Could tea be the next coffee?
If you are a fanatical coffee drinker, perhaps it seems a daunting task to consider even a temporary alternative. Or perhaps you've always been a tea drinker but would like to sample something more exotic than Lipton's. For tea novices, tea veterans and tea aficionados of all kinds, Remedy Teas, at 345 15th Ave. E., is a tea oasis in Seattle's coffee storm.
Newly inspired, I found about 150 reasons why to decrease my caffeine habits, and they are all on the Remedy Teas menu. Here you can find almost any tea for whatever brand of warm therapy suites your tastes, whether it's an organic wellness tea called Hangover, or, for the weight conscious, Slim/Balancer. Or consider the smoky flavored Gunpowder Pearl from China, or the cinnamon and purple infused oolong tea, Purple Indo. Your tea experience is bound to be aromatic and educational, and you may find tea lovers engaged in conversation about teas up at the counter at any time. Owners Anthony Arnold, A.J. Arnold (Anthony's wife) and Chris Arnold will be able to converse about all things tea.
Having just moved to Seattle, the inundation of coffee in this town is a sensory overload and it feels I'm seeing flashing Espresso neons when I sleep. But Remedy Teas proves there is another way. I can now dream about what different tea I would like to try.
Anthony Arnold's personal favorite is No. 43, the Fine Matcha, which is the greenest and finest ground tea from Japan. This tea provides a major mental boost, perhaps worth keeping in mind for your next job interview. I can vouch that it will keep you so alert that you might complete your monthly to-do list in one night if you drink enough of it.
If you are just out wordsmithing, you might have some fun by grabbing one of the shop's extremely thorough menus. For something to nibble with your tea, Remedy offers a number of treats, including cucumber sandwiches (with chives cream cheese and buttery spread) and other organic delights. Also there is iced tea (naturally), supplement drinks, organic beer and wine and a wide array of pastries.
Arnold, 36, was raised in the music industry and worked in music videos, where he met his wife A. J. He owned a renowned organic café in Hawaii for seven years before opening Remedy. Remedy Teas is something he's clearly passionate about.
"There is nothing phony about us. Everything was designed to build community and to be nice to one another," he said.
Arnold's passion for community and a health-positive mentality comes out in the names of the teas themselves, like No. 5, "Mentalitea," which includes green tea, gingko, ginseng, coriander, fennel and licorice.
Arnold painstakingly made sure the atmosphere was "just so" by working with an architect. The result includes funky-cool stools and furniture, crisp and modern white furniture and the steel barriers to match the modern décor. Arnold made sure to include a kid's area, which, given his sense of community and inclusiveness, he felt was a must.
But the most striking visual feature are the rows of numbered tubes containing the tea that line Remedy's walls. Customers are free to pick them up and investigate at their leisure.
Also impressive is how regular customers know exactly what number tea they want in the six months Remedy has been open. One customer, Arnold explained, has been coming in since the day Remedy opened. He's nicknamed No. 1 for his tea choice. (No. 1 is the Super Antiox tea, a blend of pomegranate berry, sage, blueberry and astralgulus.
In a short time, I met several enthusiastic tea lovers - specifically Remedy tea lovers. Just hang loose for a while at Remedy and you will meet someone who will just liberally scream out their favorite flavor.
Anthony, Chris and A.J. Arnold made sure they hired people who did not necessarily know much about tea.
"I wanted them to learn, to experience it for themselves," he said. Employees go through several months of training.
Sarah, who loves the people she meets at the store, said her favorite is No, 134, Honeybush tea.
"It is a sister of the roiboss tea: it tastes beautiful but it has a hint of attitude," she said.
Just hang out for a while at Remedy and you'll meet someone who will scream out their favorite flavor. As I was asking one of the staff what their favorite was, a woman screamed on her way out, "It is the Silver Earl tea, No. 16, great for Earl Grey lovers!"
Fabulous, I thought, already a mini education.
Arnold said what he loves about Seattle is that the best of everything has come out of the city - the best coffee, the best music. So why not tea?
"It is about us bringing commitment to something that is good for people's lives," he said. After sampling several of his teas, it's pretty clear that he's onto something.
Freelance writer Rebekah LaSala can be reached at editor@ capitolhilltimes.com.[[In-content Ad]]
