Dr. Tea's Tea Garden & Herbal Emporium
West Hollywood, Calif.
by Chris Ryan

More than 200 years ago, in Baghdad, Iraq, Mark Ukra's family played a major part in the city's tea trade, selecting teas from ships as they came into port. The family tradition continued into the 1930s, with the Ukras becoming firmly established as prominent tea wholesalers in the area. But when the family came to America in the 1950s, it left the world of tea behind.

That is until 15 years ago, when Mark Ukra, at age 38, made a lifestyle change in which he stopped drinking coffee to break his caffeine addiction. He gravitated toward tea, exploring both the taste and health elements of the beverage, which gradually led him into the tea business in 2005, when he and his wife, Julie, purchased the Tea Garden & Herbal Emporium.

With his flagship store on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood—in the building that previously housed Southern California landmark Elixir Tonics & Teas—Ukra is spreading his message of tea and wellness under the name "Dr. Tea," a title he has appended to his shop's name, branding it as Dr. Tea's Tea Garden & Herbal Emporium. With his round glasses and perennial grin, Ukra is a conspicuous presence as Dr. Tea. Even over the phone, he oozes enthusiasm for his business. "The foundation of our store, for Julie and I, is teaching and guiding," Ukra says. "So when individuals come in, it's not just selling a pot of tea; it's really teaching them about the properties of tea and the benefits of tea."

A COMFORTING SPACE

As customers enter the Asian-themed, 2,500-square-foot retail space of Dr. Tea's Tea Garden & Herbal Emporium, they encounter three bars: a wet tea bar where drinks are made, a dry tea bar where teas-to-go are sold and a Chinese herb bar staffed by professionally trained herbalists. Another section of the store houses home tea products that fit Ukra's vision. "Everything's centered around body, mind and soul," he says.

Heading out through the rear of the store, customers come upon a deck with a seating area; nearby stairs lead down to the titular garden. Spread out over more than 7,000 square feet, the expansive space is peaceful and green—an anomaly in the busy city in which it's nestled. "We call it an oasis in Los Angeles," Ukra says. "Instead of meditating on the beach or on a mountaintop, you can come to Dr. Tea's." It is common to see families, dogs and laptop-toting customers congregating in the garden area throughout the day. "People come in and they relax," Ukra says. "Some for a half hour, some literally all day."

BEVERAGES GALORE

In the years between rediscovering tea and opening Dr. Tea's, Ukra threw himself into developing tea blends. "I wanted to create a line of teas that would be more than just your generic green and black teas that people would get at teahouses," he says. Ukra wanted to fulfill people's cravings for other foods while providing the health benefits of tea. With that in mind, one of his first creations was a "coffee tea," for which he roasted oolong tea in a coffee roaster to create something that Ukra says looks, smells and tastes like a coffee bean. He also developed teas with the flavors of mint-chocolate chip ice cream, apple pie and tiramisu, fulfilling people's dessert cravings through tea. Altogether, Dr. Tea's has more than 110 types of tea. "I tell everybody that walks through the door, ÔI have a tea for you. Give me the time to find it,'" Ukra says.

In addition to Ukra's blends, Dr. Tea's also offers custom,tea-infused creations made to order in the shop. During the summer, those creations are called Frost-Teas, for which Ukra brews one of his own varieties and pours it over ice, adding a tablespoon of agave. Drink names run the gamut of puns, including Cappu-Tea-No and Tea-Na Colada. During the winter, Ukra creates hot beverages that he calls Hot-Tod-Teas. "These are the drinks that are revolutionizing Dr. Tea's and the tea community," Ukra says. "That's what we're famous for."

Ukra is betting that his innovative drinks will connect with people; in coming months and years, he plans to roll out smaller versions of his store, to be called Dr. Tea's Express. He says the caf&eactute-size operations will have a new feature to accompany his blended drinks: a bar with mix-ins such as organic fruit and dried herbs that can be added to the drinks. Ukra plans for the stores to appear first in America, with eventual expansion of Dr. Tea's Express into Asia, Europe and Australia.

MAN WITH A PLAN

Since Dr. Tea's opened in 2005, Ukra's identity as Dr. Tea has been as visible to Dr. Tea's customers as the teas. "It's this persona that's kind of become the face and voice of tea in our country," Ukra says. "Tea has no face and voice. Coffee, to a certain extent, does, with Starbucks and the like, but there is no voice and face of tea. And I'm it." In Southern California, that identity is perpetuated by Ukra's presence in the store, where he greets customers with "Welcome to Dr. Tea's!"

His identity is about to receive a boost on the national level, with the release this month of "The Ultimate Tea Diet," published by HarperCollins. Ukra's book promotes a diet of four to six cups of tea a day, and—as with most diets—regular exercise and wise eating habits. Dieters are urged to find a tea that can curb food cravings; for instance, instead of eating a slice of apple pie, drinking a cup of apple pie tea. "It shows the tea-drinking community or individuals who want to switch to tea that tea doesn't have to taste bad to be good for you," Ukra says. "You can still enjoy it, and you can cut your cravings, and you can lose the weight."

Ukra says Borders has selected the book as one of its featured titles in 2008. In January, he will begin a promotional tour that will take him to TV and radio stations, book signings, and college campuses.

WHAT'S IN STORE

Expansion plans and a book deal may take Ukra to another level of exposure, but for now, his main focus is his shop on Melrose, where every day he tries to instill in customers the link between tea and health—a message that has been passed down through several generations of Ukras. "I want people leaving with more information and feeling better about themselves than when they walked in," he says. "That's my goal."

 

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