Our Story

It started with a bad cup of tea in 2015.

Jeff Lorenzo had spent fifteen years sourcing dry goods for restaurant kitchens across Plymouth County. He knew exactly what he was drinking when a supplier sent over a case of “premium” sencha that turned out to be last year's fannings under a new label. He bought a brass balance at an estate sale in Duxbury that autumn, rented the front room at 4472 Hillcrest Avenue the following spring, and opened Allice Tea Spot with nineteen teas and one folding table.

The shop is still small. That is deliberate. A short list means we can taste every lot before it goes on the shelf, and it means we know how old each tin is without checking a spreadsheet.

How we buy

We work with six importers and two direct relationships, one in Kagoshima Prefecture and one in Nantou County, Taiwan. Lots arrive in quantities between five and forty pounds. Anything that does not sell within its window is brewed for the free Saturday tasting rather than sold at full price.

How we blend

Blending happens in the back room, in batches of about five pounds, by hand, with the door open because cranberry and bergamot do not belong in the same air. Our four house blends — Marshfield Morning, Brant Rock Earl Grey, Cranberry Bog Rooibos and Hillcrest Chamomile — have not changed formula since 2018 except for a base swap in 2021 when our Assam garden had a poor season.

What we will not do

• We do not sell tea without a harvest year on the label.
• We do not use artificial flavour oils. If a blend tastes of peach, there is peach in it.
• We do not make health claims. Tea is a drink, not a medicine.
• We do not sell, rent or trade customer information. Ever. See our Privacy Policy.