green, oolong, pu-errh, black and other herbal teas. The shop’s tea leaves come from a variety of countries, mostly from Asia, Chris said. The Path of Tea hosts events regularly, Chris said, including weekly tea tastings, where guests can drink tea samples while Chris explains where the tea leaf comes from and how he makes it. “Sometimes we have people who talk about some health aspect that would t in with tea,” he said. Although Thia has since passed away, Chris said he carries on her legacy at the shop. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, people are feeling more stressed than ever, and Chris said he plans to keep relieving people from their anxiety with his tea.
Guests at The Path of Tea can choose their tea cup from a shelf of options.
lifestyles. However, as interest in mental and physical well-being has become more mainstream, McKann said more interest has also been directed at his shop, founded in 2006 in River Oaks as a place for people to stop by, enjoy some tea and take a social break from daily stressors. “People are getting really stressed out,” he said. “And so I’m nding that more people are telling me, ‘Oh my God, this [tea] is nice.’ [We] just have this energy where it’s just more relaxing, right? So they start discovering tea.” The Path of Tea was founded by Chris and his wife, Thia McKann, after the latter was certi ed as a tea master, a designation given to people who demon- strate an understanding of the di erent types of teas and how they are brewed, Chris said.
The Path of Tea 2340 W. Alabama St., Houston 713-252-4473 www.thepathoftea.com Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
BRAND BUSINESS your WITH STICKIES Exclusive front cover placement • Targeted mailbox delivery • Competitive pricing The couple wanted to focus on giving customers an organic, healthy tea, Chris said. The shop o ers “People are becoming more conscious of their physical health,” he said. “[The] pandemic [has] really accelerated that.”
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