There are many people who work in coffee shops who can claim to be a tea expert. Summer Ma has the credentials to back it up. She first came to Edmonton to study tea and tea culture at the University of Alberta. Soon after, she decided to take her expertise and put it into a tea shop. “My major was Anthropology and I did research on tea and tea culture,” says Summer. “I have an insider’s perspective into the tea industry and thought it would be good to share my expertise with Edmontonians.”
Instead of starting from scratch, Summer and her husband instead took over Steeps Tea Lounge in 2015, a Calgary-based franchise that’s been in the area since 2004. For Summer, the switch from the academic to running a tea lounge wasn’t too much of a stretch; a love of tea is intrinsic to both. “Tea opens the door to the whole world,” says Summer. “People drink tea for many reasons: stress reduction, spiritual experiences, meditation and more. It brings people together and bonds cultures together, as well.”
