Patrons come together to sit and sip

When Archana Pyatt moved to Sugar Land from New York in late 2001, she began looking to start a new business that would be conducive to her social nature and afford her enough freedom to spend time with her daughter, Meena.

"I grew up with tea," Pyatt said. "With my mom, before we did anything we had to have tea first. In New York, I went to every tea room I could."

Pyatt said she decided to follow her passion. She opened Serenitea Tea Room in Sugar Land in late 2004 to offer full English-style tea service—an experience that was missing from the local community, she said.

"I wanted to give [guests] something they have never had before—something different," Pyatt said. "I am all about new experiences. I brought together all of my knowledge from visiting other tea rooms. That's the beauty of [tea rooms]—you infuse your personality into the business. I think there is a demand for this business with all of the diversity here. You can sit in this tea room and hear a different language spoken at every table, [because] every culture drinks tea."

When she first opened her business, Pyatt offered a little bit of everything. Within the first year, she began to see her regular clientele return time and time again, sometimes on a daily basis. Pyatt has continued to expand and make modifications to her menu and tea selections to fit the tastes of her patrons.

"The teas are all my own creations," she said. "You have to hit the right notes. The nice thing about owning a small business is you get to listen to your guests. That is how our menu has continued to grow. Sometimes our guests imagine something and it becomes reality."

Serenitea Tea Room offers tea service ranging from light tea ($8.95) served with scones, lemon curd and clotted cream to Elevenses ($14.95) served with finger sandwiches and scones to afternoon tea ($18.95) served with a tower of sandwiches, scones and the house-made tea bread of the month. Pyatt changes her selections seasonally.

The tea room also serves breakfast and lunch items, such as the breakfast casserole ($8.95) made with sausage, eggs, bread, cheese and vegetables served with grits and bacon, and the Earl Grey Club ($7.95) served toasted with roasted turkey, smoked ham, bacon and American cheese.

"A lot of people are not tea drinkers, but they want to enjoy the experience," Pyatt said. "We have all the basics. Everything that we serve is made here, from the tea bread to the clotted cream."

The business also houses a gift shop where customers can purchase loose leaf teas along with the necessary items to recreate Serenitea's tea service at home.

"It is amazing the memories that tea brings," Pyatt said. "It conjures up thoughts of another time. Tea opens people up. We form a bond together, and I've made some of my best friends here."

Serenitea Tea Room is available for party rentals on the weekends for events ranging from bridal showers to casual gatherings.

Each year, Pyatt hosts holiday tea service in December, and she plans to host Tea for Mother, a Mother's Day special, on May 10.

Choosing the right tea

Each month, restaurant owner Archana Pyatt creates different blends of loose leaf teas, experimenting with a combination of flavors. With dozens of tea varietals from around the world, Pyatt educates her patrons to help find the tea best for them.

Popular flavors include:

Earl Grey—An internationally recognized name, Pyatt calls this her "comfort tea"

Chocolate Nut—A flavored black tea with soft notes of coco and almonds

Chai—A strong black tea made in a traditional style with cream and sugar

Nantucket Breeze—a mellow blend of blueberries and vanilla

Serenitea Tea Room offers tea tastings. Guests can choose up to four teas to sample. Tastings are served with fresh scones along with house-made lemon curd and clotted cream ($12.95).

13889 Hwy. 59

Sugar Land 281-491-4588

www.sereniteatearoom.com

Hours: Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Sat., 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Sunday by reservation only