Perpetual Brew 🌀 Week 1

Total Cups Served ...... 409
High Temperature ...... 79°F
Low Temperature ....... 43°F
Days with Rainfall ....... 3

Greetings from Bushwick, the 2-square-mile neighborhood in which I, Miles, am spending the entirety of April.

We are 7 DAYS into Perpetual Brew – our 30-day residency of serving free tea in Maria Hernandez Park from 12-6pm, every single day of April, rain or shine.

An incredible amount of incredible things have transpired during the first week of Perpetual Brew and I'm here to share a few photos & words about them.

Brewing with Local Students

It's spring break for public school students in New York City, which has meant way more local kids are spending time in Maria Hernandez Park and coming by The Tea Stand.

The highlight of these interactions with local youth (and they've truly all been great) was when my friend & roommate Ben brought by a group of high schoolers for a "field trip" as part of a spring break program he's teaching.

On the first day of April / Perpetual Brew, Ben and his group of 15 high school students came by The Tea Stand for a brief workshop and brewing demonstration.

I started by asking the students if they'd seen The Tea Stand before – a couple had – and asked about their personal experiences with tea. Most drink tea only when they were sick and their parents make them a cup.

I gave one student a camera to take photos (shoutout Richie), had another help me with the camp stove (shoutout Hugo), and passed around some tea leaves for everyone else to smell & inspect. Once the water was hot enough, we brewed the tea and served everyone a sample.

It was a hot day – 70s and sunny – so afterwards we served everyone my home-brewed attempt of an "Arizona Iced Tea" without telling them what it was. When I asked if it tasted familiar, a few said it reminded them of Arizonas! Success!!!

Everyone finished their cups, we served seconds, and I told them to come by The Tea Stand next time they're in the park :)

Getting to interact with kids of all ages – from toddlers to teens – is one of my favorite parts about running The Tea Stand. If kids are one thing, it's curious, and The Tea Stand is a place where curiosity is encouraged & rewarded!

It's particularly profound when their parents aren't around – I love seeing their natural curiosity overpower their shyness / fear without any external pushing or pulling. Usually they come in groups, copy each other's orders, and can't stop giggling when it's time to actually try the tea.

Kids remind me that everything can be fun if you let it be so!

Family meetups at The Tea Stand

This photo may be funnier than the moment itself, but David and his family have been consistent visitors throughout Perpetual Brew, and it's been a joy to get to know them and witness their trust in the neighborhood.

David and his mom Kameliia live less than a block away from Maria Hernandez Park, and Kameliia lets David (who is maybe... 10 years old?) come to the park by himself. Usually, David will come by The Tea Stand for a cup of tea (whichever is the least bitter, he asks) before exploring elsewhere.

"Tell my mom I'm heading to the playground," he'll say before heading to the other side of the park, well out of sight from The Tea Stand.

And sure enough, 5 minutes later, David's mom Kameliia will walk into the park with another one of her kids in a stroller, and ask if I've seen David.

"Yes! He got some tea a few minutes earlier. He said to meet him at the playground," I'll offer in reply.

"Thanks Miles! I'll be back later for some tea," Kameliia responds.

David & Kameliia use The Tea Stand the ways neighbors should rely on one another – as trustworthy sources of information, as caring observers, as public caretakers. This is the idea of "natural proprietors" that local legend Jane Jacobs wrote about.

It makes my day when I see David roaming the park freely without an adult by his side. He sits on a bench to read, he plays soccer with the other kids, he stares at the grass, he does whatever he wants! AS KIDS SHOULD!

I'm inspired by Kameliia's trust in me and the people of Maria Hernandez Park. It's a powerful reminder of the way things used to be and can be again, if we have faith in each other. We keep us safe 🧡

Easter Egg Hunt!

Day 5 of Perpetual Brew coincided with Easter Sunday, and Andrea & Noah – the two lovely humans who were taking over that day – did not pass up the opportunity to celebrate with a proper egg hunt around the park.

Despite Sunday being by far the rainiest day of the month thus far, Andrea & Noah came to the park with smiles and a basket full of plastic eggs, each of which contained a bag of delicious herbal tea.

Andrea, pictured above, hid the eggs all around the northwest corner of Maria Hernandez Park – in trees, on fences, between daffodils – and waited for kids to notice one. And once they did, they were off to the races!!!

The egg hunt was fairly shortlived – one group of kids found all the eggs and replied with a HELL NO! when we asked if we could have them back to re-hide.

We gave out some prizes (bubble sticks, more tea) and admired how little the kids seemed to care about the rain. So long as there were colorful eggs still hidden, nothing could stop them...

Otherwise...

It's been a wild week. I feel like I'm oscillating between overflowing with life and being utterly exhausted.

We've already got 4 successful takeovers in the books – much love to Paige, Mattie, Andrea & Noah, and Aimee for spending a day serving our neighbors. Check our calendar here to see who's serving tea when.

And I can't recommend listening the podcast enough. I start everyday by listening to the new episode; it's so comforting, inspiring, and enlivening. Mae is doing an incredible job. Check it out here or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Hope to share tea with you soon.

Keep Steeping,
Miles