397336 Tue May 01 13:15:24 -0700 2007 13 61 Austin 0 2531803 I'm looking for some good tea shops, to sit and sip tea. What can you recommend? Coffee's fine, too, but really I want some good tea and good tea ambiance. Tue May 01 13:15:24 -0700 2007 95605 Jessila 1 2531908 Good question. I don't have a recommendation myself, but I'd love to hear about some good tea shops in town. There's a new one named the Steeping Room that has opened up in the Domain. Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to try them yet. Tue May 01 13:43:04 -0700 2007 2531803 34145 verily 1 2532085 There's also the Tea Embassy downtown. (http://www.teaembassy.com/) I haven't been but I do remember reading a favorable review some time back, perhaps in the Chronicle. Tue May 01 14:26:07 -0700 2007 2531803 88335 ashes 2 2532209 This place is awesome. Tea Embassy all the way. The tea (selection and quality) is fantastic, and the staff really know their stuff. The place itself has excellent ambiance; it is classy and relaxing. Tue May 01 14:58:03 -0700 2007 2532085 47618 tom in austin 3 2532588 as awesome as tea embassy is, it is truly a tea "shop", not a tea house in the sense that you can buy a pot of tea to sit and enjoy for the afternoon, which is what i'm guessing you'd like to do. it is a tea and teawares store and they have freshly brewed tea you can sample but no tea or food service, unfortunately. i hope they change this soon ;) the steeping room in the domain is a full tea shop and cafe. they have a smaller tea and gifts selection, much of it modeled after tea embassy. they have a simple menu but for the type of food it is quite expensive... but good. Tue May 01 16:38:57 -0700 2007 2532209 43533 yimay 2 2991628 I was very disappointed in The Tea Embassy and feel reluctant to suggest it to anyone. While I was there I bought some Bai Hao (Oriental Beauty). The harvest for Bai Hao was a month ago, and 2007 has been a really good year for this aromatic Taiwanese tea. The proprietress told me that the Bai Hao was not from 2006 (a bad year), but neither were they fresh. This is no matter as Bai Hao can be aged. The dry leaves looked right for Bai Hao-- five colors displayed across twisted, hairy leaves. However the brew was insipid. It was flat, dirty and astringent. It tasted like bad English Breakfast. It did not taste anything at all like Bai Hao. I removed the leaves and looked at them now that they were unfurled-- it was a fake! Real Bai Hao has small insect bites on the leaves. These bites give the tea its fruity aroma and complex flavor. The leaves in my gaiwan were entirely unblemished. Not one bite on any of the leaves in my cup! I am sure the proprietress did not intend to pass along a fake, but fakes abound in Chinese and Taiwanese teas and this was certainly one of them. If the vendor did not know about the insect bites that are required for Bai Hao, then the vendor should know from taste alone that something is not right with this tea. A good tea vendor should be able to discern good tea from very bad tea. That this establishment continues to receive an award for "Best local authorities on tea" is a testament to how far we have to come. For better teas and knowledge I suggest Formosa or The Steeping Room. Sun Sep 30 21:43:11 -0700 2007 2532085 131272 malhomme 1 2532807 i had the BEST litchi iced tea at the steeping room Tue May 01 17:51:00 -0700 2007 2531803 95676 hungryfoodie 1 2537534 It is too bad that you can't sit and drink at Tea Embassy, le sigh. I am not sure that this would at all have the ambiance you are looking for, but I recall having a good tea experience at Anderson's coffee and tea maybe a year or so ago. It is small, in an old house type setting (dark wood walls/wood floors) in the little Kerbey Lane village of stores. You can check out the teas they serve on their web site: http://www.andersonscoffee.com/tea.html but I would say that place is for a nice tea on a sleepy Saturday morning while you read the paper. It is not the place to go if you want a "fine high tea" type experience. When I was there, I believe I had Earl Grey w/Lavender, which I recall being fairly good. I spoil myself with Flowery Earl from Harrod's and so to me no earl will beat that, but I remember anderson's being decent. I also purchased a quarter pound of an herbal mint there, and I recall that they have a wall of adorable tea pots for sale. Another option: I noticed that a place called "Jade Leaves Tea House" is about to open up Guadalupe at 32nd or so, near Boomerang's and Celebration. I will definitely be checking it out when it opens and report if it's anything decent. Best of luck. Thu May 03 07:48:22 -0700 2007 2531803 93628 femmenikita 2 3408891 Has anyone been to Jade Leaves Tea House yet? I had a good time chatting over a pot of darjeeling at the Steeping Room yesterday. Great tea, great service. I didn't try the food though. Mon Feb 18 07:49:07 -0800 2008 2537534 12229 nacho 1 2540530 I saw that it looks like some place is going to open across from the Wheatsville food coop, but I don't think it is open yet. I went to the Steeping Room for the first time this weekend with friends and thought it was excellent. They have a small retail tea area, but carry over 80 teas. I got a great honey dan chong oolong and a coconut green that is insanely good iced. I'm hooked. As for the food- another winner, we shared the rustica salad with chicken and some goat cheese and black olive tea sandwiches that came with a side salad. Everything was fresh and well executed. I especially liked their salad dressing. The tea itself was good too. We shared a pot of their afternoon classic and my friend got a "moteato" which was very mojito-like just minus the alcohol and add the green tea. All and all we'd give it thumbs up, no one rushed us and we were able to sit, visit, eat and enjoy our tea- what could be better? Fri May 04 00:28:50 -0700 2007 2531803 96231 annay 1 2542712 There is a tea shop that you want. http://www.teaguide.net/tearoomstexas.htm#round_rock They even have high tea. Clotted cream, tea and scones.. talk about heavenly Fri May 04 15:14:20 -0700 2007 2531803 96374 philip.thong 1 3409387 both the steeping room and kerias tea in round rock are great places to have tea or buy teas .i know kerias does high tea by reservation.the steeping room has sandwiches,salads teas and desserts and the place is great to relax and enjoy a good time. Mon Feb 18 10:19:11 -0800 2008 2531803 117180 nytexan 1 3752848 I love zhi tea. i heard they are opening a new shop somewhere in town (east austin?). they carry many of my favorites. does anyone know where they are? -tl Thu Jun 05 11:21:35 -0700 2008 2531803 198191 teahawk 2 3755124 I also recommend The Steeping Room and Keria Teas in Round Rock. Both have excellent selections of teas. Keria Teas is really helpful when you want to try something new. They always have delicious scones to enjoy while sipping. I have done their teas at different times and have always enjoyed them. - by reservation only - While the steeping room has a great selection of teas and their salads and sandwiches are delicious, it still seems "too commercial" for a relaxing afternoon. It is quite busy and noisy, while Keria Teas setting is an old 100 year old historical building with squeaky floors. I recommend Kerias Teas over The Steeping Room. Fri Jun 06 04:28:36 -0700 2008 3752848 96067 Meshelle