SEATTLE+TACOMA TEA SHOPS GIVE HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS ALTERNATIVE

With every social, political or economic trend, comes a contrasting one; a trend which says, "here is something better than what we've been doing." This phenomenon is happening before our eyes as countless Tacoma-Seattleites are choosing a cup of green tea over a cup of coffee.

Most have heard, "tea is full of antioxidants!" or "Green tea slows the signs of aging" and my friends, the rumors are true. This explains why worldwide, tea is the most widely consumed beverage second only to water.

Tea contains a storehouse of chemicals that can improve one's health, including:

• Flavanoids (work against cancer and heart disease)
• Amino acids (building blocks of proteins and source of energy)
• Vitamin K (increases bone mass, inhibits cell death, may lighten dark under-eye circles, inhibits liver cancer)
• Vitamin C (may decrease neurological effects of smoking, lowers incidence of: malnutrition, the common cold, pneumonia, heart disease, low sperm count, altitude sickness, asthma and cancer)
• Caffeine (Central nervous system stimulant)
• Polysaccharides (storage molecules for energy)
  

Tea is broken up into several subgroups according to how they are cultivated.

• White tea: Unwilted and unoxidized [(not "fermented") white tea is the least processed, containing highest concentration of antioxidants]
  
• Yellow tea: Unwilted and unoxidized but allowed to yellow
• Green tea: Wilted and unoxidized
• Oolong tea:Wilted, bruised, and partially oxidized
• Black tea: Wilted, Sometimes crushed, and fully oxidized

Those teas that go through the more intensive cultivating processes are the darker teas, which have a bolder taste and take a few extra minutes to brew in order to release the strong flavor. The only tea listed above that has no caffeine is yellow tea, an essential substance to those constantly on the go.

As the trendiness of tea drinking increases, people are beginning to seek out quality tea shops. Two such local tea houses take on vastly different approaches, one a traditional Chinese tea shop and another that has adopted a more artistic approach to selling quality loose-leaf.

I first met Tim-the-tea-man during my University's Fall break, as my boyfriend and I found an escape from the cold of Pike Place Market in his tea tasting bar. Neither of us had been to a tea tasting before, thus were thrilled by the appeal of the brightly painted green walls, the shelves housing hundreds of huge glass jars filled with exotic loose-leaf teas, and how well Tim took care of us during our stay (and for free!).

We were handed, literally, hundreds of servings of tea in tiny tasting cups, each with a surprisingly robust and delicious flavor. Many feel like coffee, tea has an acquired taste; though those who believe these sentiments are likely to have never tasted Tim's teas before.

We enjoyed floral teas, buttery teas, grassy teas, nutty teas, bitter teas and mild teas. Not only was the selection seemingly never ending, Tim insisted we taste each tea at least twice to fully appreciate the flavor; as tea leaves are used a number of times. The first cup is generally not meant to be drank, as it is more meant to rinse off the leaves. The second-fifth infusions are usually the best.

In addition to knowing exactly which infusions would be the most delicious, Tim knew just how hot and for how long the tea leaves should be brewed. A general rule of thumb states that milder teas, like green and white, are to be brewed at lower temperatures (below boiling point) and for no more than three minutes. Other bolder teas, like oolong and black, are to be brewed at higher temperatures for a couple extra minutes to release the robust flavors.

The teas that Tim sells are imported Chinese loose-leaf teas that can sell for hundreds of dollars a pound. My favorite tea was his rose bud tea, which sells for over $400/lb. Instead of settling on this impossibly justifiable indulgence, I settled on a $2 bag of stevia, a natural sweetener that can be added to teas to decrease their bitterness.

Though I haven't had the chance to visit Tim again, the next time I'm in the need of some heart-warming infusions, I'll pop in to the sound of his cheerful "Hello!"once more.

More recently, my boyfriend took me to a tea shop he discovered in downtown Tacoma called Mad Hat, a play on the name of Alice in Wonderland's quirky character the Mad Hatter, who hosts a cluttered tea party.

This tea shop oozes an air of relaxation, for from the moment I stepped foot in this little shop I felt at home. The employees were scattered throughout the space, one sat lounging on a sofa near the front of the store reading a magazine and sipping a cup of tea, while laughter flooded the back rooms as one employee painted an abstract design on a bare canvas and another absentmindedly restocked the shelves with their little brown bags, filled with loose-leaf and uniquely labeled with creme colored slips of paper adorning animal or plant sketches that describe the tea inside.

Their shelves store hundreds of these little brown bags filled to the brim with quality loose-leaf. These bags are exploding with flavor, as the scents of their "Mad Tropical," and "Peppermint Leaf," permeate through the paper. We sat opening and smelling these bags for a quarter of an hour, having an impossible time deciding which exquisite tea we couldn't leave without. We decided to purchase a couple bags of mint tea, the Mad Tropical, an almond tea and their yerba mate, a tea popular in South America. The teas are all excitedly low-priced, as we picked up a bag with enough tea for hundreds of infusions for a grand total of $3, with our most expensive purchase at a whopping $8.

This tea shop houses not just delicious tea, but beautiful pieces of artwork as well. The walls that aren't lined with metal shelves covered in brown bags are clothed with abstract local art, some colorful and others equally dissonant black and white pieces.

If one isn't looking to purchase tea but rather enjoy it, he or she may come to Mad Hat to try five or six different samples available in thermoses near the front, while admiring provocative, local art.

Because of the health benefits, availability and delicious flavor enjoyed by tea drinkers for centuries, it's no wonder tea drinking has become a trend in recent years. In any major city, one is likely to find a relaxing place to sip a tasty, affordable infusion. Go find yours.