Our Crowdfunding Campaign Is Live!

+ a poem

Dear tea friends,

Today is the day! We are thrilled to announce the launch of our crowdfunding campaign, to help open our - and Boston’s! - very first traditional Asian-style teahouse in Kendall Square! We are already working hard to transform a room inside the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) office building into a beautiful and comfortable tea room, a space for slow, meaningful moments over tea. A place to learn, connect, and experience the kind of tea we’ve been sharing all along: traditionally handcrafted, single-origin, full-leaf teas with stories to tell.

Having our own tea room - aka a tea home - means that we’ll be able to have tea with our community more regularly, and not only see you at pop-ups and special events. We’re also creating comfy nooks where you can share tea moments with the people *you* love (not just with me!).

We’re bringing our dream teahouse to life with the help of NuMarket, a crowdfunding platform. When you contribute, you’ll receive 120% back in credits to spend on sit-down tea experiences, single-origin teas, vintage and artisanal teaware, and classes. Plus, these credits never expire!

To be honest, it’s kind of an uncertain and scary time to be opening a new business - especially one like mine - given the political and economic climate. One thing that I keep reminding myself is that tea culture, as a part of human civilization, is at least 2,500 years old. During that time, dynasties have risen and fallen, borders have expanded and shrunk, and people - including my ancestors - have suffered through war and other man-made calamities. But the spirit of tea has always persisted. Deep in my heart, I believe that tea plays a positive role in our world, and I want to keep doing what I can to share it with others and keep this treasure of human culture alive.

Last but not least, I’d like to share a short poem with you. It’s an unorthodox reading of some famous lines from a Tang dynasty poem, with my own addition to them:

山中无历日，寒尽不知年。(太上隐者，《答人》，唐)
寂寂炉烟上，茶香静里传。(关愔)

In the mountains and without a calendar, I don’t know in which year this winter will end; (from “A Reply To Someone” by Taishang the Hermit, Tang)
The smoke from the stove rises quietly, and the aroma of tea wafts through the stillness. (Yin)

As always, thank you for reading our newsletter, and for being part of the Broken Cup Teahouse journey. Here’s to the next chapter together!

Yin