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Quality tea matters.

At Redstraw, we share our love for quality tea through high-quality, beautiful, and fun tea bars in California. It's not just about the tea you walk away with, it's about your full experience. It's a tea bar done right.

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We strongly believe tea is only as good as the ingredients you put in it. That's why we only (and will always) source from the best. From our tea leaves to our fresh fruit, we're always on the hunt for the highest-quality natural ingredients available. When you walk into any of our tea bars, you can be confident you're getting the best.

The (extra short) history of tea.

The history of tea is pretty long and complex, but here's what you need to know. Some call it an old myth. We call it fate. The story goes that back in 2737 B.C.E., Chinese Emperor Shen Nong was boiling water in his garden. A gust of wind blew some leaves from a tea tree, causing it to land in his pot. He gave it a sip and the world's greatest beverage was born. He devoted the rest of his life to researching and discovering the medicinal and recreational purposes of tea.

From there tea found its way to Japan, India, Europe, and finally (Boston Tea Party, anyone?) America! We really were late in the game on this one. But all that means is we have to make up for some lost time. Who's with us?!

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Sweetness level 100—the Redstraw story.

Hubby/wife duo Lauren and Denny founded Redstraw with a story steeped in a mutual obsession for travel and tea. Lauren was a jet-setting flight attendant, and Denny traveled around the world during his time in the US military. They met through friends, and quickly bonded over their love for tea. Though they had each tasted many different teas on their own adventures, they continued traveling and enjoying new shops and tea bars across the globe. When Denny realized Lauren was the one, he presented her with a special present from Japan: a box of cherry blossom green tea tied with a red ribbon. *Swoon*

After they got married, they decided to settle down in LA. They absolutely loved what the city had to offer, but felt that there were no tea bars that were as beautiful and delicious as some of the places they visited during their travels. They had an idea to open their own, but they wanted to make sure the teas were special. Quality was very important to them, but what could they do to make the overall experience original and fun?

During the next 3 years of preparing the store, they visited numerous tea shops, but none of them stood out. One day, they visited a cocktail bar and when Denny looked at the menu he said, "This is it!" He quickly asked Lauren what a great cocktail reminds her of. She said, "Good vibes, good times and good friends." They were inspired to bring this mantra to their signature tea recipes, and the tea bar was born! With a name inspired by the beautiful color of the ribbon on the tea box Denny gifted Lauren years ago, Redstraw Tea Bar was officially opened in 2018.

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At Redstraw, we are so grateful to have served thousands of customers and continue to grow within our favorite city in the world. Our team is humbly passionate about serving only the best tea to our customers. Because we believe great tea doesn't need fake flavors. All it needs is fresh ingredients and a little bit of love.

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