Tea Shops Washington DC
Tea shops or tea houses are cafes in which tea can be consumed, usually with the accompaniment of fine foods and snacks, as well as tea and tea accessories can be purchased for at-home consumption. Tea shops will often offer rare tea selections, as well as teacups, teapots, tea tools and serving components. Read through the following articles to learn more about tea and find local tea shops and providers who can help you find what you’re looking for.
Empress Lounge at Mandarin Oriental Hotel
202-787-6868
202-787-6868
1330 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, DC
Washington, DC
Washington National Cathedral
202-537-8993
202-537-8993
Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues NW
Washington, DC
Washington, DC
Hillwood Cafe at Hillwood Estate, Museum, & Gardens
202--686-5807
202--686-5807
4155 Linnean Avenue NW
Washington, DC
Washington, DC
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Afternoon or High Tea
British merchants devised processing methods for "black tea"(fully fermented) and marketed tea both in England and abroad. The Tea Exchange, where millions of "tea chests" are traded annually is still in London, whereas the Coffee Exchange is in N.Y. London is still the place to go for a perfectly serves afternoon tea, which depending on the establishment, may consist of a couple of cups of tea along with some pastries, but more often than not is a meal. First, be aware that no self-respecting tearoom will use tea bags, always loose leaves. In 1610, Dutch traders brought the first commercial shipment of tea to Europe from China. Even tough it took cargo ships four years to get to China and back, tea drinking swept Europe by the late 17th century. In London, two events helped herald the era of tea. The plague outbreak of 1665 made the population crave a healthy life – boiled water and fresh air. One of the upsides of the Great Fire of London (1666) was the creation of open spaces in the overcrowded town. Soon vacant lots became the new fashionable places, leafy, gentle gardens with names such as the Temple of Flora. As tea consumption caught on they changed into tea gardens. The government was quick to realize an excellent tax revenue source and imposed a considerable tax on tea both in the U K ands all colonies; this lasted from 1689 – 1964. The tax was fatally unpopular in some places, i.e. Boston in 1773, which started the War of Independence. China, at the time the only source of tea and was insisting on being paid in silver for tea and in 1793, Lord Macartney was dispatched to China in an attempt to convince the Chinese to accept British goods instead. He failed, but British merchants came up with a more sinister plan – smuggling opium into China and demanding payment in silver. The situation deteriorated and created havoc with the social fabric having made a large proportion f the population heroin addicts. In 1893, Chinese authorities destroyed 20,000 chests of British opium and a year later, the Admiralty sent a fleet to force China to open her ports to buy their "drug". While the opium wars were raging in China, British merchants started growing tea in nor... |
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