SiTea also offers unique summertime treats. Tea-tinis are served in chilled martini glasses rimmed with ginger or habañero sugar. “The alcohol culture is really about the environment and the experience,†says Amen, who sees tea as medicine. “As an herbalist and purveyor of these spices and teas, my job is to evoke for people a complete sensual experience,†she says, particularly since many of these flavors and scents offer comfort and healing. “Sometimes it’s nostalgic and sometimes it’s brand-new.†But she promises it will be one her customers will cherish.
–Sonia Alleyne