Seattle - A Wonderful Tea Town Part 1

SEATTLE IS FOR TEA LOVERS!

Some of you may be thinking that Seattle is all about coffee, but you would be amiss.  Yes, Seattle is where Starbucks began, but you may not remember they started out as Starbucks Coffee Tea and Spices!  We will return to that in another post..

Having never been to the Northwest before, I was excited to discover it.  I knew I was in for a treat as our plane started its descent and I viewed the snow-capped mountains among the clouds! The city has a great transit system, so I figured out how to get to my hotel without the use of a shuttle or cab!  The Monorail which was built for the World's Fair in 1962 was a wonderful way to transit between Seattle Center (where my speaking events were held) and downtown!

I arrived early to discover Seattle just a bit before I had to teach and speak.  It was a perfect sunny day with a little briskness in the air.  After lunch, I hopped on the monorail to Pike's Market with my colleague Kyle Stewart.  We walked around a bit and then both of us were in desperate need of some tea.

We went to Perennial Tea Room.  It is a located in a lovely alley just up the hill from Pike's Market.  We were graciously greeted by the owners, Julee and Sue.  After more than 2 years since my first book was published, it is always flattering to see my books in a shop. They happen carry both of my books!

We were served one of the teas of the day and then had the pleasure of tasting their Persian Gold.  It is a black tea that is grown in Iran.  Since having researched about Iran for my second book, The World in Your Teacup, it was wonderful to taste tea from that region.  Since most of the tea is usually consumed in the country, not much is exported from Iran.  The tea shop has photos of the growers and the tea was delicious.  Kyle and I had a great time talking and sharing.  Isn't that what drinking tea with friends is all about and Perennial Tea Room is a lovely place to do that in Seattle.

The next two days were filled with teaching Specialty Tea Institute Level I and II classes.  We had a diverse group from all over the country wanting to learn more about tea.  Some were from large corporations, some from midsized companies, and others were interested in starting a tea business. 

 If you are interested in knowing more about tea for yourself or interested in starting a tea business of your own, I think there is no better education than what the Specialty Tea Institute offers.  With it being the educational division of The Tea Association of the USA, they have access to wonderful resources from people all over the globe. 

It was wonderful after class to go down to the waterfront for a walk, a bite to eat, and amazing sunsets.  How beautiful to see the mountains peaking through the clouds!

I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of my tea experience in Seattle.  In my next couple of posts, I will take you to the Northwest Tea Festival,  two more tearooms, explore Pike's Market, and a wine tour! 

Happy Sipping from Seattle, Lisa