Seattle: Remedy Tea House in Capitol Hill

I had the chance to visit Remedy Tea, a really great spot to have a restorative cup of tea as my favorite English author would say.  Remember how much I love Rosamunde Pilcher's The Shell Seekers? It's about time to reread it...

I love having tea. I love offering someone a cup of tea.  I even have a tea station (this is it at Christmas) in my dining room. So after many recommendations, I couldn't wait to visit Remedy Tea in Capitol Hill.

They offer over 150 organic teas to buy and brew at home or enjoy in their bright and happy tea room.  The entire selection is displayed in test tubes along the entry wall and patrons are welcome to open and smell each tea as part of their selection process. So smart - I think people forget how closely scent and taste relate.

The shop was very active at 1 o'clock on an overcast Wednesday.  Business people with laptops, two mothers taking time to catch up with their babies in tow, a mother-daughter duo.  Everyone deciding that things would be better with a pot of tea in front of them. Nice!

Tea from A to Z

I was invited to a Chinese Tea Tasting at Goldfish Tea, an independent tea house in town.

Five of us sat on seats at a wooden tea bar (imported from China) and listened intently to the who/what/when/where and why of tea.

The star of the show was camillus sinensis, the plant from which all tea is made. Over the course of an hour, we steeped a white tea called "Silver Needle" (quite grassy and clean), an oolong tea called "Ginseng Oolong" (with a sweet aftertaste that surprised me) and a black tea called "Keemun A" (that I would have liked with milk, but that's another story).

Our guide knew tea from A to Z and took great care in explaining everything from how the leaves are rolled & dried to the proper way to store our tea collection.

I really had a nice time and left with a pouch of Ginseng Oolong, a bamboo tea scoop and some new friends. The next time you are presented an opportunity to learn from an expert, I say do it. It just might be a moment of delight.