Monday June 7, 2010 | 1 comment
Our tea journey through the coffee-soaked streets of Seattle takes us to the neighborhood of Wallingford this month and a cozy little place called Teahouse Kuan Yin. Wallingford is located in the heart of Seattle on the north shore of Lake Union. Gasworks Park is a major draw in the spring and summer and is a popular 
kite-flying spot. 45th Street is the heart of the business district and has a wide selection of pubs, theatres, and coffee shops. Nestled among these attractions is this little gem of a teahouse.
I stopped by Kuan Yin the other day after being referred to it by a friend and coworker. I managed to find a parking spot right in front of the shop and made my way in. The décor is colorful, with the usual rotating local art adorning the walls and plenty of tables. I snagged a table by the window and discovered my one and only complaint about the store – the chairs. Many of them are of the folding variety and not terribly comfortable. Fix this aspect and this might just be my new favorite spot. As usual, I selected a Taiwanese Oolong from the menu and placed my order.
My tray arrived at my table containing a clay pot with loose leaves, a cup, a decanter, a strainer, and to my surprise and delight, an insulated pitcher full of piping hot water. I was delighted to discover that I would be entrusted with my own steeping times and frequency without having to go back up to the counter for hot water every five minutes. This made for a much more independent and hands-on experience, which I greatly enjoyed. The Dong Pian that I selected was buttery smooth – as are most high-quality oolongs – with many of the same floral and citrus notes that I have become accustomed to. This particular tea seemed more masculine than some of the other high-mountain oolongs that I have sampled and showed me that it could take a punch by going through five or six steepings without flinching.
Overall, I was able to look past the decorative shortcomings to the excellent selection of teas as well as the unique (so far) method of presenting oolongs to the customer in a cafe setting. This also happens to be the only place I have found where one can elect to have his or her oolong presented in the gong fu style. I’ll be sure and give that a go the next time I stop by.
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That is an interesting idea of providing water at the table for subsequent steepings. My only concern would be that the water remained at the appropriate temperature long enough. Truth is, you probably weren’t there for longer than an hour or two so I suspect it was fine. Thanks for the introduction to the tea shop.