A Cowaramup tea shop hand-blending loose-leaf black, green, white, oolong, chai and herbal teas from around the world in small batches.
Seven Seas Tea starts with a tin: a Mazawatee Tea tin, given to the founder by her mother when she was a child in Africa. She still has it. She traces her interest in tea back to that tin.
The business itself began much later and a long way from both places, in a teahouse in Singapore. Talking with two friends there, she arrived at the idea: in a market that revolves around coffee, drinking tea could be made to feel like more of an occasion. She came home to Margaret River and started sourcing loose-leaf teas from around the world, to blend by hand and package locally.
Africa, Singapore, Margaret River: the name Seven Seas suits a business with that much travel behind it, and the travel theme carries into the range. A French-style earl grey is called Bon Voyage. A black tea blend with a bush-camp theme is called Australian Billy Tea.
The blending still happens on site, by hand and in small batches, on Bussell Highway in Cowaramup, where the blending room and the retail shop share an address. When choosing what to bring in, the business says it looks first to growers who farm without pesticides and follow best practice. The range is wide: black, green, white and oolong teas, chai, herbal blends, matcha and latte blends. Most can be had as loose leaf, in teabags, or as a single sample sachet, which is a low-risk way to try something unfamiliar. Retail packs are resealable stand-up pouches or amber glass jars.
The shop sells more than tea. There are spices, mugs, trinkets and souvenirs on the shelves as well. Seven Seas Tea also supplies cafes, restaurants, gift stores and gift hamper makers.
The shop is open to visitors. Check the maker's site before visiting.