Brew Tea Bar
Needing to go to the toilet, I walked down Bold St and noticed Brew – a tea bar I walked past while it was being built thinking “I should go there” – So Zöe and I went in and asked what tea I should get, the very friendly staff member recommended “Lapsang Souchong” after showing me some others. Putting the glass self filter on a conveyor belt, timed to brew while convey-our-ing…
After I sat down, I noticed the quirky signs, such as the Staff Only area 
After sitting for a while I went in search for some leaflets about the bar.
I met the manager who gave me a free Popcorn tea (green tea, toasted rice and popcorn) which was awesome and unexpectedly delicious!
The manager, Phil Kirby, later gave me an interview about his Tea bar. Warning interview not real words but pieced together from notes taken from the interview
Q: How’d you get into tea?
A: I used to work in corporate finance and used to have meetings in Starbucks etc, when I had the idea to make a new image for tea, basically do what Starbucks did for coffee to tea. I needed to make it younger and more hip, less Tea room more hang out for you and your mates. So I went into masterclasses with tea experts, did months of research for it.
Q: How long did it take to get Brew off the ground?
A: From thinking of making a tea bar, about two years, but from getting a lease to opening about eighteen months. We were getting the store, on Old Hall road, ready like all the quirky things and the signs and the logo etc.
Q: Are you thinking of opening more stores?
A: Defiantly, first staying in Liverpool maybe for 4-5 stores. I want people to think “There must be a Brew around here somewhere!” Then moving out.
Such as Warrington?
Yeah, possibly.
Q: (Zöe) Do you use social networks?
A: Yeah we had a Facebook group going on, which was active for a while but died down (Not said but Farmville?) But that died down, we then go onto Twitter and the fan base has grown to over the amount we ever had on Facebook.
Q: All your food and tea is that bought in, or made in store?
A: Yeah, all the tea is packaged and made downstairs. As well as the food (sandwiches and cakes) are made fresh everyday, any left over is thrown out.
A good idea would be sell it 1/2 price to students etc.
That is a good idea, we were thinking of partnering with Oxfam etc and giving it to the homeless etc.
That would give a very good impression to people on the street coming.
Q: (Zöe) What’re your three favourite teas?
A: Easy,
- Popcorn – Green tea/ roasted rice/ popcorn
- Jasmine Dragon – Jasmine
- Oolong – Popcorn minus the popcorn
