Dobrà Tea was started in Prague during the Cold War, when the USSR had reduced their tea industry to a single producer of a single type of tea. A group of friends who enjoyed tea began meeting in secret and having tea parties, first with their own pre-soviet collections and soon finding ways to secretly import tea from outside the USSR. They met in private homes at first, and expanded to more exotic locations like remote castles and bomb shelters. After the Velvet Revolution, the first Dobrà teahouse was founded in Prague in the early 1990's. 

Burlington's Dobrà Tea was the first franchise of the Prague original. It has been a haven for quiet discourse, deep connections, private study, and developing a profound understanding of tea for more than a decade. I helped move it from its original location to a more sustainable one around the corner. The new owner wanted a Torii gate to divide the main sitting area from where money is exchanged, and I proceeded to study the design regime of the sacred gates.