The Tea Cup has been lurking just off the corner of Boston and Queen Anne for quite a while – sort of lurking back behind all the big coffee shops on that corner (Starbucks, Tullys, Pete’s Coffee, and Ladro). It’s been overshadowed for ages. We’ve been going there because Karen doesn’t “do caffeine”, and frankly they’ve got some fantastic teas.
When Tully’s finally pulled the plug on that aggressively coffee corner at the top of Queen Anne, I was very happy to see that the Tea Cup took it over and expanded their little shop into one of those corner cafe’s where you could sit, enjoy a pot of tea, and chat with your friends for a while. Classic coffee shop setup – just with tea instead of coffee.
The folks at the Tea Cup have a chronicle of redoing the space on Flickr which is pretty interesting. I really like the new feel of the space, with wood facades and warmer colors (strangely critical to be honest in Seattle’s winters).
We stopped by today to get more of a truly excellent holiday tea – Orcas Island Spice. It’s one of their herbal blends, and just the right combination of spicy/cinnamon flavors that make up what I think of as a holiday tea. The best part is as an herbal, it doesn’t get that bitterness with extra steeping – it just gets a stronger punch of spice to it. You can purchase some online – although make sure you have a tea strainer available if you get some, because it’s sold as a loose tea.
Rhonabwy 
We visited there Saturday. I thought the floor was a little over the top — it was a tad too much wood grain for my eyes. But the test of it seems very nicely done. I think their next step ought to be to bring in some plants and artwork.
That’s still the most caffeinated corner in all of Seattle.
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