Floating Leaves Tea House, Seattle

One of my favorite online vendors is opening a local tea house. I have a feeling this will become a destination for regional tea lovers and out-of-town visitors, and I'm thrilled to have it close to home. The tea room is in a colorful and fun neighborhood, near several sightseeing stops (have to update my Tea in Seattle page with a new sightseeing-tea tour!).

I was lucky enough to attend a preview two weeks ago, where I spent a couple of hours happily sipping various oolongs and puerhs prepared gongfu style. I'll post a full review here next week, once I've visited again. For now, here's the information for their Grand Opening:

Floating Leaves Tea House Seattle's Premier Source for Gourmet Chinese Tea Saturday, July 9 2213 NW Market (in the Ballard area) 1/2 price drinks all day Tea Tastings and Tea Talks Live Music @ 7pm -- Koto, Shakuhachi & Songs by: Elizabeth Falconer, John Falconer, Aiko Shimada http://floatingleaves.com/

Cindy's Sipping Recommendations, based on the recent tasting session and my own orders:

• Bao Zhong, they have two and both are quite nice


• Ali Shan & Li Shan Oolongs, with their rich and buttery aftertaste


• House Black Tea (decent price and quite a nice, sturdy tea from yunnan -- holds up to milk well)


• Forest Floor Puerh, my husband's favorite, is a wonderful loose leaf puerh from China that tastes as if it were specifically made for sipping in the Pacific Northwest

Standard Disclaimer: no affiliation other than being a happily satisfied customer.