At the recently opened Teatotaller Tea House in Somersworth, friends sat in antique velvet chairs, complaining of over-contentment.

They took on the indulgent “afternoon tea for two” that lets a pair languorously enjoy three courses of finger sandwiches and baked goods, and a bottomless pot of tea for $20.

It’s a very different kind of experience than the one morning coffee drinkers go through just for the extra boost of energy to get them to work.

That’s not to say people don’t drink tea in the morning or afternoon for a pick-me-up, but tea culture, in general, is more about slowing down than speeding up.

The popularity of tea is gaining momentum on the Seacoast, as local businesses like White Heron Tea in Rollinsford and the new Teatotaller Tea House in Somersworth have made a wide variety of high quality teas more accessible to consumers.

Jonathan Blakeslee said there wasn’t much tea to choose from locally, other than at Breaking New Grounds in downtown Portsmouth, until he started White Heron Tea nearly seven years ago.

“I think we have helped people locally become more aware of tea,” he said.

White Heron is based in the Salmon Falls Mills of Rollinsford, where there is a small and serene café and retail shop as well as a booming wholesale business. But it took Blakeslee time and a lot of direct marketing to get the word out about his tea.

“We’ve grown and changed so much, and in particular, in the last three years,” he said.

He started the company after traveling and working overseas and out west, where tea houses are more common. He first set up shop in the CD library of Portsmouth Community Radio and remembers not being able to hear the phone ring when local punk band Hod Rod Fury played an on-air performance.  

“The first year, it was just me and my station wagon. I could barely get anyone to stop at (my farmers’ market) booth,” he said.

Hundreds of conversations at farmers’ markets and many breakfast wraps later, his booth is highly sought after.

“We have been a little bit of a tea ambassador in the area,” Blakeslee said.

Though the tea leaves are sourced overseas, White Heron selects certified organic and fair trade teas and blends and packages them locally, making the product a good fit for the market. The company blends with local produce when possible.

The tea is also available by the cup at cafés like Adelle’s Coffee House in Dover, restaurants like Street in Portsmouth, and in packages at independent grocers.

Day Break Chai Tea is especially popular, and the company makes 50 gallons of concentrate to distribute each week. There are also 70 loose teas and herbals to choose from and some now in teabags.

Whereas coffees are often categorized by roast from light to dark, tea varieties depend primarily on the process in which the leaves are dried. They include white, yellow, green, black and oolong. There’s also chai, rooibos or red tea, fruit, herbal and blended teas.

Blakeslee said tea fell out of fashion when people started to associate it with older generations, and coffee became the more dominant alternative. But he said people are starting to regain an appreciation for its culture.

“Tea culture’s just different. Not in a bad way. Tea is about, in general, sitting down and relaxing and taking your time,” he said.

Tea has also gotten attention for its health benefits and many people prefer the greater stability of its lower levels of caffeine.

“Tea is slowly moving back to where it once was in popularity. We’re talking, like, to the colonies,” he said.

Emmett Soldati founded the Teatotaller Tea House after a similar experience of traveling to places where tea is a part of daily life. His new venture serves more than 24 varieties of loose tea, many of which are blended in house. The most popular tea in the first few months of operation has been their own Candy Bar blend.

“It’s nice to see people gravitate toward something you can’t find anywhere else,” he said.

Though he also serves and sometimes drinks coffee, Soldati said his heart is in tea. “I’ve always loved tea and I’ll always be a tea drinker,” he said. “I like a strong, dark black tea.”

He said interest in tea has always been around, but it wasn’t being catered to. “You just had to awaken it,” he said.

He agreed that tea seems to be in higher demand because of its association with antioxidants and botanicals, especially now that the Seacoast is part of a healthy and sustainable food movement.

Soldati used Kickstarter, an online fundraiser for creative projects, and received pledges both locally and globally, further indicating the demand for and appreciation of specialty tea shops.
Located on Main Street, the tea house is authentically a little rough around the edges. The decor draws from traditional tea drinking cultures, like England and Japan, with its ornamental furniture, oriental rugs, deep reds and wall of red rose patterned wallpaper.

Soldati said the tea house has attracted everyone from high school students to VFW members to grandmothers. “We get a lot of ‘Good luck!’ but it’s been working,” he said.

The Portsmouth Tea Company, which was also based in Somersworth, closed its café after a relatively short time, but owner Marshall Malone continues to distribute teas to restaurants, grocers and online through Teasy.

Breaking New Grounds in Portmouth’s Market Square has been serving fine teas for 18 years now, in addition to their own roasted coffees.

“Tea has been a gradual grower every year since we opened, but it’s not spiking,” said owner Matt Govoni. “We have a lot of great teas, but coffee is still the bulk of our business.”

The café carries about 40 varieties, and the most popular are the stronger, darker black teas, such as English breakfast and chai.

The key to a good cup of tea is starting with fresh, loose leaves, as opposed to teabags, given enough room to expand and unfurl in hot, filtered water, he said. The temperature and time allotted to steep differs depending on the variety of tea. 

He said coffee also has antioxidants, though tea is marketed as the healthier alternative. The decision between coffee and tea comes down to personal preference.

“People from all walks of life drink tea. They’re both very approachable beverages. But I’m more of a coffee guy,” Govoni said.

Francesca Tise works at Breaking New Grounds and usually starts her day with tea, has a coffee midday, and ends with an organic rooibos.

“I think a lot more people are drinking tea,” she said. “It’s more available. It used to be hard to find anything other than Lipton.”