You will learn more about tea that you never knew. You can find every kind of tea for purchase. Roberta is wonderful!
Atmosphere: 5
Alex G.
Cute little shop, with a unique storefront right on Front Street, although a little easy to miss if you aren't looking for it. It's right next door to Levitate. It is a well-organized store with a large selection of teas, organized into green, oolong, black, rooibos, etc. I was greeted by the a friendly and beaming young lady. She answered my questions, made useful suggestions based on what I was looking for, shared her passion for tea, and was helpful all the until I was out the door. The teas were so fresh and fragrant that I'm going to have to go back and try everything that stood out. The GenMaicha tastes as you'd expect and the Caramel Cake Rooibos was an unexpected treat! There is something charming about tea shops, and this quaint shop might have more magic than the rest. In addition, I found the prices on par, if not more affordable than some other places in Seattle. I highly recommend browsing the teas here and check out the classes and activities that they offer.
Phi M.
The feel of the store, at first impression, was a bit sterile. However, the staff was very friendly servers that seemed knowledgeable about tea. This included notes, aroma and feel. They had some pastries left over from an earlier British tea experience and offered some to us. The concept was a neat one focused on expounding tea knowledge and sharing about visits to tea growing locations. They had a great selection of many different tea types (white, green, oolong, puer, black herbals, infusions, etc.). However, it seems like it was relying on the concept of tea classes rather than serving exceptional tea.Now for the factors that negatively influenced my review. While the concept of a tea training was neat, we were denied a quick tasting of a selection of tea. They said it would take 1.5 hours, but we were only looking for a 10 minute taste of a variety of teas to decide if we liked them and see if we wanted to buy in bulk (if we liked them). We tried a few and shared among ourselves, but the preparation was not properly done so as to get a good taste. The water used (simple hot water spout) was not the correct temperature (not hot enough) so the extraction of the tea was lacking and had very weak tea. It was also not ideal since there were no proper tea pots to steep and share tea in small cups.Second, I found the ambiance a bit sterile that could be made more amenable to hanging out tasting tea as many tea tasting places make. However, I understand that their model is made to not allow lingering.Lastly, I think they are missing a very important factor of tea and that is of the ceremony of tea preparation and serving. Proper tea cupping (which they did have a setting) for Chinese teas or tea pots for British black teas with milk. Instead we got single paper cups without lids steeped in lukewarm water. The entire experience of tea preparation, tasting and enjoying was lacking despite the name of the store.Consequently, I found the concept of the store a good one, but it was lacking in execution for those that walk-in. Perhaps if I was able to get a course booking to experience tea that would have been different. However, if that is the intent, then you should be a primarily appointment only place without walk-in service along with online orders. I am leaving this review mainly to help the store improve the experience rather than just a critical review. I would love to see them succeed and improve.
kristin lee
Huge fan! So many teas to choose from & I had a white, lemon ginger that was delish. Amy is a wonderful hostess.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Debra Westwood
Attended the Tea Discovery class. Learned a lot about how & where tea is grown & processed and how that affects the flavor. It’s as complex as wine! Barbara clearly knows & loves her topic. She presents the information clearly & with real appreciation so you can compare & contrast as you taste each type of tea. The class helped me be a smarter tea consumer (no brewing tea in those ball things!!) & appreciate the work that people on the other side of the world put into making my morning cup possible. A really fun way to spend the morning!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Kris Shine
Roberta led such a wonderful masala chai class. I learned so much and the extra bonus was being able to experiment and try other participants blends. I would definitely attend another class.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loren Smith
HIGHLY RECOMMEND! ITS WORTH IT ?Roberta, owner of Experience Tea is a national treasure!My family and I recently participated in Roberta’s Tea, Cheese and Chocolate explorative class which she hosts at her shop.Superb VALUE!!Blending her knowledge, experience and passion for introducing people to tea Roberta offers a UNIQUELY engaging, stress free, no hassle down right FUN and informative tea sipping session.Thank you for a proper introduction and cherished memories!
Amber Pfeifer
Super informative staff
Denali Williams
A lovely tea shop. Friendly, helpful staff. I look forward to exploring this place in-depth!
Teri N.
My first time here I got a sample of the hibiscus punch and fully fell in love. I came back to buy more and it was 3:51pm and they close at 4:00. The lady didn't let me in and told me I'm closing dear. So yeah .. very disappointing as I was going to purchase the hibiscus punch again but oh well .... I guess I will order online from another place. Next time ... stay open till your closing time and maybe you would've gotten a big sale.
The owner is very friendly and helpful. She has a great selection of tea! At least some of them she blends herself. I come in every couple months to stock up. It's hard to pick only a handful of flavors each time.
Smitty M.
I really wanted to like this place. They did such a cute educational session on tea for kids. But all in all the service was horrible. The staff were rude and the tea was over priced with a mundane selection.
Jennifer Wujcik
Participated in a tea class. Very engaging and learned a lot about the history of tea and how it's created. Owner, Roberta is very friendly and knowledgeable!
Joanie V.
The most amazing selection! So happy with the variety and the owner is very happy to assist you personally. It is also in a great area.
Greg Smith
THE very best selection of knowingly curated teas I have found anywhere in the US.
You will learn more about tea that you never knew. You can find every kind of tea for purchase. Roberta is wonderful!
Atmosphere: 5
Cute little shop, with a unique storefront right on Front Street, although a little easy to miss if you aren't looking for it. It's right next door to Levitate. It is a well-organized store with a large selection of teas, organized into green, oolong, black, rooibos, etc. I was greeted by the a friendly and beaming young lady. She answered my questions, made useful suggestions based on what I was looking for, shared her passion for tea, and was helpful all the until I was out the door. The teas were so fresh and fragrant that I'm going to have to go back and try everything that stood out. The GenMaicha tastes as you'd expect and the Caramel Cake Rooibos was an unexpected treat! There is something charming about tea shops, and this quaint shop might have more magic than the rest. In addition, I found the prices on par, if not more affordable than some other places in Seattle. I highly recommend browsing the teas here and check out the classes and activities that they offer.
The feel of the store, at first impression, was a bit sterile. However, the staff was very friendly servers that seemed knowledgeable about tea. This included notes, aroma and feel. They had some pastries left over from an earlier British tea experience and offered some to us. The concept was a neat one focused on expounding tea knowledge and sharing about visits to tea growing locations. They had a great selection of many different tea types (white, green, oolong, puer, black herbals, infusions, etc.). However, it seems like it was relying on the concept of tea classes rather than serving exceptional tea.Now for the factors that negatively influenced my review. While the concept of a tea training was neat, we were denied a quick tasting of a selection of tea. They said it would take 1.5 hours, but we were only looking for a 10 minute taste of a variety of teas to decide if we liked them and see if we wanted to buy in bulk (if we liked them). We tried a few and shared among ourselves, but the preparation was not properly done so as to get a good taste. The water used (simple hot water spout) was not the correct temperature (not hot enough) so the extraction of the tea was lacking and had very weak tea. It was also not ideal since there were no proper tea pots to steep and share tea in small cups.Second, I found the ambiance a bit sterile that could be made more amenable to hanging out tasting tea as many tea tasting places make. However, I understand that their model is made to not allow lingering.Lastly, I think they are missing a very important factor of tea and that is of the ceremony of tea preparation and serving. Proper tea cupping (which they did have a setting) for Chinese teas or tea pots for British black teas with milk. Instead we got single paper cups without lids steeped in lukewarm water. The entire experience of tea preparation, tasting and enjoying was lacking despite the name of the store.Consequently, I found the concept of the store a good one, but it was lacking in execution for those that walk-in. Perhaps if I was able to get a course booking to experience tea that would have been different. However, if that is the intent, then you should be a primarily appointment only place without walk-in service along with online orders. I am leaving this review mainly to help the store improve the experience rather than just a critical review. I would love to see them succeed and improve.
Huge fan! So many teas to choose from & I had a white, lemon ginger that was delish. Amy is a wonderful hostess.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Attended the Tea Discovery class. Learned a lot about how & where tea is grown & processed and how that affects the flavor. It’s as complex as wine! Barbara clearly knows & loves her topic. She presents the information clearly & with real appreciation so you can compare & contrast as you taste each type of tea. The class helped me be a smarter tea consumer (no brewing tea in those ball things!!) & appreciate the work that people on the other side of the world put into making my morning cup possible. A really fun way to spend the morning!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Roberta led such a wonderful masala chai class. I learned so much and the extra bonus was being able to experiment and try other participants blends. I would definitely attend another class.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
HIGHLY RECOMMEND! ITS WORTH IT ?Roberta, owner of Experience Tea is a national treasure!My family and I recently participated in Roberta’s Tea, Cheese and Chocolate explorative class which she hosts at her shop.Superb VALUE!!Blending her knowledge, experience and passion for introducing people to tea Roberta offers a UNIQUELY engaging, stress free, no hassle down right FUN and informative tea sipping session.Thank you for a proper introduction and cherished memories!
Super informative staff
A lovely tea shop. Friendly, helpful staff. I look forward to exploring this place in-depth!
My first time here I got a sample of the hibiscus punch and fully fell in love. I came back to buy more and it was 3:51pm and they close at 4:00. The lady didn't let me in and told me I'm closing dear. So yeah .. very disappointing as I was going to purchase the hibiscus punch again but oh well .... I guess I will order online from another place. Next time ... stay open till your closing time and maybe you would've gotten a big sale.
Restaurantji Recommends
The owner is very friendly and helpful. She has a great selection of tea! At least some of them she blends herself. I come in every couple months to stock up. It's hard to pick only a handful of flavors each time.
I really wanted to like this place. They did such a cute educational session on tea for kids. But all in all the service was horrible. The staff were rude and the tea was over priced with a mundane selection.
Participated in a tea class. Very engaging and learned a lot about the history of tea and how it's created. Owner, Roberta is very friendly and knowledgeable!
The most amazing selection! So happy with the variety and the owner is very happy to assist you personally. It is also in a great area.
THE very best selection of knowingly curated teas I have found anywhere in the US.