“It’s all about experimentation. We’re trying to change how people view tea,” says T Totaler founder Amber Hudson, who has opened a pop-up on King Street, about her love for loose-leaf brews. “Once we get council approval, the plan is to open a tea bar where people can learn about tea and enjoy blends matched with cakes,” she says continues, referring to her plans to make her new, current pop-up concept more permanent.

Hudson started out at the Kings Cross Organic Food Market and now holds a regular stall at Marrickville Market on Sundays where punters can taste tea and learn about different blends. Then, keen to share her knowledge, Hudson ran her first class at Redfern’s Work-Shop. Now plans are underway to do the same thing at her Newtown pop-up store.

Hudson’s blends are already familiar to those that visit cafes such as In The Annex, but she claims that tea is sometimes forgotten about overall. “Sydney is all about coffee but there are a lot of ways to approach tea. Chocolate goes well with French earl grey while our cold-drip chai, which has increased antioxidants, matches well with salted-caramel popcorn – the spicy kick is balanced by the sweetness.”

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Hudson explains that there are many health benefits that come with herbal blends. “There are herbs that help to relax while others energise you completely. We’re planning on offering herbs and teas separately, to allow people to experiment with flavour profiles and create a blend that is specific to them.”

From packaging to sourcing, Hudson says that all efforts have been made to maintain the brand’s eco-friendly standards, “People know us for our amber, glass pharmaceutical jars which we encourage them to reuse to reduce our packaging footprint. We also try to source Australian-grown herbs where possible and we’ve noticed a real difference with quality.”

T Totaler Pop-Up Shop

555a King Street, Newtown

Hours

Sat & Sun 11am–5pm

ttotalertea.com