Jasmine Oliver founded Tea Please, a Black-owned brand born from a personal desire to enjoy dessert-inspired flavors while prioritizing health and mindfulness.
Oliver’s brand is redefining indulgence—one cup at a time—by transforming rich dessert flavors into loose-leaf teas. These teas are designed for people who want sweetness without excess sugar and self-care without compromise.
The idea first took root in 2017, when Oliver began searching for alternatives to sugary treats—something that could satisfy cravings without the guilt, calories, or long-term consequences tied to overconsumption.
Tea Please launched in 2019. This effort was motivated by a deeply personal history, family background, cultural perspectives on diet and wellness, and an awareness of health.
“After my grandmother passed away, I did research and found out that sugar was at the root of many of the diseases she suffered from, and I noticed that Black Americans were at the top of those stats,” Oliver said on her About Us page, according to Essence. “I decided to create dessert-flavored tea to curve my sugar cravings, because I still wanted to treat myself, but in a healthier way.”
She also told Voyage Dallas, in a 2019 interview, “I started studying for about nine months under the World Tea Organization, learning everything from the origin of tea, the one single plant that all tea comes from, the history of tea, and how tea is celebrated in different cultures. The best part of my courses was when I started learning how to blend, flavor and scent tea.
It was from those courses that I discovered how to manipulate tea leaves and how to use fruits to get the flavors that I wanted to achieve. I eat a pretty healthy diet, but my biggest problem is my sweet tooth. It’s huge! So when I was coming up with the type of tea brand I wanted to create, I instantly thought of dessert flavored tea. I figured it was a way for me to have my cake and drink it too! After getting positive feedback from friends and family, my mind was made up. After finally finding a manufacturer that could produce the tea quality and flavors that I wanted to bring to life, it was a go.”
What began as a way to satisfy a craving soon evolved into a true passion. Oliver immersed herself in the world of tea, becoming a specialist through direct experience. She traveled widely, visiting tea rooms around the globe. She sampled various blends, studied tea traditions, and was inspired by how different cultures use tea—not just for taste, but for ceremony, wellness, and relaxation.
As Tea Please expanded, so did its mission. While blends inspired by desserts remain the core of the brand, the product line now includes wellness-focused teas that offer both excellent flavor and health benefits. With every blend, the underlying goal is to help people slow down and discover moments of calm amidst the rush of daily life.
All Tea Please blends use loose-leaf ingredients and are packaged in eco-friendly materials, which shows the brand’s dedication to sustainability and mindful consumption. Customers have the choice of caffeine-free or caffeinated teas, making it easy to create a tea routine that suits their lifestyle.
The tea flavors are created for enjoyment. Dessert blends like Cinnamon Roll and Sock It To Me Cake feature comforting, indulgent, bakery-inspired notes, offering satisfaction without added sugar. For wellness, options like Breathe EZ, a revitalizing mix of peppermint and eucalyptus, and ImmuniTea, a supportive blend of elderberry, echinacea, and sage, are formulated to nourish the body while pleasing the palate.
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With its selection of products, Tea Please reframes the role of tea. Instead of being reserved for when one is ill, cold, or concluding a large meal, Oliver presents tea as an intentional, daily ritual of self-care, a choice driven by self-love, not obligation.
Each cup becomes an opportunity to pause, breathe, and pour into your own well-being. It’s a quiet reminder that care doesn’t have to be complicated or restrictive to be effective.
Tea Please, according to Oliver, is built on a philosophy woven into its core messaging and mission that self-care should be simple and effective, not complicated or restrictive.
“Dedicate yourself to your well-being, commit to enhancing your health (both physically and mentally), and prioritize becoming the best version of yourself,” she told Essence.
Tea Please, a partner with Essences’s WeLoveUs.Shop, is a prime example of the growing movement among Black-owned businesses. These brands prioritize wellness, culture, and care, showcasing creativity and joy. Oliver’s journey from a regular consumer with cravings to an entrepreneur and global tea expert is truly inspiring.
