Written By Megin Potter | Photos by Susan Blackburn Photography
[From the 2025 Home & Garden Magazine]
Steeped in love and flavored with fun, this May, the Saratoga Tea & Honey Company is celebrating 10 years of creating special moments and shared memories.
When Saratoga Tea and Honey opened in 2015, at 348 Broadway in Saratoga Springs, they were embarking on an adventure that was unheard of at the time, said owner Hayley Stevens.
Now, after a decade of attracting people enjoying the city’s shopping district to their end of the street (and with the invaluable advice from former partners Clint and Barbara Braidwood, founders of Saratoga Olive Oil) the shop is abuzz with friendly faces sipping and savoring their signature blend of tasty teas, sweet honeys, and delightful gifts.
Tasting That Sweet Nectar
A warm welcome greets you when you walk through the doors of Saratoga Tea & Honey and saddle up to the Tea Bar, where Tea Tenders prepare you an ideal cup of tea from their selection of nearly a hundred varieties.
Formerly the site of the Symmetry art gallery, when Saratoga Tea & Honey moved in, Hayley kept their light boxes (to display vintage tea ware) and revealed marble flooring under the carpet (a portion of which is still visible today).
Hayley’s family is crucial to this busy hive - her grandfather’s and father’s vintage tea rack hangs on the wall, and her father, Eric, who she calls “Mr. Fix-it,” hung shiplap and built shelving. He continues to help in the shop and at their warehouse, which was expanded eight years ago, and Hayley’s mother, Karen, designs the store’s lovely displays and acclaimed store windows. After introducing her parents to a wider world of teas, today, Karen has developed a fondness for Japanese steamed green tea, while Eric prefers cold brew tea.
The Spice of Life
Her own taste in teas changes with the seasons, said Hayley. In the winter, she loves a good, toasty oolong or black tea, but when spring rolls around, she prefers a pleasant green tea, reflective of the harvest season. During her first week in business, however, Hayley discovered what has been, perhaps, the most important lesson she’s learned about running a successful business.
“I was so focused on serving traditional tea that I wanted to have people taste it on its own, so there was no honey at the Tea Bar. I quickly realized that I had to just let it go. What I prefer isn’t necessarily what everyone else wants,” she said.
Saratoga Tea & Honey’s “Mango Matcha” blend instantly became their most popular variety and has remained so today. After flirting with the idea of installing a cheese counter, and briefly experimenting with making kombucha in-house, their most important addition has been one you cannot see - their expertise in medicinal herbs. Hayley, a graduate of the Alma International School of Italian Cooking, near Parma, has always had a thirst for fantastic flavor, but now, she has also earned certification from eCornell so she can best help those who turn to tea for its anti-inflammatory properties, to improve their heart health, sleep, and other chronic ailments.
New & Noteworthy
The Saratoga Tea & Honey communi-TEA is full of wonderfully supportive people who go above and beyond to make the business successful, said Hayley. During the pandemic, coffee drinkers found tea a soothing alternative, and the store increased their online presence.
Today, it is continuing to grow its wholesale opportunities, outreach, and gifting options. Focused on sustainability and making their shop special, they are preparing for possible market fluctuations while still collaborating with the local producers and creatives that make this store so unique.
This year, they are excited to be partnering with local influencer Darien Rozell, host of the new Pantry Hill Afternoon Tea YouTube show, to create the “Pantry Hill Blend;” an Indian black tea blended with organic cardamom, cinnamon, and pure maple syrup that tastes like “a cozy cup of home.”
Also new this summer, a portion of every sale of their gorgeous purply-blue Lavender Butterfly Pea Tea, designed to raise awareness for Saratoga’s endangered Karner Blue butterfly, will be donated to the Wilton Wildlife Preserve.
Of the Birds & the Bees
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their Kentucky Derby Weekend opening, Saratoga Tea & Honey again offered their Moroccan Mint Tea and memorable Apt. 3 Bakery shortbread cookies.
“It’s amazing how things unfold,” said Hayley, who is now a mother. She met her husband at the store, and he is now their Director of Business Development.
“A lot of love has blossomed here, including my own,” said Hayley. “I’m very appreciative and feel a tremendous sense of gratitude.”
To learn more about Saratoga Tea & Honey and buy products online, go to www.saratogateaandhoney.com
