Tea is an essential part of daily life in India and Nepal, where Kansas City residents Karthick Pattabiraman and Parag Gauchan hailed from when they were teenagers. To these guys, there is not a set “teatime,” it is simply a comforting and familiar ritual that slows down busy days and creates moments of connection, friendship and memories.
“Over a casual tea break, we were reflecting on how the tea culture was growing in Kansas City, which sparked an idea to bring our passion and deep-rooted knowledge of tea to help grow the tea-drinking culture here,” explained Karthick.
This vision led to the founding of KC Tea Company in 2019. Although the pandemic caused them to pause for a bit, both feel fortunate to have grown organically while reconnecting with the community.
“KC Tea Company is more to us than blends and leaves. It’s about introducing a familiar ritual to new friends. We are excited to teach and experience through every cup while sharing our passion to help others discover how tea taste, and how grounding, soothing, and full of tradition it feels.” added Parag.
Taking great care in sourcing only the highest quality loose leaf teas from top tea-producing regions in India, Nepal, Kenya, Colombia and beyond ensures every cup delivers a rich, authentic experience. From there, a mutual creative process crafts the custom blends that are inspired by local flavors. As an example, entire lines of tea have been tailored to astrological signs making each blend a tea experience that feels personal, thoughtful and rooted in story.
You can find KC tea company blends on both sides of the state line, not just online. All KC HomeGrown locations’ menus feature two of their signature teas: Golden Monkey and Detox. Urban Egg rotates a seasonal selection of their teas and KC Craft Ramen serves their Japanese teas, Sencha, Houjicha, Genmaicha. KC Tea Company recently collaborated with Of Course to bring a unique touch to their menu - a custom Masala Chai blend created just for them.
Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum Gift shop sells a custom black tea blended by KC Tea Co that symbolizes the colors of her three aircrafts, as well as her favorite cake recipe. Local breweries BrewLab & Cinder Block infuses KC Tea Co blends with some of their seasonal offerings.
Additional partnerships include the Nelson Museum of Art, KC Pink Warriors, GWN and Powell Gardens. “We are so fortunate for the opportunities and relationships we have been able to build the past few years and with so many possibilities and creativity when it comes to tea and being in such a thriving and exciting city, we look forward to building new relationships moving forward.
We do have some exciting news we can’t wait to share soon!” exclaims Karthick.
Between this fall and winter, KC Tea Co “Director of Steep Relations” Alli Hiatt is working with local businesses to create unique pop-up experiences - like post-yoga tea tastings and more featuring seasonal blends like KC Autumn, KC Peppermint Delight among others.
Karthick notes his favorite is Masala Chai, a tea he grew up with. A fresh cup of masala chai instantly brings him a sense of comfort and it’s extremely nostalgic.
Parag is drawn to lighter Japanese teas like Sencha and Houjicha for their clean, refreshing flavors that awaken the palate.
Alli loves green tea blends like Ginseng Green as she proclaims that it gives her a reset and makes her feel refreshed, cleansed and grounded.
At the end of the day, it’s about bringing their roots to the city they cherish and love — the very heart of KC Tea Company.
Karthick and Parag expressed their passion for this city and tea, noting, “We have always been drawn to storytelling with tea. The way a single blend can capture a mood, place or memory. We love experimenting with flavors that bring out those connections.”
Find more about them and their teas at kcteacompany.com