Fra New York Tea Rooms til Hamburg: Reisen bak Lowinsky's

The Unexpected Path to Tea

Twenty-one years ago, I never imagined tea would define my life. I started working for Harney & Sons Fine Teas—one of America's most respected tea houses—and what began as a job became an education in craftsmanship, connection, and culture.

The Harneys worked with a tea broker in Hamburg, Germany. Over the years, as our relationship deepened, they sent me to Hamburg to expand my tea knowledge. That decision would eventually change my life, though I didn't know it then.

Learning Tea in Hamburg

My role at Harney & Sons was simple on paper: taste tea with people and sell it. But the reality was far richer. I spent my days creating moments of connection—sitting across from someone, sharing a cup, having genuine conversations. Some people told me I had the "gift of gab." I preferred to think of it as having a gift for human connection.

Through those years, I tasted my way through tea's incredible diversity. White teas, green teas, oolongs, black teas, herbal infusions—each category revealed new dimensions of flavor I hadn't known existed.

Falling for Japanese Green Tea

Among all these teas, Japanese greens captured something in me. Their uniqueness, their rich mouthfeel, their umami depth, their pure freshness—they consistently uplifted my spirits in a way other teas didn't. This wasn't just professional appreciation; I genuinely loved Japanese tea.

I had access to China's most elegant offerings too: chocolaty, smoky, sweet teas that told stories of mountains and mist. I remember exquisite Lapsang Souchongs with their distinctive smoked character, and Keemun black teas—simultaneously sweet and delicate yet robust and intricate.

White teas blew me away with their subtlety and natural sweetness.

Becoming "One of Those People"

I became the person I'd once rolled my eyes at—someone who could genuinely taste peach, apricot, honey, smoke in a cup of tea. I'd thought people who talked like that were full of it. Turns out, when you slow down and pay attention to special natural products, you really can taste these nuances.

I wasn't turning into an obnoxious wine sommelier (though it felt that way sometimes). I was developing the ability to perceive and articulate genuine differences in quality and character.

The Skills That Built Lowinsky's

Those years taught me to be an expert at human connection—creating intimate, inviting atmospheres where people felt comfortable exploring something new. I learned to share knowledge without lecturing, to guide without pushing, to sell through genuine enthusiasm rather than sales tactics.

I'd always had the gift of connecting with people. But exposure to tea culture, hospitality, and craft helped me grow into the entrepreneur I am today. Every conversation over tea, every tasting session, every moment of shared discovery built the foundation for what would eventually become Lowinsky's.

What Makes Lowinsky's Different

• Authenticity Over Certifications: We source directly from small family farms in Kyoto, Kagoshima, Yame, and Shizuoka. Our relationships with these farmers matter more than any organic certification. We know their practices, their families, their fields.
• Fresh Preparation, Always: Every matcha we serve is whisked individually, to order. No pre-batched powder sitting in a container. This might slow us down, but it's non-negotiable—you can taste the difference.
• Education Without Pretension: Twenty years of tasting taught me that people appreciate genuine expertise delivered with warmth, not intimidation. We want you to understand what makes our teas special, not feel inadequate for not already knowing.
• Community Over Commerce: Those years of creating connection over tea taught me that the relationship matters more than the transaction. That's why we have laptop-free weekends—to encourage actual conversation. That's why our staff takes time to explain, to guide, to share.

From Tea Professional to Café Owner

The path from working for Harney & Sons to opening Lowinsky's wasn't linear. But every experience—tasting thousands of teas, learning from Hamburg's brokers, connecting with customers across cultures—prepared me for this.

I'm grateful for those twenty-one years. They taught me that tea isn't just a product—it's a bridge between people, a reason to slow down, an invitation to experience something genuine in an increasingly artificial world.

That Hamburg tea broker probably didn't know he was planting seeds for Lowinsky's when he first invited me to learn about tea in Germany. But here we are, two decades later, serving ceremonial matcha in Hamburg-Eppendorf to people who appreciate the story behind their cup.