Located at 118 W. Vermilion St., Sojourn Tea & Goods is a tea house and commercial business in Downtown Lafayette that specializes in loose-leaf teas sourced from around the world, along with locally sourced pastries and artwork. The shop offers a different experience from a traditional coffee shop, inviting customers to wind down and enjoy tea while exploring its collection of artisan goods.
This local shop was opened in April 2026 by Julia Bonaventure, a Lafayette native. While traveling the world, she explored different tea cultures; since then, she has wanted to create a place where the community can gather and try new tea flavors.
Along with its astounding tea collection, the shop is filled with artwork and goods from local artists and sellers, including paintings, handcrafted ceramics, antique teaware, pastries and snacks.
The atmosphere of this local business was probably one of the most relaxing ones I have been to.
As you walk in, you are met with a beautiful arrangement of artwork on the walls and on easels, along with cabinets full of ceramics.
The shop has warm wood tones, along with vintage rugs and comfy furniture. Along the wall, approximately 40 kinds of tea is showcased from regions such as China, Taiwan, Japan, India, Ecuador, Brazil and more.
My colleague and I had the pleasure of visiting this small shop on Wednesday, Oct. 28. When we arrived, an employee greeted us and showed us the menu and the different types of tea.
Their pastry menu features a wide selection of locally baked treats from The Rolling Pin LLC, including scones, macarons and crème brûlée. One scone particularly caught our eye, so we ordered it: the cheddar and chive scone. We also decided to get two macarons and pistachio crème brûlée.
When we looked at the drink menu, we saw one thing we weren’t familiar with, so we asked the employee about it. The Gongfu Tray is a traditional Chinese method that is sometimes referred to as a ceremony or a style of brewing or serving tea. Customers prepare a loose-leaf tea of their choosing through repeated infusions with hot water. Both my colleague and I were curious to see the process, so we tried it.
With so many teas, we decided to let the employee choose for us. We ended up trying Bai Mudan and it was some of the best hot tea I have ever had. We took little sips of tea in these cute cups that made us feel so fancy. Overall, I had a pleasant experience at Sojourn. If you would like to visit, their updated hours are: Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They are closed on Monday and Tuesday.