If you’ve ever looked for Afternoon Tea in the greater Seattle area, you’ve likely run into the usual suspects: fluffy pink princess parties or expensive nods to our tradition-and-class-conscious cousins across the Atlantic — or invitations to venture further north to Victoria for a proper Tea. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and a place for pink fluff and impressing the in-laws with an expensive outing involving scones and champagne. But there are alternatives, thanks to tea cultures on the other side of the Pacific and our own scrappy approach to pretty much everything.
You can learn how to whisk a proper cup of matcha, see a tea ceremony demonstration at the Seattle Japanese Garden, or take part in a Japanese tea ceremony as a guest thanks to local instructors in the urasenke tradition.
You can attend the local tea festivals to learn all about how tea is sourced, curated, prepared and shared: Cascadia Tea Festival in spring and Northwest Tea Festival in fall.
Inspired by the tea monks in Becky Chambers’ beautiful tale A Psalm for the Wild-Built, I’ve officially started my Tea Journey in 2024, and I’ll be dropping my notes, reviews, memories, questions and insights here as I go. You’re welcome to come along with me!
cascadia teahouse 