A new tea haven and social hub is now open at the Casa de Luz Village, a small pocket of wellness-focused businesses in the Zilker neighborhood. Moment of Tea specializes in Japanese teas, but owner Tran Nguyen is most interested in creating a gathering place.

"Tea is just a bridge to get there," she says.

The new lounge is upstairs in a single room where guests can sit in several configurations, including at a bar and on floor cushions around a low table. Smaller tables are lined up along a wall bench, with thin curtains that can be unfolded for privacy or tucked behind a hook for a more social seating arrangement. Singing bowls and instruments are on hand just in case guests want to play them.

The menu is divided into sections with some teas repeated between them, making it easy to find something based on its general characteristics without having to scour the menu. One section is for hot Japanese teas, including both loose leaf tea and powdered tea (matcha); another section is for cold brews. Tea with milk makes up its own section, and Nguyen explains that the fat in milk enhances some of the tea flavors.

Finally, a section is reserved for "wandering teas," or teas from outside of Japan. That might mean products from China or Taiwan, and there's even one from a small farm in Chicago on the list now. Nguyen focused on Japanese tea because of its simplicity and community mindedness; plus, it's not a common offering in Austin. But she also wanted to offer some playfulness with the wandering teas.

Whatever tea a guest orders, none will have processed sugar (though some may have a different sweetener, like maple syrup in a matcha latte) or handles on the cup. Nguyen wants guests to be able to feel the temperature of the tea, to help them relax into the experience and know they won't be burned when they take a sip.

Nguyen, who worked in healthcare for more than a decade, says it was an unconventional corporate job interview that showed her the power of tea. Her interviewer, who later became her favorite boss, surprised her by offering tea. The drink was centering, she said, and it kicked off a revelation about the corporate sphere's typical drinks of choice — coffee and alcohol — and how they distort the present moment.

She says meeting Casa de Luz co-founder Wayo Longoria gave her the same feeling. After being laid off in November of 2025, Nguyen decided to join a friend in a side business, and looking for locations was part of her contribution. She found the Casa de Luz space and where her friend saw a "laundry list" of changes to make, Nguyen saw pure potential. She decided to follow the vision on her own, and that became a short series of pop-ups and then Moment of Tea.

Others who haven't deeply considered tea are welcome at Moment of Tea, where the menu, atmosphere, and service style are specifically curated to welcome people at different levels of knowledge — including someone who's never even tried tea at all. Nguyen laughs about a friend's four-year-old daughter who described her first taste of tea as tasting like hot water. She sees this is a great place to start, and hopes other visitors feel comfortable to ask questions and build their own fundamental understanding.

Even though someone could come in, drink a recommended tea, and leave without a second thought, they can also learn about why some teas came about. Genmaicha, for example, has a warm, roasted flavor because it contains roasted brown rice. Nguyen explains that the rice acts as filler to extend a small amount of tea for more brews. Guests can also look at and smell the dried teas in test tubes for a better understanding of what they're about to taste.

Events will also create more opportunities for thoughtful engagement as the business matures, including a chado ceremony (a traditional matcha tea service) and ikebana, Japanese flower arranging. Ultimately, it's all about exploration and doing what feels good.

"The way that I imagine tea is like, I don't want it to be like strict," says Nguyen. "[There's a] structure behind the tea bar and how you brew it, like certain temperature, certain time, and certain amount, yes. But when it comes to you, I want you to play with it."

Moment of Tea is located at 1701 Toomey Rd. on the second floor of a building accessible from the internal courtyard. It is open from Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 6 pm. Guests are invited to remove their shoes, so visitors may want to consider the socks they're wearing before leaving the house.