07/05/2026
Celebrating 26 years of Tchai-Ovna 🍾
Here's are a few words on how it all came about 🔮
Tea houses, or Tchai-Ovna’s, of the new Czech Republic were a welcome refuge from the hustle & bustle of city life. Cajovny (teahouse culture) in the 90’s mushroomed as a way for Czechs and Slovaks to weather the tsunami of westernisation after the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Relaxed, quiet places, they housed countless teas served with integrity and enthusiasm. Though every tea house was unique, they effortlessly fused otherness with the familiar – you could feel transported simply by crossing the threshold. Influences from India, China and Japan merged with Czech handicrafts, woodwork and the character of ancient quirky buildings.
When I moved back to Scotland and began studying at Glasgow University, Glasgow seemed a world away from Prague but held similar contradictions: vibrant yet run down, edgy yet friendly, ugly and concrete yet surrounded by breathtaking scenery. It had its own brand of hedonism, but lacked the counterbalance of tranquil spaces. After a year of feeling disconnected from my surroundings, I realised something had to be done.
Between 1999 and 2000, vivid dreams and unexpected encounters gradually transformed the idea of the Tchai-Ovna into reality. Over the years we discovered the value of organic tea and began sourcing exceptional loose-leaf teas from Europe, India, Japan and the mountainous borderlands between Vietnam and Yunnan, China. From 2021, a good friend from my first trip to India began sourcing organic spices directly from growers in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Combined with Tonganagaon Assam, these became the key ingredients in our Yogi Chai Masala – our top selling tea for over 20 years.
Now, through our online community, customers can enjoy the fruits of this long journey of discovery, experimentation and passion in the comfort of their own homes.
Yours faithfully,
Marty
