Trishna Tea: Two for Tea Yields Teas that Please
In Asian cultures, tea is an Old World tradition that goes back over two millennia, often with a slow ritual brewing method. Recently, a family-run Houston-based business has expanded on that, making tea more compatible with the needs of on-the-go New World tea drinkers.
Trishnna Tea, the business creation of wife/husband team Garima Bhuwalka and Saurabh Kajaria, that recently began offering its innovative tea-infused honeys. Their products are made with local Texas honey instilled with essence of imported organic Indian teas. “Simply mix a teaspoon of our tea-infused honey in hot water for one cup of tea,” says Trishnna Tea President & CEO Garima Bhuwalka. “No brewing or straining, no waste and no more headaches about how much tea or for how long to brew it.” These tea-infused honeys currently come in four flavors: Blueberry/Green Tea, Ginger/Turmeric/Green Tea, Masala/Chai Black Tea and Mango/Pineapple/Green Tea.
How did this all come to be and right here in Houston? Well, Garima says, “We have philosopher Plato to thank for his observation ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ In our case, the solution was brought about by our love of tea while also being part of the fast-paced Houston scene.”
Saurabh came to the States in 2007 and Garima came in 2015. Saurabh is involved in the oil and gas business, employed with an international service company. Garima, being from a business family in India with a financial background, after getting settled in Houston wanted to start some type of business of her own.
“After thinking a bit, a tea company seemed like a natural fit,” she says. “Trishnna Tea was started with a simple objective of offering high-quality organic teas. Saurabh and I drink a lot of tea, but we had a hard time finding good-quality tea here in the States. It was good fortune that part of my husband’s extended family actually have a long history in the tea industry back in India. When I started looking into our tea problem, they helped me evaluate the possibilities of starting the business.”
“We are different from many other tea companies since we focus on the origin and source of our ingredients in India to maintain quality and consistency,” she adds. “By using only organic Indian tea, we can trace back our teas to the exact gardens from which they come. After many trials, we curated a collection of incredible traditional, spicy, fruity and herbal teas. We are proud that our teas have won first-place awards at the Houston Tea Festival in both traditional and fusion categories.”
Coming from India, both Garima and Saurabh knew how tea should taste in the classical sense. From there, they went into the local market and learned what local tea drinkers wanted. Armed with this information, they came up with ideas and the business kept evolving as they worked.
“We started visiting farmers markets with our products,” Garima says. “This provided valuable feedback. We found out that people in America are interested in convenience, fruitier flavors and ingredients with potential health benefits. This was totally new to us since, in India, tea is mainly of one type—Masala Chai—and served with milk, like a latte.” They also found high interest here in green tea, often consumed after lunch. People who are caffeine sensitive tend to drink herbal tea, particularly at later hours. In India, there is no concept of herbal tea. The big hurdle they found in selling their teas was convenience. So, they focused on making the process simple for people on-the-go without time to sit and brew tea.
“It is my husband who is the tea inventor,” Garima says. “He messes up my kitchen, but I trust his palate and he comes up with products that are so awesome. He is my chief taster and flavor consultant. One day, we discussed what we had learned. My husband just started mixing things. I thought that it wasn’t going to work, but he did it. We made tea-infused honey and it really turned out great.”
Since then, Trishnna Tea has advanced modern tea drinking still further with their new TeaStix. These are short, sealed tubes filled with precisely the right amount of tea-infused honey for a single tea serving. Simply snip the end and stir it into hot water for a steaming cup of tea; for iced tea, stir it into room-temperature water and add ice. Garima even suggests their serving tea-infused honey over ice cream.
Currently, Trishnna Tea describes and sells its complete line of teas and tea products from its website. Many are also available at farmers markets in the Houston area. It offers its brewed tea and/or products in Houston at Urban Eats, Kraftsmen Baking and Pink Swan Shop, and in Friendswood at Whiskey Cake Restaurant. Check their website above for current offerings and venues.
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