Steepster Select October Giveaway

My fave is Dobra Tea. As soon as I walk in the door I feel relaxed and ready for a good conversation. Their teas are beautiful and varied. The decor rocks. Their classes are delicious, fascinating, and often based on first-hand experiences/travels. The folks there truly pay attention to detail and to the best method of preparation for each kind of tea, but there’s also the feeling that, in the end, however you like to drink your tea is the right way for you to drink it – i.e. there’s mindfulness without perfectionism.

Adagio, all the way!

Well, I’m just starting to branch out, so I still have to say that my experience with Adagio has been the fullest. But up and coming favorites are Remedy Teas here in Seattle and Numi, believe it or not. I’ve fallen in love with several of their teas. Mmmmm.

J-Tea.

I’m very fond of Harney’s, Two Leaves and a Bud, Novus/Bigelow and Republic of Tea for all their wonderful and seriously good teas, great selections and packaging. You can tell they all enjoy a good cuppa and treat tea in the same regard as other gourmet items such as wine.

But I have to say that my current favorite tea company is Rishi.

It has 3 of my favorites: Rishi Sweet Matcha ( <3 <3 <3), the amazing Golden Yunnan and the wonderful Emerald Lily. Add to that their selection of Fair Trade teas, their organic selection, their concern for the ecology of their tea supplying region and their incredible Ancient Trees selection and that puts them over the others in my eyes.

My favorite tea company at the moment is 52teas. I love that they create a new and unique blend each week which makes tea even more exciting that it already is. This company makes me lurk my email inbox each week in order to find out what the new blend will be. I also love 52teas for their customer service and free (and fast) shipping. Frank is truly a master at his craft and that is why I will always be a fan of 52teas.

My favorite tea company is Aroma Tea Shop (http://www.aromateashop.com/) on Clement Street in San Francisco.

A young husband/wife team runs the place and they visit Taiwan and China often, directly negotiating with tea farmers, bringing back fresh harvests every spring and winter.

Also, their shop offers FREE tea tasting on any of their 100s of teas. They explain how to brew the different teas and are always open to give you a mini lesson about the tea you’re tasting. Very educational and a great experience every time.

I was at a coffee shop the other day, don’t worry I was only spying on the enemy, and I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation at the table next to me, probably ‘cause I was eavesdropping. A guy and gal, in their mid twenties, the guy was apparently trying to win the admiration of his female companion for he told her, "Your where I was three years ago, I’m older than you so I know exactly whats going to happen to you." I choked on my cof .. er, uh .. hot black drink, trying to stifle a laugh and perhaps a retort.

I’m sure he thought he was doing quite well, as she appeared to be paying rapt attention, however it was quickly evident that he was her superior in a company and she was merely paying him lip service in hopes of advancing her career. And amusing game when you are watching it from the outside, but it got me thinking and I started looking around the coffee house and watched about a half dozen mini dramas unfold.

Everyone in there was playing a game, putting on a pretense or pretending to be something their not. They all felt like they had to fit into this socially acceptable mold. Everyone was showing everyone else how they were better, whether it was the car they were driving, the area they lived, their career, vacations, clothes, etc. It was really quite amazing, it was like they had put on a persona just like we might put on clothes, I wonder with all the games these people played if they even knew who the real them was, or if they were just a collection of the roles they played.

I even started to notice the judging glances, apparently my plaid shirt, generic denim, and converse shoes weren’t up to their standards, and perhaps the fact that I still laugh every time I say grande or use more than three adjectives to order a drink. Nonetheless, my covert spy mission was blown and it was time to haul out of there, I felt wound up, stressed and judged. I needed to get away from the hypocritical coffee drinkers.

Off to find people of my own kind, so I headed for my favorite tea cafe. Now I’ve been coming here for years, and while I see new and different patrons every time I visit, they all just blur into the background and could all be described in roughly the same way. They are like perfect background jazz music, the song might change every few minutes but the feel and the vibe is the same, and if your not listening closely you don’t hear when it changes.

Now i am surrounded by my people, everyone comes as they are, no one is judging those around them, and I don’t even see any posturing among the tables. Everyone here is who they are, they know what that is and they don’t feel the need to become something else just because what someone else thinks, nor do they feel the need to judge others. To a degree I accredit this as a tea vs coffee phenomenon, however I also give credit to the establishment.

Remedy Teas is by far my favorite tea cafe, they set a great atmosphere and are comfortable, confident yet unassuming. They know their stuff, yet whether you are an old friend an experienced tea connoisseur or first time drinker. They help you become part of the beautiful jazz. They know tea yet are not overbearing about it, they don’t shove information in your face but rather let you decide your course down the road of tea, offering to be a patient guide. If you ask them something they and don’t know they will tell you, a novel concept indeed! They don’t pretend to be what their not.

Yep this is my home away from home, quality tea, knowledgeable folks and good friends. Next time your in Seattle, stop in for an excellent cup of tea, unassuming conversation and good friends and tell them I sent you. Oh and if you see a guy with a plaid shirt, generic denim and converse shoes then pull up a chair together we’ll become some of the finest jazz you’ve ever heard.

Chan Teas http://www.chanteas.com/

Super nice guys. They really know their stuff! They sell excellent tea and teaware. Their video protips are super useful as well. Check ’em out!

Shout out to Dylan for all his help!

Right now I’d have to say Adagio. I like Adagio because they do an amazing job of keeping their site friendly, clean and easy to understand. Such a great site for making tea approachable to everyone. They have a great selection for reviews, easy shipping, great packaging, etc. – it’s a dream as far as customer service goes. At the risk of sounding like an ad for them, so far I’ve always found their teas to be reliably good even if they don’t happen to be to my taste.