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Who would think that a simple question by Rushell Gordon’s daughter would evolve into the creation of a tea boutique? “My daughter asked if everyone drank tea at night as we did. And I didn’t have an answer for her. I was raising her to do what I did. We drank tea in the morning and again at night when we went to bed. I didn’t realize that it was unique,” Gordon says, remembering the moment that inspired her tea room, Bliss Tea & Treats.
“I grew up drinking tea. My grandmother grew herbs in her yard. Every morning we would go outside and pick some mint and make mint tea. The Panamanians call it bush tea. I think in African ancestry, you would find a lot of growing of herbs. People would just know what’s good for you. No one ever thought about buying tea; you just go and pick the herbs out of the yard. When I bought my house in Oceanside, I also grew herbs. I still grow my own herbs.”
The Vision for Bliss Tea & Treats
Born in Panama, Gordon lived there until age five. Her dad joined the U.S. military, and they lived all around the United States — there was a period after Vietnam when the U.S. military was recruiting and many Panamanians joined—until 1985 when her parents retired in Oceanside, California, and she followed in 2011.
Following the conversation with her daughter, Gordon sat with the idea of opening a tea shop and started to do her research. “There were not a lot of tea places around. I had taken my daughter to High Tea in different places, but it wasn’t quite the experience I was looking for. My daughter thought we should have treats.
“One night while sitting in bed with tea and doodling, she created the logo which is a teapot, looking at a cup of tea. I took the doodle to a graphic designer to create the logo. And that’s how the name Bliss Tea and Treats came to be,” Gordon says.
“We wanted a place that was approachable, not foo-foo or pretentious. I found a location and started the buildout in May 2019 and got approval right when the pandemic broke out in March 2020. We finally opened in May 2020. When I look back at that, I think that was a little bit wild.”
Along the way, she started her tea education at the World Tea Academy, earning a certification as a tea specialist. Plus, she graduated with an Executive MBA from Pepperdine University.
When she was deciding on what food to serve, Gordon called on her brother, who is a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef. She wanted unique foods. The siblings went through each part of a sandwich. They spent six or eight months working on different iterations of the menu: the flavors, the colors and the presentation.
Currently, Bliss Tea & Treats offers a variety of food and tea pairings, with a popular one being the Happy Place VIP which includes a tea-infused mocktail, loose-leaf tea service, a mixed greens salad with seasonal vegetables and a house vinaigrette, a main course of finger sandwiches, cranberry and an orange of chocolate chip cake scone with strawberry preserved and creme fraiche. End the tasting with a trio of desserts and a take-home gift of a 2oz tea gift box of loose-leaf tea.
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If you feel just like a sandwich, she offers many. A few highlights are a prosciutto, fig and feta cheese sandwich, a strawberry Nutella sandwich dusted with confectioners’ sugar, or an apple brie melt.
Servant Leadership
Since opening her Oceanside tea room, Gordon says one of the things she has learned is the importance of servant leadership. “We’re used to a hierarchy that this is the boss, and so forth, but there are times when I’m asking them for advice. I think me being in the trenches with them, front, back and sweeping the floor, they just realize that I’m willing to do the work as well. I’m in it with them,” she says about supporting her team.
“It makes the staff feel a part of the journey when you do that. I’ve experienced a lot of different environments. I’ve had a corporate career for 25 years. And I feel like I’m running this business very differently. That’s what I’ll encourage when we franchise Bliss and have other locations for other owners. You have to be willing to be a servant leader in order to make it work and have other people take care of your business.”
As she continues to lead by example, Gordon teaches her daughter how to interact with others on the team and customers. “I’m not better than anyone else. I’m back there washing dishes just like everyone else. There’s no hierarchy. You just gotta do what needs to get done. She helps out a lot. She knows how to do everything here. She really understands a lot about running a business without really realizing it. It’s been good for her to understand that you can’t just ask for money, you have to work for it,” says Gordon, who balances her time between being an entrepreneur and a mother.
An Herb For Almost Every Situation
Part of what makes the Bliss Tea & Treats experience so special is Gordon’s attention to the teas she both creates and serves. “We make our teas. We use herbs to blend the teas. We never stop tasting tea,” she says.
“For example, raspberry leaf is a potent herb for women. It’s good for the reproductive system, cramps, and women’s strength. It helps to soothe the muscles in the gut area. It’s amazing how there are some herbs that support things. They even have nursing tea to help produce more lactation.”
Being able to recommend teas that provide medicinal healing for different conditions or ailments is something Gordon enjoys sharing with customers who visit the tea shop.
“When COVID hit, we really started creating teas for different needs. People came in asking for a tea for depression. We created one called Hope, which helps to lift your spirits. We have one for anxiety that calms you but doesn’t put you to sleep. We have a sleep tea, a digestive tea, and a love tea. One man asked for Mullen tea.
“When I read about it, it helps with respiratory issues. He didn’t like the flavor, so I combined Mullen with marshmallow and lemon balm. And that man drank that tea for three years. I created one called ‘Cough-Be-Gone’ and was told it made one person’s life more bearable. It’s amazing what the Earth provides for us. There are so many herbs in the world and together they make amazing things,” Gordon says.
Sharing a few tea recipes blended over the years, she says that for women wanting strength, a blend of Nettle, raspberry leaf, fennel, mint, ginger and rose petal is recommended, and for a little love in your life, she says to blend rosehip, roses, chamomile and hibiscus. Add one cup of water for each recipe and allow to steep for at least 10 minutes before removing the leaves.
The tea expert also recommends drinking any good loose-leaf tea regularly. ”In cultures that live a long life, such as Asian cultures, it’s a part of their daily life. They drink a lot of tea. It’s a part of who they are. It’s not like they’re drinking anything special. They drink both black and green tea. Black and green tea are all the same plant – Camelia Sinensis. The way the plant is processed will give you a green, a black, or a white tea.”
She continues, “White means that it’s barely manipulated and is as natural as it can be, green is roasted kind of like roasted vegetables still maintain its green color, and black tea is more cooked and holds in the richness. You can have a black tea in your pantry for a long time. Green tea is different, you want to drink it in the year that it’s harvested. But mostly, just drink tea.”
Creating space for Gordon and others to share their knowledge and love of tea with one another, she started the Bliss Communitea, a tea club where members will receive invites to exclusive events, deals, discounts and more.
Going strong for over three years now, Gordon credits her faith with helping her to navigate being a business owner and creating the business she envisioned. “There’s a lot of faith in the process. I definitely have to trust my gut and listen to that little voice in the back of my head. I learned to listen more and more. So I think my faith has definitely grown in this journey because I always get the answer of what I should do next.”
Bliss Tea & Treats is located at 301 Mission Avenue #101A in Oceanside, about a 40-minute drive from San Diego. Go to online for current menus, business hours, events, teas and all things tea. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram for tea happenings.
