{"id":50984,"date":"2025-11-13T08:31:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T08:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/50984\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T08:31:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T08:31:07","slug":"classy-hippie-tea-merges-culture-tech-and-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/50984\/","title":{"rendered":"Classy Hippie Tea Merges Culture, Tech, And Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Classy Hippie Tea<\/a> in Sacramento combines innovation with tradition. Founder Leo Hickman isn\u2019t simply providing tea; he\u2019s redefining it. Hickman creates a self-sustaining ecosystem where a simple cup of tea becomes a means for healing, connection, and advancement through what he terms \u201ctea futurism,\u201d a concept that combines agriculture, technology, and community building.<\/p>\n

The aroma of spices and herbs permeates his comfortable Broadway tea room. Customers greet each other as if they were family, their laughter blending with the gentle buzz of discussion. At the heart of it all is Hickman, a man who has transformed tea into both a business and a cultural movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am the owner of Classy Hippie Tea, a proprietor,\u201d says Hickman. \u201cWe\u2019ve been in business for 15 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

For him, tea is more than a drink; it\u2019s a philosophy and a reflection of his own journey.<\/p>\n

Before he became a tea sommelier, Hickman served in the U.S. military, traveling to 33 countries. \u201cEvery country I went to had a tea ceremony,\u201d he says. \u201cAt the time, I had PTSD, but back then, it wasn\u2019t something people were diagnosed with. I didn\u2019t want it on my record, so I went backpacking, trying to help myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until his last stop, Guatemala, that Hickman realized tea\u2019s healing potential. \u201cI got sick, and the host mother I was staying with went to the corner store, bought one bag of tea, and within 24 hours I was healed,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen I came back to America, I started looking into what career field could heal someone with a tea bag.\u201d<\/p>\n

That search became his calling and his philosophy. \u201cTea for us is travel, events, and agriculture,\u201d Hickman explains. \u201cFrom my time in the military, we would travel to foreign countries, hold town hall meetings, and figure out ways to get active in the community. I replicated that system through my business. It\u2019s not just about the drink, it\u2019s a whole ecosystem of connection, movement, and growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ForFor Leo Hickman, tea transcends being a beverage. \u201c[It] helped me understand the world outside of how I was feeling,\u201d he says. Roberta Alvarado, OBSERVER<\/p>\n

Hickman opened Classy Hippie Tea at 3226 Broadway, what he calls \u201cour clubhouse.\u201d There, he built a space that touches all five senses. \u201cIf you\u2019re smiling, if you enjoy the food, if you like the smells, that means we\u2019re on the right path,\u201d he says. \u201cOnce we touch all five senses, you\u2019ll never forget us. Once you never forget us, we become part of your lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years, Hickman\u2019s philosophy evolved into something larger, a movement he calls tea futurism. \u201cIn the beginning, it was about balance,\u201d he explains. \u201cThat was the first 10 or 12 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Classy Hippie is about that rub, where hip-hop comes in, where culture comes in. We\u2019re infusing every cup of tea with the culture we\u2019ve created.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hickman\u2019s life looked very different before he set up Classy Hippie Tea. \u201cI was married for 10 years, and when that ended, I felt lost,\u201d he says. \u201cI had to rebuild myself from the ground up. Tea gave me a way to slow down and listen. It helped me realize that sometimes things have to fall apart so you can build something stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

During that rebuilding period, he turned to yoga and began hosting small gatherings at his apartment. \u201cAfter the divorce, I started doing yoga, hosting events at my apartment. That\u2019s when one of my friends called me a classy hippie,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI didn\u2019t have furniture, but I had tea, and people kept showing up. That\u2019s how the name and the business started. It wasn\u2019t planned. It was healing.\u201d<\/p>\n

That moment of personal renewal became the foundation for the community he would later build. \u201cTea taught me patience, compassion, and how to sit with myself,\u201d Hickman says. \u201cIt made me want to share that calm with others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Customers at the store described the atmosphere as \u201cbeautiful\u201dand the tea as \u201cenjoyable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was not exactly sure of what to expect, but it\u2019s been really lovely here. I am really enjoying the tea and the way it\u2019s paired with the fruit is really nice,\u201d says Keri Schuman, museum sales and retail operations manager at Crocker Art Museum<\/p>\n

\u201cThe atmosphere is really beautiful,\u201d says Josette Burroughs, senior supervisor at Kate Spade New York. \u201cI love the displays of teas. I love how Leo is sharing with us that you can even create your own blend. That\u2019s very unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hickman shares some teas you can find at Classy hippie tea. They include blends for sinus and respiratory relief during allergy and flu season, for restoring vitality to the digestive system, and for providing steady energy throughout the day without jitters or a crash.<\/p>\n

Hickman calls himself both a tea futurist and an herbalist, identities that bridge the past and the future. \u201cThe intersection of herbalism for me is the past, and hip-hop allows me to be past and future,\u201d he says. \u201cTea is known as a currency, as medicine, and as a commodity. It\u2019s that robust. But you can also add in supporting herbs. That\u2019s where the hip-hop comes in. That\u2019s where things really start to dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Classy Hippie, Hickman uses herbs such as ashwagandha and chamomile to complement traditional tea blends. \u201cEvery herb in its essence is medicinal,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen we start adding sugar or dairy, we segregate the herb. But the herb in itself is pure.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Hickman, tea isn\u2019t just a beverage; it\u2019s a form of connection. \u201cTea is an herb, just like you and I are human,\u201d he says. \u201cThrough developing a relationship with tea, I learned compassion and patience. It helped me understand the world outside of how I was feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughs softly. \u201cIt took me to take something that is overlooked, like tea, and create an advocacy around it. That energy moved into love. And now I believe I get to create a cultural movement through this herb that\u2019s been around for a long time, but in a way people haven\u2019t seen before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LeoLeo Hickman serves customers Keri Schuman and Josette Burroughs. Roberta Alvarado, OBSERVER<\/p>\n

In a business where Black ownership is rare, Hickman stands out. \u201cTea isn\u2019t something traditionally associated with Black people,\u201d he says. \u201cSo it allows other cultures to be interested, curious, and start to explore. That\u2019s how we break boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Representation matters deeply to him. \u201cSeeing someone who\u2019s made it this long that looks like you resonates within the Black community,\u201d Hickman says. \u201cEvery cup of tea has a bit of Black joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it hasn\u2019t been easy. \u201cThe number one challenge I\u2019ve faced is allowing myself to grow,\u201d he admits. \u201cAs you learn, there\u2019s always a conversation with yourself: do I accept this or reject it? And that goes into each cup of tea. That\u2019s acceptance of different communities, different people, different colors.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked how he has managed to thrive as a Black man in a largely white industry, Hickman pauses. \u201cI\u2019ve been thriving because I had to redefine certain words in my mind,\u201d he says. \u201cThriving is generally associated with income. But if it\u2019s based on money, I\u2019ve been poor for a long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever,\u201d he says, \u201ctea gave me time.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Hickman notes, people tend not to value time until they are older, but tea gave him time in his 30s to reflect on his 20s. \u201cMost people don\u2019t get that until they\u2019re 60,\u201d he says. \u201cIt let me take care of my mental and physical health, and that\u2019s priceless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hickman\u2019s ultimate dream merges nature with innovation. \u201cMy ultimate dream for Classy Hippie is for people to realize that it\u2019s a tech company,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m working in tea futurism, which is going to put our hands heavily into the dirt and engineering agriculture, but it\u2019s also going to make us travel way more efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says his business will start developing rubber, alternative fuels, and energy sources, all through plants. \u201cFrom there, our community is going to be extremely strong. We\u2019ll have our own currency, our own government, our own home,\u201d Hickman says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Hickman, technology and tradition are partners, not opposites. \u201cRight now, the seed bearers are out planting everywhere, trying to restore,\u201d he says. \u201cClassy Hippie is going to give them a way to come back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Planet Classy comes in. Through Planet Classy, customers can order online from anywhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll send me a message, and then next thing you know, we\u2019re sitting in a virtual tea room talking about life. That\u2019s where Classy Hippie is going, creating real connections in a digital space,\u201d Hickman says.<\/p>\n

The business also engages in regenerative agriculture and sourcing, partnering with growers who prioritize healthy ecosystems and fair practices. They also engage in sourcing rare teas and cultivating botanicals through innovative STEM methods such as vertical hydroponics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hickman\u2019s early life was grounded in love and family. \u201cI grew up in a two-parent household,\u201d he says. \u201cMy dad was educated, my mom was educated. Things were tight, but we didn\u2019t realize how hard they had to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a kid, he dreamed of becoming a professional athlete before joining the military, a detour that, in hindsight, led him straight to his purpose. \u201cI believe tea is going to be the economic driver that brings people of color, specifically Black people, out of a poverty mindset,\u201d he says. \u201cIt gives them something affordable to focus on, a way to give back, and through that, they\u2019ll find their voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

After 15 years in business, Hickman says he no longer chases legacy; he lives it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first 14 years of my career, I had answers for what my legacy would be,\u201d he says. \u201cNow, I don\u2019t care to have one. Tea adopted me so that it could live. I didn\u2019t adopt tea so that I may live.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a seed carrier. I\u2019ll carry on the word of tea so someone else can pick it up. With every good cup, I, like a leaf, will pass on, but the plant remains. It continues strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

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