Tea Forté Will Open Its First Shop in Boston in 2018

Tea Forté’s new bleu collection will be for sale at its forthcoming Boston shop. / Photo provided

Tea Forté has created an award-winning range of teas from its Concord headquarters, and sells its artisan blends and curated accessories around the world. It can claim being the sole tea provider for high-end clients like the James Beard Foundation, but it’s never had a storefront to call its own. That will change Tuesday, October 17, when Tea Forté opens a pop-up location on Newbury Street—and it’s a preview of the company’s first-ever permanent location coming to Boston in 2018.

The pop-up shop will offer a selection of Tea Forté’s exclusive, pyramid-shaped infusers, from black and green basics, to its new Bleu Collection. That line of vividly colored tea blends uses sustainably sourced Butterfly Pea flowers, an antioxidant-rich, natural blue dye. The Newbury Street boutique will also carry handcrafted teapots and cups, serving trays, and more tea-centric gifts.

“The exciting thing about our Newbury Street store is that it gives our customers the chance to really experience Tea Forté’s expression of the craft of tea” with tea-tasting stations and more in-person interaction, says Tea Forté CEO Michael Gebrael in a press release. “We want customers to see who we are and learn about our ethos of truly enjoying the experience of a great cup of tea.”

Tea, as a category, is heating up in the greater Boston beverage scene. In addition to national players like David’s Tea, which has five Boston-area locations, Watertown’s Mem Tea opened a retail shop and training center in Davis Square last year, and Boston entrepreneur Evy Chen is changing the game with her cold-brew tea bars in Jamaica Plain and Charlestown.

Though it’s based in West Concord, Tea Forté products are currently available in 35 different countries. It sells online, in specialty shops, and is on the menu at hotels, restaurants, and resorts across the globe. But the “major milestone” of a brick-and-mortar store “shows the commitment of parent company JDE to bring the world of Tea Forté closer to its customers,” says the press release.

And in the heart of Boston’s tony shopping district is the perfect place to start, Gebrael says. The pop-up will open this month at 177 Newbury St., and will continue until the company finalizes its permanent location at 91 Newbury St. sometime in 2018.

Tea Forté, pop-up coming soon to 177 Newbury St., opening in 2018 at 91 Newbury St., Boston, teaforte.com.