Time Before Tea is a small tea concept built around a simple idea: good tea isn't complicated, but it rewards a little attention. The right water temperature, the right amount of tea, and the right steep time are the difference between a cup that tastes flat or bitter and one that tastes the way the grower intended.
Our Roots
Time Before Tea has roots in an older trade. Our founder's great-grandfather co-founded the H. A. S. Coffee Co. in the early 1900s, a coffee importer and roaster on First Street in St. Louis. In those days, coffee arrived by steamship, and the barrels were rolled from the levee up to the warehouse. The company's motto, stamped on its seal, was, “As good as coffee can be.”
H. A. S. is gone now, and the riverfront blocks along First Street were cleared to make way for the Gateway Arch. Nevertheless, the mission at Time Before Tea remains a similar one: source great products, deliver them fresh, and empower our customers to make tea “as good as it can be”. We are happy when you start your morning well, or are able to slow down in the afternoon with a delicious cup of tea.
Brewing guides and articles
Our tea brewing guides give steep times, water temperatures, and step-by-step instructions for green, black, oolong, white, pu-erh, matcha, and herbal teas. Our articles go deeper: how to read a tea label, which teaware is worth owning, why your water matters, and how tea has shown up in art and everyday life around the world.
Our teas
Our shop of small-batch, single-origin teas opens soon.
Where we are
Time Before Tea is based in St. Louis, Missouri, at 5850 Macklind Ave.