A new approach to urban tea

When many Americans think of tea, they picture porcelain cups filled with Earl Grey, poured from a delicate china pot, and tiered trays stacked with bite-sized goodies.

Savannah Breeden, 30, and Thomas Kilborn, 32, would like to change that. The couple opened Urban Nirvana, a downtown tea shop, on Jan. 30.

“I grew up with the stuffy English tradition of tea,” said Breeden, a University High School grad. “I drank tea with my grandmother and she poured from an ornate silver tea set.”

But there’s no silver service at Urban Nirvana. Instead tea is brewed in glass pots and poured into solid white mugs. Trays are made from wooden planks from a more than 100-year-old barn. The bar is made from that same wood/ Cindy Hval, SR. More here.

Question: My kids take Mrs. O and I to tea shops when we’re in Portland. And I’ve checked out Gaiwan in Midtown. I like urban tea. But I can’t say I’m a tea fancier. How about you?