Monday, September 28, 2009

Cup o' Joe Tea Monday: Celebrating the Arrival of Autumn in Seattle


Chai Rooibos Latte at Remedy Teas

Woke up this morning with bundles of energy. Given my newfound commitment to cutting down on my caffeine consumption, I decided to save the next few coffeeshops on my Cup-o-Joe to-do lists for weeks I really need the boost. Today, instead, Seyeon and I celebrated the arrival of autumn with an aptly refreshing trek to Remedy Teas.


This place is awesome. Each week, I feel like I'm going to new places that make me think, "Wow, now I've found my favorite" - but this one really trumps all so far, I believe.


Remedy boasts 150 varieties of tea, each described in full on their tea menu, with quirky flavors like Roasted La Creme (roasted green tea with white chocolate bits to create a marshmallow-hazelnut flavor), Precious Eyebrows (pure "chun mee" from China grown at high elevations, hand-rolled leaves for vegetal flavor and a plum-like aftertaste) and Iron Goddess of Mercy (organic oolong with chestnut notes and floral flavors). Each kind also specifies its caffeine content on the menu; much appreciated.


Does anyone notice a familiar, magical number here? Inclusion of it in my photograph composition is not an accident.

I ordered a chai rooibos latte - no idea there was even such a thing! Rooibos is a spicy, non-caffeinated South African red tea that I absolutely love, largely for its emotional associations for me with being in Holland, where it is wildly popular. The fact that Remedy combines it with my other favorite tea beverage - a chai latte - is amazing. Sipping this was like Holland in a Teacup.


Seyeon opted for their Green Energy tea, which again, as in Holland, was brought out in a glass pot and kept warm over a tea light. That little square pastry is a lavender shortbread tea cookie - not my favorite, but a nice sample nonetheless.


They also serve smoothies, lattes, matcha green tea, tea cocktails, and organic coffee, wine, beer and sake...as well as a host of locally baked goods, soups, fresh salads and tea sandwiches - again, in quirky options like Nutella Crisp (nutella + green apple + cream cheese on an organic date-nute bread with chopped walnut garnish) and Pesto Cream (pesto + cream cheese + fresh tomato on wheat bread with seed garnish). Everything is remarkably well-priced (sandwiches under 5 bucks! Unheard of in Seattle, it seems.)


It's got a trendy vibe to it - modern, hip, bright colors, big lowercase sans serif font - while being a quieter respite than many of the coffeeshops. It's a little off the main drag on 15th Ave, with gentle, melodic background music - and draws a different crowd than coffeeshops: folks looking to relax and be nurtured, rather than pump in the caffeine and get going with their day. Wonderful staff.


Bonuses: a sunny outdoor terrace, free tea samples all day long, free wi-fi, great merchandise, reading material, and probably the coolest displays of tea leaves ever imagined.

1 comment:

  1. is that seyeon in the picture?! i miss you two :(

    ReplyDelete