Tea Light: Fleet Coffee Co.

With three locations across Texas, Fleet has been carrying, serving Spirit Tea for about seven years now. Known for their thoughtful approach to both coffee and tea, Fleet has built a reputation for crafting dynamic, seasonal tea drinks while maintaining a menu that honors the integrity of each ingredient.

Their offerings reflect a deep respect for tea as both tradition and inspiration. Read on for a Q&A with Patrick, owner of Fleet, where they share their vision for tea, how it fits into their ethos, and some of their favorite tea-forward drinks.

What is your initial vision for tea at Fleet?

Our initial vision for tea at Fleet Coffee is to align and collaborate with like-minded individuals and companies that are dedicated to sourcing the highest quality products they can find. We believe in letting the ingredients speak for themselves, ensuring that every tea we serve highlights the craftsmanship and care that went into its production. By choosing partners who share our values of quality and integrity, we aim to offer a tea experience that is pure, intentional, and effortlessly excellent.

How tea aligns with Fleet's ethos?

Our approach to tea aligns seamlessly with our ethos of offering a simple, well-curated menu that allows people to explore the world of coffee and tea with confidence. Just as we do with coffee, we focus on sourcing the best possible products and presenting them without unnecessary complexity or distractions. We still offer some fun and creative drinks for the folks to explore how dynamic these products are, but the bulk of our menu is offering the products in their unadulterated form.

How our community enjoys tea at Fleet?

Seeing as it is typically sunny and warm in Texas, we sell a lot of the iced tea products at Fleet. Specifically the Rosella and Sunstone presented as an iced tea. In the last few years we've had an explosion of interest in matcha drinkers, with our seasonal beverages featuring matcha being one of the more heavily ordered beverages.

What signature drinks featuring tea has Fleet made? How does it sync with the vibe of the south or Austin in general?

Our current seasonal menu has a butterfly pea flower and lavender syrup that is paired with milk and matcha floated on top of it. Folks love the contrast between the blue milk and the green matcha on top because it photographs almost as well as it tastes. Another standout over the years include The Resolution, which was matcha mixed with coconut water, kiwi-infused aloe vera, and soda water. We always try to highlight seasonal drinks to align with the vibe of the weather and city, so if it is going to be stupid hot outside, we will lean more into refreshing and bright drinks versus the couple cold months in Texas, we will pair teas with warming spices or things that feel like a warm blanket around you.