Shop "Tea, coffee and others colonial goods” is worth a visit already in order to feel the atmosphere of the “magic shop”, as they write about in oriental tales. They exist outside of time, and the goods on the shelves do not seem fashionable and modern, but always leave the impression of a real centuries-old value.
The shop "Tea, coffee and other colonial goods" welcomes you with a constantly changing aroma. Either strawberries and cream, or jasmine and bergamot. Tea smells relax, beckon, beckon inside. Here, about half of the small hall is occupied by a counter and racks with golden tea boxes right up to the ceiling. Along the walls are showcases with those same “colonial goods”: teapots of the most unusual shapes and from the most bizarre materials.
Glass, for herbal teas - tea is not only wonderfully, but also beautifully brewed in them, you can watch how hot water makes dried tea flowers bloom. Clay teapots that add a special flavor to Chinese whites and green teas. Cast iron in which the drink for a long time stays hot and keeps you warm. The walls of the boutique are hung with photos of tea plantations so that customers can see those beautiful places - the birthplace of one or another variety. The consultant girl weighs the buds for the buyer, which will open in boiling water like flowers, the love for this particular drink and the experience of the gourmet is read in the confidence with which he pronounces difficult overseas names. There are traditionally a lot of wise buyers at the Tea, Coffee and Other Colonial Goods store, their tastes are treated with special attention and courtesy.
In the store "Tea, coffee and other colonial goods" the assortment is selected in such a way as to represent the world's tea producers as widely as possible. On the shelves you can find leaf collections from various plantations in India, China, Taiwan. New items appear regularly, for example, from Kenya or Vietnam. These are countries whose climate is geographically not ideal for growing tea, but modern technologies irrigation, allow not only to collect a rich harvest, but also to create tea with an absolutely unique taste.
In addition, lovers of blended tea in the shop can purchase mixtures of the most exotic types of this leafy drink. Consultants will help you choose the right combination of various teas, and will carefully consider any wishes of the client. In the store, you can give free rein to your imagination and, having shown a share of creativity, independently collect your own unique tea, which can rightfully be considered your own product and proudly treat your friends for a pleasant conversation.
It is offered to buy tea not only in traditional 100-gram portions, the sellers will gladly weigh you ten grams for a sample, so that each client can simply and easily choose a pleasant and mood-creating drink for himself. The tradition of tastings will soon be revived in the Tea, Coffee and Other Colonial Goods store. And then everyone will be able to discover the whole planet in one cup. After all, store shelves are like a map of the world, filled with centuries-old traditions of Eastern, Asian and African countries.
Maria Klyusa
Founder
He loves theater, exhibitions and museums. A connoisseur of a good book and a good conversationalist.
Above the entrance to a cozy shop that opened its doors in Kamergersky Lane, there is a sign “Tea, coffee and other colonial goods”. Just one step - and you find yourself in an atmosphere of aromas, where the smells of flowers and fruits, tart tea, rich coffee and ... good nature are mixed. The keeper and connoisseur of tea traditions, Director General of the Trading House “Tea, Coffee and Other Colonial Goods” Maria Mikhailovna Klyusa, talks about the trends in the development of the tea industry.
How is the tea industry developing?
Today, there are many companies selling tea on the Russian market. But there remains the one who stakes on the offer of a quality product. The modern buyer is well versed in tea, and to deceive his expectations means losing trust and loyalty forever.
Each generation has its own taste preferences. Young people get acquainted with new products with interest, older people remember and love Ceylon and Indian teas, which have a rich and slightly tart taste and bright color. Chinese tea conquered the Russian market gradually: black tea is slightly inferior in strength and palatability traditional Indian and Ceylon varieties, and only some varieties of green have a rich tart and bitter taste.
Now connoisseurs and connoisseurs of tea have a huge choice. Only in our store there are more than 200 varieties of tea, as well as coffee and other related products. We have remained true to our theme - the theme of plantation Ceylon, Indian, Chinese and Japanese tea.
Allow me to inquire: what colonial goods do you offer?
This group includes oriental sweets, sugar and sweets, as well as various gift tea sets, teapots (clay, glass, porcelain), Turks. We have a lot of regular customers, and this is understandable: a person who is well versed in tea will not buy it in a random store.
Is a cup of fragrant tea a tradition or a philosophy?
Tea is loved all over the world. Prudish England with its afternoon tea with milk can be considered a trendsetter. The dynamic American lifestyle has shaped the consumption of tea in the mode of quick-brewed tea bags, a wide variety of which cannot but please mobile people: fruit and flavored teas, teas with herbal additives have appeared. The Russian tea tradition has given rise to such a phenomenon as country tea drinking, famous for the gathering of relatives and friends around the samovar, with dryers and jam, long hours of communication, when discussions about poetry and art were held over a cup or two of hot drink.
Tea is both a tradition and a philosophy, and today we study with interest the famous Chinese and Japanese tea traditions.
Offering a cup of tea or coffee is not even a courtesy. This message contains a deeper philosophy, a unifying principle. To treat the interlocutor with brewed tea, not tea bags, is a sign of deep respect.
Is it hard to compete?
We were the first to open bulk unblended tea in Russia and offer our customers such a wide choice. The competition today is huge: there are departments for the sale of teas in chain supermarkets, specialized stores have appeared.
This year, the Tea, Coffee and Other Colonial Goods store is celebrating its 20th anniversary! Throughout all these years, we have adhered to the main rule - the quality of tea must be excellent! I am sure that this strategy, as well as the professionalism of our employees, who are well versed in the quality of our products, allowed us to survive in difficult times and maintain the love and respect of regular and new customers, whom we love infinitely.
It seems that tea is also a high art?
I think yes. Tea traditions different countries- this is truly a great art, a ceremony that turns into a real theatrical performance. The idea of creating a store with a "Chekhovian" past (the Chekhov family had its own store with that name in Taganrog) was proposed by the outstanding director Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov.
I hope our shop has kept those ideas thanks to which the shop was created. Just like in a theater, you can't stop by for a minute - a special magic and atmosphere reign here: you have to stop, choose, think and dream ... Tea cannot leave a person indifferent.
And if you want to taste the real fragrant tea- look into a small and cozy shop in Kamergersky Lane with a sign "Tea, coffee and other colonial goods". Here you will meet attentive attitude, warmth and professionalism.
