Tea Adventures

As many of our customers may already know, Arbor Teas (formerly New World Tea) took a brief hiatus in February of 2006 to tour the UK tea scene and freshen up our perspective on our favorite beverage. Aware of the central role tea plays in everyday British life, we set off with hopes of discovering an enlightened tea culture, and deepening our own appreciation of tea.

Our travels carried us through many of England and Scotland’s fantastic cities and introduced us to the British way of tea. We were delighted to see tea offered practically everywhere we went, but were disappointed to find that really good tea was in short supply. While the British placed significant emphasis on the act of taking tea, we were surprised to find that the tea itself often left something to be desired. Over the course of the trip, it became clear that the wonderful world of specialty tea has only recently begun gaining popularity in the UK (similar to the US), which is surprising for a country that’s been involved in the tea trade for nearly 350 years!

On our first morning in London, we were thrilled to awake to the aroma of Camelia sinensis brewed for us by our thoughtful hosts. With perhaps unreasonable eagerness, we took our first sip of what we learned was the classic British tea, P.G. Tips. With our hair practically on end, we knew this tea would keep us going for hours - bye bye jetlag! But our sensitive tastebuds were left reeling from the strong, bitter brew. Being the inquisitive tea lovers we are, we urged our host to share with us the method of brewing tea used in the typical British household: place two or three teabags in a teapot, fill with boiling water, and steep for an undetermined amount of time. As we learned, this could be quite a while, because the teabags were never actually removed! As tea professionals, we have a rather different appreciation for steeping time. Where we come from, over-steeping is practically a cardinal sin! But in the UK, it seems to be standard practice. Tea a little too strong? Just add milk and sugar. "Pass the milk and sugar," became our mantra.

We eventually found ourselves at the famous Harrod’s department store, where we immediately began purusing their selection of teas. In a store where one can buy practically anyting ("saddles to sushi," one of our travelling companions noted), we were surprised by what we found. Their selection was huge, but astonishingly light on orthodox looseleaf tea. The majority of their shelves were stocked with various flavors of mechanically-processed tea in bags. They did, however, carry a small line of premium looseleaf teas, with offerings such as an organic Ambootia Darjeeling.

After three mornings of P.G. Tips, and plenty of milk and sugar, we left London for the Georgian city of Bath. As the home of England’s unique hot springs, it seemed appropriate that we came in search of a steamy cup of tea. The most notable feature of Bath’s tea scene is the Pump Room, an elegant tearoom built upon the ruins of the ancient Roman Baths. Sadly, it was closed for renovations, but we were happy to come across Sally Lunn’s as an alternative. After driving the better part of the day, everyone in our party needed a little pick-me-up. What could be better than afternoon tea with plenty of jam and double cream? In lieu of scones, however, we were offered a local delicacy - the Lunn Bun. This light, fluffy bun was akin to a huge white dinner roll toasted to perfection, and proved an equally good accompaniment to jam and double cream. The tea we were served confirmed our growing suspicions about British consideration for steeping time (or lack thereof). Left to circulate loose in our teapot without a method of removal, the tea granules (CTC tea to be sure) yielded a strength and astringency that once again made milk and sugar an absolute necessity.

From Bath we headed north to the rocky hills of the Lake District. By this time, we were becoming quite familiar with what the B&B’s called a "full English breakfast," a dense meal which typically involved eggs, sauteed mushrooms, broiled tomato, baked beans, bacon and sausage (as well as black pudding and haggis in Scotland!). Morning after morning, we had a growing sense that maybe tea in the UK needed to be this strong and astringent just to stand up to such healthy portions of sausage and bacon. A delicate white or jasmine tea simply wouldn’t stand a chance!

Crossing into Scotland, we soon found ourselves in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle at the elegant Caledonian Hilton Hotel. Road-weary once again, we were happy to arrive just in time for afternoon tea. We were greeted with crisp white tablecloths, silver teapots, and elaborate multi-tiered trays laden with traditional tea fare - all the trimmings for the perfect afternoon tea service. Customary British pomp and circumstance to be sure. But once again, sitting beside our silver teapot, was yet another disappointing teabag!

Edinburgh came through later that day while sampling scotch at the Whisky Shop. We came across a very interesting looseleaf tea marinated in - you guessed it - scotch whisky. The malty, full-bodied, black tea was complimented beautifully by the earthy, almost caramel tones offered by the scotch - an unlikely but wonderful combination!

Our final destination before heading back to Heathrow airport was the walled city of York, home to the flagship store of the well-regarded Betty’s Cafe tearooms. For the first time in ten days, we were offered a (rather extensive) selection of premium looseleaf teas to choose from. Like kids in a candy store, we eagerly ordered a pot of first flush Darjeeling. It was a fabulous Darjeeling, light in body, floral, with just the right amount of muscatel. But similar to our previous experiences, the tea leaves were left loose in the teapot without an infuser. One delicious cup was all we got before reaching for the milk and sugar once more!

As the birthplace of the now-ubiquitous Starbucks and home to a variety of other prominent coffee chains, Seattle has developed quite a reputation for abundant coffee consumption. However, as a major port well-positioned to receive shipments from Asia, it stood to reason that the tea trade should also be alive and well there. So, with summer winding down and our teapots warming up, Arbor Teas (formerly New World Tea) decided to make for the Pacific Northwest to settle one boiling question: what does the birthplace of the American coffee craze have to offer for us tea lovers? As we learned, the answer is quite a bit!

If you’ve ever been to the Pike Place Market on Seattle’s waterfront, with its endless vendors of fresh flowers, produce, fish and other edibles, it should come as no surprise that nearly half of the tea shops we visited were found in that area. Our first stop was Market Spice, a bulk tea and spice retailer right inside the market. While they carried a wide variety of teas, they are most known for their signature "Market Spice Blend," which combines tea with potent cinnamon and orange extracts, for a warm, holiday-inspired brew. We have long been familiar with the black tea variety, but also found green tea and rooibos blends available, which are no doubt equally tantalizing.

The smell of cinnamon still strong in our noses, it seemed fitting that our next stop should be the World Spice Merchants, located near the Pike Place Market. Past their alluring displays of exotic spices (including over a dozen varieties of salt!), we found a small tea bar and respectable selection of tea. Most notably, we learned that they offer traditional Gong Fu tea service by appointment. While the strong aroma from their extensive spice collection might interrupt one’s appreciation of the most subtle teas, the combination of tea and spice seemed quite appropriate, given their shared origins and similar paths through history.

Entirely by accident, we stumbled upon the Vital Tea Leaf, a retailer of traditional Chinese tea and teaware at the far southern end of the market, which opened only three months ago. Although no beverages are for sale, one never goes away thirsty because the staff constantly ply their customers with free samples of their excellent teas. Seated at a long bar, customers watch as the staff brew up sample after sample in a quasi-Gong Fu style. Using a traditional water table, tiny cups and other customary utensils, the teas were brewed in gai wans (traditional Chinese covered tea bowls) packed with leaves. Because the leaves were only brewed for short periods of time (typically 20-30 seconds), and because such a large quantity of leaves were used, tea brewed in this fashion could be steeped several times. We tried an incredible range of teas, including an exquisite silver needle white tea, a premium "white" dragonwell, and a milk oolong (which had a deliciously milk-like or buttery quality to it), as well as several pu-erhs. It was fascinating to compare the range of flavor, body and finish exhibited by pu-erh teas aged for three, eight, 13 and even 25 years. The 25-year pu-erh, which came from our attendant’s personal stash, was a special treat since it wasn’t available for sale (not that we could have afforded it anyway - such exceptional pu-erhs often fetch thousands of dollars per pound!). We also tasted what they referred to as "bamboo tea," which turned out to be neither bamboo nor tea, but was delicious all the same. When we simply couldn’t take another sip, we made our purchases and set off for our next destination.

Next came The Crumpet Shop, purveyor of one of tea’s favorite accompaniments (bested only by the scone, perhaps). Made fresh batch after batch, these crumpets are a far cry from their disappointing grocery store counterparts. They were thick and substantial, and incredibly satisfying! Fresh from the toaster and smothered in a wide variety of toppings - ranging from English cheese, tomato and pesto to ricotta cheese, almonds and honey - they did just the trick to pad our stomachs for another marathon afternoon of tea tasting. And speaking of tea, the Crumpet Shop offered a nice variety of teas available by the cup, several of which were pre-brewed in convenient airpots for customers on-the-go.

We headed next for the Perennial Tea Room. Passing a large gathering of people outside of the original Starbucks coffee shop, we were reminded again that we were still in the heart of coffee country, but we pressed on unphased. With the most extensive selection of tea we saw in Seattle, it was clear that Arbor Teas (formerly New World Tea) and the Perennial Tea Room were like-minded in how seriously they take tea. Their staff was quite knowledgeable, and their selection of teaware was outstanding, offering everything from contemporary styles to traditional favorites. We were sad to find that they functioned more as a retailer and less as a true "tea room" (their seating was limited, and no food was available), but we were delighted to see the well-known tea shop nonetheless.

Before leaving downtown for Seattle’s other neighborhoods, we stopped by the historic Panama Hotel Tea and Coffee House. Set in a historic building in Chinatown, this establishment offered an attractive setting in which to enjoy a pot of tea. Its design attractively combined historic and contemporary elements with an abundance of attractive details such as eclectic furniture and historic photography of the neighborhood. Their tea selection, while not nearly as extensive as Perennial Tea Room, was quite nice and incorporated a number of Chinese stand-bys.

We were so impressed by our findings in and around downtown Seattle that it was hard to imagine that more treats awaited us north of town. But upon arriving at Floating Leaves Tea, we knew we were in for something special. While they offer a reasonable selection of classic teas, Floating Leaves specializes in the Gong Fu Tea Ceremony, paired with a wide variety of excellent oolongs. The proprietor, who was both friendly and incredibly knowledgeable, served up a fantastic Oriental Beauty oolong - a tea that is naturally sweetened by the tea plant’s response to being nibbled by microscopic insects, resulting in a complex and honey-like brew! Our Gong Fu service was complete with aroma cups - small, slender vessels meant to accentuate the heavenly bouquet of the fabulous oolong we were sampling. A memorable experience, indeed!

After visiting a few other tea shops in Seattle’s northern neighborhoods, including The Teacup and Teahouse Kuan Yin, we found ourselves at Queen Mary’s Tea Room, located on the north side of University of Washington’s campus. By far the most traditional and Victorian of the establishments we’d visited, this place was not lacking in quality tea. They offered an extensive selection of both tea and delicious food, including a wonderful afternoon tea service (complete with scones, cakes and other confections baked in-house) that was appealing to both the eye and palate!

Exhausted from our jaunt around Seattle but happily-caffeinated, we were pleased to find that tea was holding its own in the coffee heartland!