Like every story, there’s a beginning.

Long before HERE TO POUR™ had a name, before the blends, before the dream of opening a third space, I was collecting places that made me feel at home.

I didn’t know it then, but every cup and conversation, every beautiful space and every person was shaping what HERE TO POUR™ would one day become. Looking back now, I can see it clearly: God was pouring long before I was.

My journey didn’t begin with knowing the difference between oolong and puerh.  It began with me sitting with my mommy in Chinese restaurants, you know the ones with the silver serving platters with the dome. I remember carefully sipping hot green tea and feeling so grown holding my little white cup.  

Then came sweet tea.

Now listen…

If you grew up in the South, you already know.  Sweet tea wasn’t just something to drink; it was just always there.  My best friend’s mom made the BEST sweet tea and a friend eventually named it DoroTEA because it deserved a name.  

It lived in the refrigerator, and if you stopped by, it was ice cold and poured into one of those huge, colorful IKEA tumblers. I can still taste it. Somewhere along the way, I perfected my own sweet tea because hers had set the standard. Looking back, I realize I wasn’t falling in love with tea; I was falling in love with what happened around it, good food, conversations and some of the absolute best times. Those moments stayed with me and I found myself drawn to tea spaces that carried that same feeling.  My friends and I became regulars at Tea Lux near Columbia University. I couldn’t tell you exactly what tea we ordered, but I can still picture the hammered copper tables, the incredible desserts, the fun we had with the staff, and the way we’d somehow end up singing an impromptu concert, it was a sweet time. When Tea Lux closed, I was sad that chapter ended, but soon found another home.

The Harlem Tea Room.

It was a beautiful Black woman owned tearoom in Harlem filled with warm wood, velvet curtains, music, poetry, and sunshine pouring through open windows. The tea service was lovely, but what made the place unforgettable wasn’t the tea, it was the vibe. Special details like the owner’s mom making the chicken salad and tuna for the tea sandwiches and local artists performing. Before long, I found myself on that stage sharing my poetry alongside other writers and creatives. It became more than a cafe, it became somewhere I belonged. When the Harlem Tea Room eventually closed, I found myself grieving a place I didn’t realize had become a big part of me.

One day, sitting around a kitchen table sharing stories about those amazing spaces and how much I missed them, I was asked a simple question.

“Why don’t you open one?”

It was such an ordinary question. But it changed my life. I can still remember hearing something click inside me.

“Why not?”

And just like that, I knew what I was meant to do.

The first vision wasn’t called HERE TO POUR™, it was called Humanitea. Even then, the dream wasn’t simply to serve tea. It was to create the kind of place people returned again and again because of how it made them feel.

So I began searching. My Godmother became my adventure partner as we traveled to tea shops, conferences, and tastings throughout New York. I wanted to source tea that would be just as memorable as the space I hoped to create. We smelled so many blends and tasted teas from some of the most respected brands in the country.  Many were beautifully packaged and smelled incredible.  But when it came time to take that first sip, I found myself wanting more. Nothing moved me. I wasn’t searching for tea; I was searching for a feeling. Then one Saturday, while looking for a gift, I finally walked into a place I passed countless times.

Serengeti Tea and Spices.

Every time I saw it, I’d say to myself, “I need to go in there one day.” That day finally came, and from the moment I stepped through the door, my mind was blown.‍ ‍The aromas, the colors, and then the tea. Not just good tea, tea I’d never tasted before in my life. I remember thinking, “This is what I’ve been looking for.” I hadn’t found a supplier; I found home again.  It wasn’t simply a tea shop or cafe, it was alive and immediately became my happy place.

Every Saturday you’d find me in the same spot at the end of the bar, sampling everything I could. Watching, learning, asking questions, taking it all in. I watched tea being blended and shelves being thoughtfully arranged. I watched hospitality become an art form. Everything was intentional, beautiful, and done with love, and I belonged there.

Soon I met the owner Caranda Martin, my mentor and brother. He welcomed me into his world he curated, answered every question, shared what he knew, and gave me room to learn alongside him week after week. Then he did something I’ll never forget, he trusted me. He trusted me with his customers, his staff, and his product. Trust is one of the greatest gifts another entrepreneur can give. He wasn’t simply teaching me about tea, he believed I would care for this the way he would.  That trust shaped me then and still does.  Many of the lessons that live inside HERE TO POUR™ today were nurtured in the beautiful space he created through Serengeti Tea and Spices. His generosity, trust, and example are woven into my story, and I will always honor the role he played in shaping not only how I approach tea and the work I’ve been entrusted with.

As the vision for HERE TO POUR™ continued to grow, another part of my story found its way back to me.

My family’s land.

Generations ago, my great grandparents, Charlie and Ellen Spivey, owned and cultivated over 100 acres in Franklin County, North Carolina. My great grandmother planted an orchard filled with pears, plums, figs, pecans, persimmons, grapes, black walnuts, and more that nourished our family and community.

Today, my amazing cousin, Falani Afrika Spivey, nostalgic farmer, filmmaker, and griot, lovingly stewards our family’s heritage farm. She lovingly cultivates heirloom crops and botanicals connected to African, South American, and Gullah Geechee traditions while honoring the generations who cared for the land before her. I’m honored and proud some of those herbs and fruits will find their way into our blends. More importantly, the story of our family will.

Because HERE TO POUR™ isn’t simply about what we serve, it’s about what we carry forward.

Looking back, I can now see that HERE TO POUR™ is of every person who poured into me. My family taught me that hospitality begins at home.

My mentor showed me what it looks like in practice.  The land reminds me that what is planted with care can nourish generations. I’ve come to believe that none of this is mine to consume; it’s mine to care for.

God has always poured through people, family, friends, strangers who became family. Through those who opened their doors, shared what they knew, made room at their table, and trusted me with what they loved.  The best part, He is still pouring.

My hope is that HERE TO POUR™ becomes one more way that generosity will overflow.

Because before there was a name…there was a POUR.

May you leave here knowing what this dream has helped me discover.

A full cup was never meant to stop with us. It was always meant to overflow.

Stay full.