Specialty Coffee Retailer is a publication for owners, managers and employees of retail outlets that sell specialty coffee. Its scope includes best sales practices, supplies, business trends and anything else to assist the small coffee retailer.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/46786
THE GREEN TEAIST Lake Forest, Ill. H ere's how far they go at The Green Teaist to get the right atmosphere—literally: A big pan of expensive green tea (and none of the tea there is cheap) sits atop a roaster all day. Its only purpose is to perfume the air with the scent of authentic Japanese tea—the only kind that is sold there. The tiny shop in the tony Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Ill. (there is a sister shop in even tonier Beverly Hills, Calif.) was established in September 2008 by Hoken Seki, a Japanese- American on a mission to bring the best of Japanese tea and accoutrements to America. A few months later, Joseph Stellner was hired at the Lake Forest shop, which he now manages. The Green Teaist serves a fairly diverse customer base, Stellner says: "It kind of varies. We get a lot of local people from the area that stop in frequently, some daily, and then we do have people from all over Chicagoland that kind of seek this place out as a destination, because it is so specialized in pure green teas." The Green Teaist is in a storefront-looking space on a one- lane street in the Market Square area of downtown Lake Forest, a neighborhood loaded with upscale shops like Williams- Sonoma. The "storefront" is actually part of a mini-complex, a former movie theater called the Arcade Building. Inside, the shop's half-dozen small tables dogleg around the preparation area. In back are inviting displays of every sort of teaware, a library of books about tea, and the "tea cellar"— actually a series of climate-controlled cabinets. All the shop's tea, both bulk and boxed, is kept in this cellar, in traditional Japanese storage boxes. This box, called a chabako, is made of soſt wood precisely fitted with brads (no glue to interfere with the tea's aroma). It's where the tea stays until it is served. That service is not quite as elaborate as a formal Japanese tea ceremony, but it's close. It starts when the customer is presented with a rotating wooden rack containing a dozen 46 | November 2011 • www.specialty-coffee.com BY PAN DEMETRAKAKES teas in small jars, allowing him or her to choose by savoring the aromas. Once the choice is made, the server brings a loaded tray to the table and presents the tea in a traditional Japanese bamboo scoop, allowing the customer to examine it, like a fine wine. The server puts it into a strainer perched on a teapot and pours water heated to precisely 176 F from a carafe. The tea steeps for exactly 90 seconds (measured by a digital timer on the tray). "It's not quite as long, I guess, as the traditional tea ceremony," Stellner says. "But we bring it out, we'll show you everything and then we'll [brew] it fresh for you at the table." Food is also available, although it's only served along with tea. The menu includes several items that use tea as an ingredient or essence, such as the Green Tea Waffles, "made with a blend of pure, fresh Matcha, Kukicha and Sencha teas." The tea served at The Green Teaist all comes from central and southern Japan—a map on the menu shows exactly where. It's overnighted as needed to replenish the stock, approximately once a month. The tsunami and subsequent nuclear reactor leaks that devastated Japan in March had some effect on overall tea supplies, but the disaster occurred far to the north of where The Green Teaist sources its teas; the shop's supply was unaffected, Stellner says. Like many tea shops, The Green Teaist makes much of its money in dry tea and teaware. The latter, from Japan and elsewhere, is varied—and very expensive. A traditional bamboo tea whisk will set you back $58.50; a tiny lacquered Matcha bowl, for storing the tea of the same name, around $150. The store also does some business supplying Whole Foods and other local groceries with bulk gourmet tea. "Our owner spares no expense to bring the best tea experience to our guests," Stellner says. OWNER: Hoken Seki EQUIPMENT: Fetco water heater The Green Teaist 647 Bank Lane, Lake Forest, IL 60045 Tues–Sat 10 AM - 5:30 PM T | 847-735-0400