You are shopping to your heart’s delight at the Pike Market. And now you’d like to take a break, sit down for a moment, and have a nice cup of tea. Somewhere with a table and chairs and a warm atmosphere would be nice. You’re in luck. The Perennial Tea Room (206-448-4054) at 1910 Post Alley is open daily from 9:30am - 6:00pm.  The owners, Julee Rosanoff and her business partner Sue Zuege, have been serving the tea community since 1990, 23 years in Seattle.

She started hosting tea parties for her family and friends. Then she moved on to giving classes to hotels offering afternoon tea. After that came a tea pot store, and finally, a full tea store. 

 Julee loves all kinds of tea, and has a wide variety of loose and packaged teas that are oftentimes annoyingly hard to find. She stocks Barnes & Watson, Bewleys of Ireland, Barry’s, PG Tips, Taylors of Harrogate, Twinings, Typhoo, Harney & Sons, Murroughs, Steven Smith, and Silk Road, among others. The great news is: you will not find these teas in the local grocery store. It’s an opportunity to try a new tea before deciding whether or not you like it enough to buy it in volume. Some teas have sat on my shelf for years, because I don’t like them, won’t drink them, and obviously, will not throw them away. With this assortment and background in tea, do you wonder if Julee blends any of her own teas?

Yes indeed! Perennial Tea Room blends two very special teas: the Perennial Tea Room Seattle Breakfast Blend, a nice get-up-and-get-going morning tea, and Room Eleven, It’s Heaven Tea. Room Eleven was blended by grade schoolers who were studying the Boston Tea Party. With Indian and Ceylon teas, it’s wonderful for afternoons. It may have been what the Patriots threw overboard. Or not.

Besides tea, the tea room carries delicate yet sturdy cast iron tea pots from the Orient, and  an assortment of traditional and whimsical pots. Accessories, tea wares, and books take up the remaining space in the shop.

The Perennial Tea Room is a study in tea and it’s culture, and well worth the visit. It’s  entertaining, enlightening, and comfortable. Additionally, the Perennial Tea Room is part of the NW Tea Festival, happening Oct 6 & 7, at the Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center. Check out the website for the tea room: www.perennialtearoom.com, and in the Fall, come to the Festival. Educate yourself, entertain your palate.