Since then, she’s been on what she describes as the “path of tea,” and went from being just an enjoyer of traditional Chinese tea ceremonies to selling her own herbal tea blends at markets throughout Tampa Bay.
The retail shop eventually blossomed into an in-person teahouse of sorts called Noisy Crane Tea, where Cavanaugh is finally able to share her knowledge and offer traditional Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese teas in their respective traditions—focusing on ceremonial-like methods similar to the “life-changing” ones her friend exposed her to many years ago.
“I’ve always considered tea as one of the original plant medicines because it’s been used for over 5,000 years, and is still the second most consumed beverage in the world,” Cavanaugh tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “My first time at a traditional tea ceremony, it literally felt like I was plugged back into the earth and that I was one with nature again.”
“Tea ceremonies and tea meditation became a regular part of my life after that moment,” she adds.
From February 2024 to March 2025, Noisy Crane Tea offered daytime tea service that “blended traditional and modern tea culture” at In between Days, an intimate listening room and sake house in downtown St. Pete. At In Between Days, Cavanaugh created a pop-up teahouse experience that was unlike anywhere else in Tampa Bay.
But since her first lease ended a few months ago, Cavanaugh is looking for another home for Noisy Crane, preferably in a shared space like In Between Days, although she’s open to all sorts of businesses. Noisy Crane 2.0, whether it opens in Tampa, St. Pete or elsewhere, will nonetheless continue the positive momentum it gained at In Between Days over the past year.
An ultra-curated menu of “farm direct, artisanally-crafted teas,” combined with Cavanaugh’s penchant for attentive service and tea education, Noisy Crane Tea is able to create an interactive and participatory experience for its customers.
This isn’t like grabbing a to-go matcha latte from Starbucks—but in many ways, both metaphorically and physically, the exact opposite of that. Noisy Crane just doesn’t offer a beverage, but an experience curated around it.
Folks are able to enjoy these teas according to traditional preparations and in their respective teawares, or branch out to Cavanaugh’s own herbal tea blends and seasonal drinks.
While there’s a seemingly endless variety when it comes to the world of international tea consumption, Cavanaugh mostly focuses on particular styles and brewing methods that stem from China and Japan.
The term “Gongfu Cha” refers to the art of brewing tea in a precise, intentional and skillful manner—typically served in smaller teaware and tiny vessels. This methodology is at the core of Noisy Crane’s ethos.
“This style of tea typically calls for short, fast steeps so you can do multiple steeps over a period of time,” Cavanaugh explains. “It’s a way of enjoying and really honing in on the flavors that you’re getting from these teas—it’s a way of honoring the tea.”
While the Noisy Crane menu may evolve in its new space, Cavanaugh says that she’ll most likely offer familiar teas like matcha, popular varieties of green tea like genmaicha and hojicha, aged pu’er teas, whites, black or red teas, oolongs and her own herbal blends—like the “Clari-tea” with mint, nettles, oatstraw, marshmallow leaf, gotu kola and bacopa.
Every tea that’s sold on the Noisy Crane menu can also be purchased in retail bags for home brewing. These teas, acquired through Blue Willow Teaspot in Berkeley, California, are ethically sourced from artisan growers and small-batch producers on the other side of the world.
“More than anything, I want to share with my customers all of the beauty, dedication and hard work that goes into tea production. Even if tea is commercialized in some way, the amount of agriculture and farming that goes into making these teas is often lost on the consumer” Cavanaugh says.“And despite this very rich history and culture, tea production is also this ever-changing thing that shifts from season to season.”
While looking for another semi-permanent home for her small business, Cavanaugh is still offering tea consulting services, hosting private tea ceremonies, popping up at different events and continuing her education in the vast world of Asian teas and their respective ceremonies.
With years of experience working in customer-facing positions and as a server in fine dining restaurants, service is a natural component of Noisy Crane.
Oftentimes folks would walk into Noisy Crane without a working knowledge of artisan teas, and it was her job to understand what flavors they like and what their palette leaned towards—not unlike how a seasoned sommelier approaches their customers. The way Cavanaugh and other enthusiasts view artisan teas is pretty similar to how folks of the fine dining world assess flavors in wine or cheese.
And for the regular customer base that she quickly gained during her year-long stint at In Between Days, they’ll have to wait a bit longer to experience Noisy Crane’s laid-back, yet ultra-curated atmosphere once again.
While many coffee shops and cafes focus on quick service and to-go orders, spaces like Noisy Crane offer a welcoming space to slow down and enjoy beverages in the way they were meant to be enjoyed.
“I very much think that in our society we need more moments to sit down, be introspective and take time for ourselves,” Cavanaugh explains. “It’s incredibly important to just take a moment sometimes, because everything around us is moving so fast and it’s easy to lose ourselves”
For more information on Noisy Crane’s future home in Tampa Bay, head to @noisycranetea on Instagram.
And if you’re someone who thinks they have the ideal space for Noisy Crane’s next home, reach out to KC via noisycranetea@gmail.com.
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This article appears in May 1-7, 2025.