Passion drink becomes a passion business for the owners of the new Teataze

Jamie Gerstner introduced her husband, Nick, to tea and he quickly started using the drink for an energy boost.

Nick Gerstner is a geologist for an oil and gas exploration company. About a decade ago, he said he went into the field to work on a drilling rig and quickly became dependent on tea.

“I was always getting tea to get the energy up and get the energy levels going.”

As he began learning more about it, he started sourcing tea for himself and creating his own blends for family and friends.

Now, the Gerstners have started their own tea business called Teataze.

Nick Gerstner works with a Florida man who has been blending tea for years.

“We started to come up with some unique blends,” Gerstner said.

He wanted to build blends with ingredients focused on health, wellness and energy.

His Florida connection sends him samples, and then Gerstner gives him feedback.

“It’s just a little back and forth.”

Gerstner said his teas are all about energy.

“We’re wanting to promote an energetic lifestyle through the teas.”

He said that’s why he chose the name Teataze.

“It’s kind of an energetic word.”

For now, he’s focusing on online sales, but Gerstner would like Teataze to be in stores at some point.

There are six blends so far with varying levels of energy: American Breakfast Black Tea, Fresh Energy Herbal Tea, Clean Green Energy Detox Tea, Power Puer Aged Tea, Ignited Oolong Slimming Tea and Silver Needle White Tea.

Gerstner plans to release new teas every 60 days.

Organic Red White Blueberry Tea will be ready in early July, and a mint tea will follow.

Though there are already a lot of teas on the market, Gerstner said he thinks there’s a place for Teataze.

“Probably our passion is the main thing,” he said. “We have a vision to bring . . . energetic teas . . . to the world.”

This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 10:59 AM.