TEA TIMES ABOUT 20
Happy.me offers more ways of enjoying tea than you thought possible, writes Shanthini Naidoo
Forget milk or sugar — try nata de coco, aloe vera or litchi popping pearls with your osmanthus or jasmine tea. Happy.me “tea mixology” takes the ancient beverage around the world and back. The owners of the franchise, Jan and Jay Roode, started with one shop in Greenside, Johannesburg, last year. There are now five stores in the city, with others to come around the country and abroad.
The couple say tea mixology arose from their travels. They tasted lots of tea in many countries and took lessons with tea masters in the East before they were happy with the menu. “We wanted a South African franchise that featured the flavours of the world. We travelled though Europe and the Americas, but in Southeast Asia we fell in love with tea. Bubble tea comes from Hong Kong, but we used flavours from everywhere really,” says Jan, 41.
“In Argentina we discovered tea ceremonies with yerba mate herbal teas. It was so spiritual and the health benefits are amazing,” says Jay, 37.
Judging from the popularity, they could soon realise their dream of becoming the Starbucks of Africa. But this is cooler than any coffee chain. There is, for instance, a latte on the menu, but it is infused with organic rose-petal syrup to create a warm Turkish-delight-flavoured coffee.
Jay says the point is to create a healthy, multi-layered drink. It is served in large cups and vacuum sealed to be “popped” with a giant straw. Cold or warm, milky or non-dairy, teas are mixed with fruit jellies and bubbles. Yogurt-based health drinks are mixed with fruit, and Snoh is frozen yogurt shaved into cloud-like ribbons.
One favourite is juiced watermelon with coconut milk, pieces of aloe vera and nata de coco — a jellified form of coconut water. New concoctions include osmanthus-infused milk tea with black pearl and grass jelly, or the strongly flavoured Japanese banana matcha tea, made of raw green tea leaves with freshly blended banana and crushed ice.
But it is the surprise of the popping pearls of fruit concentrate in tapioca bubbles that keeps people coming back.
“We import the bubbles and many of the unusual ingredients but we are using as much local fresh produce as we can,” says Jay.
“Just as travelling opens your eyes to new things and shows you there is not one way to live life, we want people to step out of their comfort zone, be curious and they are very likely to find something wonderful on the other side.” .................................................... www.happyme.co.za