Tea Light: Thou Mayest

On this last month of 2023, we are featuring long-time relationship, Thou Mayest in Kansas City, MO. Read on for our interview with founder, Bo Nelson.

Spirit: How does your community enjoy tea in your space?

Bo Nelson: We like the pull, not push, approach - entice the customer into it and have seen Spirit Tea exemplify that same seductive, "pull" approach that is driven by quality. We have very different and unique retail spaces so it varies from location to location. We have accompanying cards in the tea tray so we can communicate more about the farms and production and it not come across pushy or pretentious to the consumer, who sometimes wants that info, and sometimes couldn't care less. We like the pull, not push, approach - entice the customer into it and have seen Spirit Tea exemplify that same seductive, "pull" approach that is driven by quality.

Spirit: How does the cafe interact with tea individually and as a component of a beverage, recipe, etc?

Bo: We have a liquor license so we have seen a lot of weird combos of people mixing tea and alcohol. We are purists at heart, but we love the weirdness and the experimental as well. For example, we currently have a "Red Pear Chaider" (Rum, Lemon, St George Pear Liquor, Red Chai tea syrup) and also a Butterfly Pea Flower Martini on the cocktail menu.
We keep 2 of teas carbonated and on tap year round because they are so popular - Sparkling Rosella (simply tea, water, and carbonation) and Matcha Limeade (Kodemari Matcha + lime + sugar). Those are even more popular in the summer.

Spirit: Do you find ways in which Spirit aligns with the heart of Thou Mayest?

Bo: We have people who come to us every day for their tea fix so availability and consistency is always something that has made Spirit Tea a good fit with our beverage program. We love the consistency and availability of the flagship teas, but also having fun and getting nerdy with some of the seasonal and micro farm teas.