Brewing Change: How Tealure Is Redefining Tea Culture in Lithuania

Interview with Ernestas Klevas, Founder of Tealure and Organizer of Vilnius Tea Festival

Introduction

I first met Ernestas in July, at his tea shop in Kaunas. Surrounded by hand-selected teas, kombucha bottles, and chocolate bars infused with matcha and hojicha, we discussed his vision for the upcoming Vilnius Tea Festival. A few weeks later, in August, we met online for this interview to dive deeper into his journey, creative projects, and what the tea scene means in Lithuania today. We will meet in October during the festival, where I will host two workshops. In the meantime, I’ve been actively sharing the news of this inspiring new event within my network.

Ernestas at his tea room (Tealure)

Lorela: Ernestas, let’s start with your journey. Can you share the moment during your travels in Asia that sparked your deep connection to tea?

Ernestas: Sure. It was around 10 or 11 years ago, while I was doing my master’s in public health in Denmark. I went to Nepal for data collection and, during my travels in the eastern part of the country, I stumbled upon tea farmers in remote hills. I stayed with them for a few days, observing how they grew and processed tea. I was amazed by the quality of the tea they produced and shocked by the unfair conditions under which they worked, selling to middlemen for very little. That’s when I decided to buy directly from them and import to Denmark. It combined my love for travel and tea into something meaningful.

Lorela: And this personal approach remains central to Tealure’s philosophy?

Ernestas: Absolutely. I still work directly with many of the same farmers. As the company grows, we sometimes need to source through vendors, but the core remains direct trade, fresh harvests, and fair payment. The idea for Tealure was born after I spent nearly half a year in Nepal, combining my fieldwork with exploration. For the past decade, I’ve continued searching for unique teas across Asia, curating them for people who care about exceptional taste.

The handcrafted teas I encountered there, and the lack of quality tea available back home, convinced me to start Tealure.

Ernestas sourcing in Nepal

Lorela: Tealure is not just about loose-leaf tea anymore. You now craft kombucha and chocolate infused with tea. What inspired you to experiment beyond the teacup?

Ernestas: After six or seven years of just importing and selling tea, I felt the need to inject more of myself into the creative process. Kombucha was the first step. I began fermenting teas using blends with herbs and botanicals, but the base is always our Nepalese green and black tea. We also grow many of the herbs ourselves. I wanted to create something where the tea remains the hero ingredient. Over time, we developed a wide spectrum of kombucha flavours.

Lately, I’ve been working more with single cultivar kombuchas—fermenting specific teas to create a more premium, nuanced product.

Lorela: And the chocolate?

Ernestas: That came one quiet winter.

I was fascinated by the bean-to-bar movement. I started roasting and grinding my own beans in small batches. Eventually, I began integrating tea into the chocolate.

In 2022, we officially launched the chocolate line, creating handmade bars that blend selected cocoa beans with our teas. We wanted to build a bridge between two delicate crafts—speciality tea and artisanal chocolate. Matcha in white chocolate. Hojicha in dark milk. These combinations allow both the tea and chocolate to shine and introduce people to tea through a medium they might already love.

The chocolate I fell in love with (Hojicha in dark milk)

Lorela: Your kombucha has a solid following. How do you create your flavour profiles, and what defines a good kombucha for you?

Ernestas: First, real kombucha must be unpasteurized and unfiltered. It should be a living product. I keep adding flavours, minimal—no added juices or syrups. The tea has to remain the star. Our most popular is still the original green tea, mint and lemongrass, based on a flavour I first had in Kathmandu. We even grow our own mint now. Another favourite is made with second flush Nepalese black tea—it has a rich, fruity base that works beautifully in fermentation.

Whole Kombucha range (including kefir water)

Lorela: And how has the reception been in Lithuania?

Ernestas: Very positive, especially for kombucha. We keep it niche and high quality, so people looking for a more natural, crafted drink appreciate that. Chocolate is more seasonal. It shines during Christmas but remains niche due to production limits.

Lorela: Let’s talk about the Vilnius Tea Festival. What was your vision for it?

Ernestas: It’s a very new project, but the goal is simple: connect Lithuanians to the origins of tea. Help them understand what real tea is, how it’s grown, how to steep it, and who makes it. We lack this kind of event here, and I hope it becomes an annual tradition.

Lorela: Will your creations be part of the festival?

Ernestas: Yes, we’ll feature our single-tea kombuchas and tea chocolates. I’m also encouraging other brands to join. I want a diverse, quality vendor list—not just five vendors selling the same teas. Workshops, tastings, and experiences will be a big part of it, too.

Lorela: You clearly prioritise both creativity and quality. How do you balance traditional tea culture with innovation?

Ernestas: Honestly, I never claimed to be a traditional tea expert. I admire those who are, but my passion lies in modern presentation.

I like to experiment—fermentation, food pairings, unique mediums. It’s about making tea more accessible, especially in markets like Lithuania, where speciality tea is still a niche.

Lorela: And what are the main challenges and opportunities in the Lithuanian tea scene?

Ernestas: Lithuanians mostly drink herbal tea, so introducing high-quality traditional tea is challenging. Premium teas still face resistance due to price and lack of familiarity. But curiosity is growing. Education through tastings, festivals, and our tea room is helping shift perceptions. It's slow but promising—like coffee was 10 years ago.

Lorela: Could you share a behind-the-scenes story from sourcing or creating a product?

Ernestas: That first kombucha flavour—mint and lemongrass—was inspired by a dusty cup of tea in Kathmandu. The freshness of the ingredients stuck with me. Now it’s our top seller. Even our mint is homegrown in summer. As for chocolate, it started from winter boredom and curiosity about the bean-to-bar process. It became a new creative outlet.

Lorela: For someone new to artisan tea, kombucha, or tea chocolate, where should they start?

Ernestas: For kombucha: start with mint & lemongrass or our original black tea. They offer both freshness and complexity. For chocolate: try our hojicha dark milk or matcha white chocolate. For tea: I always recommend Fukamushi Sencha, roasted Long Jing, second flush Nepal white, Dong Ding oolong, or golden tip Nepal black. They each showcase a unique aspect of tea.

Conclusion

Our initial meeting in Kaunas was a meaningful start, and the interview that followed in August offered even deeper insight into Ernestas’ vision. As I continued spreading the word about the Vilnius Tea Festival across my network, I’m excited to see his work resonate with a growing audience. We’ll meet again in October to lead two workshops, but until then, this interview offers a glimpse into the heart of a modern tea craftsman redefining the Lithuanian tea landscape.

All credit photos are Tealure.