⏳ Timeline

2006: I'm a child. My mom makes me a cup of apple ginger tea to help with a cold. It smells great but tastes like nothing; I proclaim that "I don't like tea."

2017: I'm an intern. My coworker teaches me how to make a cup of tea, pausing multiple times to confirm I'm serious about not knowing how. We laugh a lot and I surprisingly enjoy the peppermint tea.

Summer 2019: I travel alone throughout North Africa and the Middle East for six weeks. I'm drawn to the ubiquitous teahouses and wonder if such community spaces – affordable, non-alcoholic, late-night – exist in the US.

Fall 2019: I live in Singapore for 4 months. I drink tons of milk tea.

2020-2021: Living in Boston during COVID, I develop an at-home tea routine (Grandpa style), grow my hair out for the first time, complete The Artist's Way, and grow increasingly lonely.

December 4th 2021: I visit NYC. Freezing cold in Sunset Park, I hope there will be someone in the park serving tea. There isn't. The concept of The Tea Stand is born.

December 4th 2022: After quitting my job and moving to Brooklyn, I set up The Tea Stand for the first time in my local park. It's a very special day and I immediately want to do it again. I now refer to these events – serving tea in public parks – as ⛩️ Popups.

January 2023: I'm invited to serve free tea at a food distribution hosted by Collective Focus, a local mutual aid / resource hub. We now refer to these events – serving tea at food distributions – as 🎁 Distros.

May 14th 2023: I invite some friends to my apartment for a facilitated conversation about our childhoods while I serve tea. We now refer to these events – small-group conversations over tea – as 🫖 Tea Talks.

May 21st 2023: In collaboration with artist LEEJAY, I host the first volume of an intimate DJ + tea event in his Greenpoint loft. We name the event series 📀 Steeped in Sound.

November 2023: We serve the 1,000th free cup of tea and launch the newsletter.

April 2024: The Tea Stand is officially registered as a nonprofit organization.

July 2024: We launch the 🧧Membership program!