Bellocq – Tea Strainer – Deep Basket – Brass

Bellocq – Tea Strainer – Deep Basket – Brass

Even before you take a sip, a cup of tea can transport you. The aroma of leaves opened and unraveled by heat can whisk you into a heady repose, olfactory memory taking you back to the lush, moss-carpeted woods of your childhood. Or perhaps the faint, briny whisper of your first sip swings you forward to a beloved seashore. Another cup, a blend of teas more exotic to you, and you find yourself someplace dizzyingly, delightfully new. It’s this sense of wonder and discovery, and the recognition of exquisite beauty in the ordinary rituals of life, that inspired the creation of Bellocq.

The founders of the renowned tea company met while working at a well-known lifestyle brand, Heidi Johannsen Stewart on the publishing side as a food editor and stylist and Michael Shannon as a product designer. “Before Bellocq we were often traveling around the world, buying tea and sharing it with each other,” Michael explains. This delightful habit became ritual and, along with a passionate appreciation of traditional artisan work, ignited the idea for a business.

When their third partner, interior craftsman Scott Stewart, discovered the perfect temporary space on Kings Road in London, the trio seized on the opportunity to reveal their first line of handcrafted tea blends. After their yearlong pop-up in London, Bellocq, by then a much-acclaimed if still fledgling company, returned to New York to continue growing its collection. It still operates out of Brooklyn today.