TeaHaus: Our Beginning
After college, a "short backpacking trip" through Europe turned into a 14-year residency in Germany and Sweden, during which Lisa McDonald taught at the University of Tübingen and at the Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut; began her own business, doing consulting work in the field of intercultural communications; and helped design a tea sommelier-training program for a German company.
Upon returning to the U.S. with her husband, Marc Hewko (an Ann Arborite she met in Germany), Lisa missed the high-quality loose tea available in any European village. With her tea sommelier training and knowledge of the tea industry, she opened a tea store of her own, sourcing her loose-leaf tea through German tea companies, known to have the strictest quality control in the world.
When her children, Tim and Andrew, were 2 years old and 5 days (yes, days!) old, TeaHaus opened for business in Ann Arbor, later expanding into a café/restaurant.
TeaHaus Today
In 2022, after extensive renovations, TeaHaus reopened as a wifi-free Tea Bar and Lounge—with a focus on fostering reconnection and recapturing the "third space." Abundant books, games, and puzzles (along with various seating options) encourage conversation and interaction. An inviting patio opens seasonally. (Read more about the third space at TeaHaus.)
TeaHaus currently carries over 200 loose teas along with related merchandise and gifts. A full bar menu includes TeaHaus-exclusive tea cocktails, zero-proof tea cocktails, tea mimosas, tea-infused beer on tap, and more. Most of the wide array of Haus-made pastries, savories, and snacks contain tea as an ingredient.
Special events—including Full English Tea, tea tastings, food-and-cocktail pairings—are held in TeaHaus' intimate and elegant Event Space (around the corner from TeaHaus). This space is also used for public and private gatherings.
Lisa is heavily invested in the community. She supplies meals to the local shelter kitchen; spearheads and participates in community events; and donates her time, knowledge, and tea. She was one of the local female business owners featured in The Portrait Project by eCommerce, which highlighted contributions to the community during the pandemic.
Tea For Dummies
Lisa emphasizes making tea accessible and fun. In 2022, she and Jill were asked to write Tea for Dummies (available at TeaHaus or at your favorite bookseller's). Ideal for anyone curious about tea, this book explores tea types, brewing, caffeine, health claims, traditions, the tea industry, using tea in the kitchen, tea cocktails, and more!
Learn more about the book through the interviews and articles by: Click on Detroit, All Things Considered by WEMU, MLive, and the Ann Arbor Observer.
Interviews, Awards, and More
See Lisa's April 2025 interview and article by the Associated Press as well as a CBS News article regarding tariffs on China.
Read the February 2024 interview with Destination Ann Arbor's Great Minds Think a Lot series.
Listen to Lisa's January 2018 interview with Food Bloggers Association and interview for EMU's Hidden in Plain Sight series to learn what it means to be a tea sommelier and to find out more about TeaHaus.
Also, read these articles by MLive, November 2021, and Click on Detroit, December 2018.
Lisa's essay for the 2021 World Tea Conference + Expo white paper addresses the role that tea can play in the bar and restaurant communities.
Lisa's tea-based culinary spice blends won the "New Product Innovation Showcase Award" at the 2018 World Tea Expo, and "Best Tea Culinary/Craft Application" at the World Tea Virtual Expo 2020.
Our Mission
Our mission at TeaHaus is to provide experience and education along with the highest-quality tea available on the market.
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For more information/questions about TeaHaus, or if you are an establishment interested in wholesale, please contact us at: Lisa@TeaHaus.com
Please note: As a small independent business, we value every customer so we do our best to make your TeaHaus experience enjoyable! We fulfill all online orders as quickly as possible, but please be aware that our shipping and arrival times are estimated in real time by the USPS. We have no control over actual shipping time and therefore cannot guarantee delivery dates.