The Great Puer Tea Heist
At 3:06 am a big rock slammed the front window of the Seven Cups teahouse in Tucson setting up a classic smash and grab robbery. The thieves jumped through the broken window and grabbed some aged puer tea cakes, a storage container of Silver Needle white tea, and our iMac that serves as our point of sales computer. Even though there was cash in the (open) cash drawer, it was not touched. The thieves, wearing latex gloves, jumped in their getaway car and tried to make their escape.
Upon hearing the crash of the front window, two of our neighbors looked out their window across the street and set out to catch the thieves. Here is the Daily Stars version of what they did. All of us at Seven Cups want to thank them, and the Tucson Police. We are really lucky to have such great neighbors and we are so proud to be a community teahouse.
So does this mean that aged puer tea has become recognized as valuable in America? Can we expect in the future to see Brad Pitt and George Clooney in a heist movie where puer is the object of their conspiring? It is interesting that our young thieves had come in to case the teahouse the afternoon before suggesting more of a plot than just driving by and becoming gripped by a spontaneous compulsion. One of our staff identified them.
They certainly didn’t count on the motivation of our neighbors to keep our neighbor safe, even if it meant chasing down thieves at 3 in the morning. I wonder how the scene would look through Steven Soderbergh hand held cameras.
Thank You Alex and Richard. Our whole neighborhood is grateful to have you as neighbors. See you in the movies.
Dizgraceful. (it sounds more disapproving with a British spin) No doubt the enticing Mac was on the vandalous pairs' minds but Puer cakes could have additional fence value. PLEASE prosecute these perps. Otherwise, they will escalate their crimes and it won't be just 6 months in the county jail, they'll be doing. I'm glad your business neighbors didn't get harmed on account of their quick action. You all need a nice cup of tea…
Amazing story. It almost sounds like people are looking for alternative instruments of value, now that the USD is taking a dive! Will tea join the ranks of gold, silver, and other wealth-preserving items? Hmmm… it has been used as currency by many different cultures over the course of human history. The fact that the cash was left untouched makes my head spin.
I need a cup of tea… it's about 08:00 on a clear, sunny morning here in Hangzhou, China… and I'm going to be thinking about this one all day long.
I love the Seven Cups site, by the way. Very well done, easy to navigate, and highly crucial for educating tea lovers in a world of scammers and cheaters in the tea biz!
Hangzhou is my favorite city in China. You may have a point. In Dubai the government department that controls gold and diamonds also controls the Dubai Tea Trading Center.
Austin
You are fortunate to have neighbors who take such an interest in their community.
Sorry to hear that your business was targeted. Crimes of this kind certainly take an emotional, as well as a commercial and financial toll. I am glad your property was recovered and that the offenders were caught.
Good luck with cleaning up the aftermath.
It is great to have such neighbors who chased down the thieves at 3 in the morning. It is a very good work from Alex and Richard and certainly do deserve the appreciation. Keep up the good work guys.