Northwest Tea Festival 2025

The 15th Northwest Tea Festival was held on September 27th and 28th in Seattle Center's Exhibition Hall.

With well over 50 vendors, festival attendees had an abundance of tea, teaware, food, and gifts to discover and take home.  Festival admission includes a porcelain tasting cup and most booths had freshly brewed tea ready to sample.  Several vendors also offered tea tastings and demonstrations at their booths.

A puerh tea tasting with Glen Bowers (Crimson Lotus)

A tea ceremony presentation hosted by Sugimoto Tea

Presentations were on two stages with topics ranging from the health benefits, science, and economics of the tea industry to the history, cultural traditions, and production methods of tea growing regions. 

Workshops returned this year and were welcomed back with great enthusiasm as online tickets sold out quickly.

The always popular Tea Bar had a rotating schedule of hosts providing tea tastings throughout the weekend. 

Sam Culwell, Diarmuid Fahy, and Colton Meyers serve tea at the Tea Bar

Josh Brock (The Empty Cup) serves tea at the Tea Bar

Thanks so much to everyone who made this event possible!

Be sure to mark your calendars for Northwest Tea Festival 2026 which will be held on September 26th and 27th.  

Cafe Flora

Cafe Flora has been serving vegetarian cuisine using local ingredients in Seattle's Madison Valley neighborhood since 1991. I had the opportunity to stop by for the first time in December to enjoy their Holiday Afternoon Tea.

Seating is available in the dining room, atrium, and outdoor patio. We were seated in the light-filled atrium which features a stone fountain and a tree growing in the center of the room.

The tea menu includes black, green, oolong, and herbal teas from Portal Tea (formerly Tea Chai Te), another long-standing fixture in the Pacific Northwest. They also offer festive mixed drinks, including an alcohol-free option, and wine.

My tea for this festive occasion was Gingerbread Chai. Everything was delicious and I especially enjoyed the gingerbread scone, English cucumber and herbed cream cheese sandwich, and evergreen meringue.

Cafe Flora offers vegan and gluten-free alternatives and can accommodate other dietary restrictions with enough notice. While afternoon tea is only offered on holidays and requires a reservation, many of the teas listed on the afternoon tea menu are also included on their daily menu.

Address:
2901 E. Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112

Hours:
Monday-Friday 9:00am to 9:00pm
Saturday & Sunday 8:00am to 2:30pm and 5:00pm to 9:00pm

Fly Chai

Thanks to a timely tip, I was able to visit Fly Chai during its grand opening weekend December 18-21, 2025.  The tea room is located in downtown Beaverton, Oregon and very convenient from the freeway if you're passing through like myself.

During my visit I had the opportunity to meet the owner, Neil Bhatnagar, who gave us a tour and shared his vision for Fly Chai.  He has brought his experience in hospitality together with his cultural and familial roots to create a community space that celebrates the diversity of the neighborhood.

The tea room has lots of natural light and plentiful seating on the ground floor as well as upstairs where you'll find more tables alongside several comfortable sofas.  Orders are placed at the counter and brought to your table. 

The menu offers a wide range of hot and iced chai, matcha, coffee, hot chocolate, desserts, and small bites.  The chai is made from a family recipe with Assam tea, fresh spices, and gud (jaggery) syrup and is served in clay cups.  It's customizable for spice levels and dairy options and is available as single-serve, flights, in tea pots for groups, and as a starter kit to brew at home.

For this visit, I enjoyed the Firestarter Chai with Bun Maska.  Note that spicier options like the Firestarter, which contains some of the spices you would find in Sichuan cooking, are not fooling around.  I enjoy mid-to-high spice levels depending on the occasion and this was at the top of my heat tolerance.  Respect your limits and you'll have a fantastic chai experience.  

Before leaving, I ordered the yummy Jaggery Brown Sugar Chai for the long drive home.  I'm definitely looking forward to visiting again whenever I'm in the neighborhood.

Be sure to follow Fly Chai on Instagram for the latest updates!

Address:
12520 SW Farmington Rd, Beaverton, OR 97005

Hours:
10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Cascadia Autumn Steep 'n Sip 2025

On November 1st I attended the Autumn Steep 'n Sip, a virtual event presented by Cascadia Tea Festival where tea enthusiasts had the opportunity to gather for tea and conversation from the comfort of their own homes.

While attendees could drink anything they preferred during the Steep 'n Sip, an optional festival-in-a-box was available for purchase before the event.  The box included a nice selection of teas from local businesses as well as an adorable and seasonally appropriate frog and pumpkin tea pet.  

Cascadia Tea Festival co-founder Jessica Campbell was the host, making introductions and keeping the conversation lively.

Glen Bowers (Crimson Lotus) introduced us to Shou Girls, a 2025 shou puerh included in the tea box, and shared his recipe for single-serve "Shousala Chai.  Fill a mug with water and pour that into a pan with 2.5+ grams of shou puerh, cardamom, cinnamon, a few cloves, and sliced or crushed ginger. Heat on high until it's boiled down about halfway, fill the mug halfway with whole milk and pour into the pot and bring it back to a boil, watching closely.  When it's close to boiling over, remove from heat, pour through a strainer into the mug, and enjoy!

Thuy (Tea J Tea) chatted with us while we enjoyed Korean Roasted Corn (Popcorn) Tea with butter cookies from the tea box.  Tea J Tea's original business model is focused on tea and pastry pairings and I can confirm that their pairings are always on point.  After attending World Tea Expo and finding no Vietnamese tea representation, they were inspired to visit tea farms in Viet Nam which lead to the development of their Vietnamese Flower Garden Collection.  Thuy recommends brewing Vietnamese tea short as it can get bitter quickly and highly recommended Vietnamese Ya Bao (wild bud tea) which is picked between December and March.

Laurie Dawson (Whatcom Tea) introduced us to a very unique and honestly delightful method of preparing gongfu-style rose-infused tea.  Place the strainer over the cha hai (fairness pitcher), add a few rose buds to the strainer, and pour the tea into the pitcher.  The resulting aroma and flavor were very pleasant without overpowering the puerh.

This was a great opportunity to relax, sip tea, and spend time with other tea people and I look forward to similar future events.  

Be sure to check the official Cascadia Tea Festival website regularly for upcoming events, including a Virtual Tea Festival in May!

Tea Review: Sayamacha Okumidori Fukamushicha (Yunomi/Yokota Tea Garden)

Sayamacha Okumidori Fukamushicha おくみどり

Yokota Tea Garden/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Saitama Prefecture, Sayama
Product Description: 

Premium fukamushicha (a deep steamed tea leaf) made with a single tea plant cultivar, okumidori. The Okumidori tea cultivar is a cultivar that has been quite popular in recent years for its strong natural umami flavor and refreshing taste and smell. It is often blended with the Yabukita cultivar but this tea from the Yokota Tea Garden is a single cultivar, allowing you to fully taste this well-rounded cultivar. Grown by 4th, 5th, and 6th generation tea farmers in the famous Sayama region of Saitama prefecture.

Temperature: 160° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1-1.5 minutes

The dry leaves have nutty aroma with a hint of green.

The pale green liquor has a savory, nutty and lightly green edamame-like aroma and flavor with a long, refreshing green finish.

As expected, and something I look forward to with deep-steamed tea, the first infusion was light and pleasant while the second developed a brighter liquor color and a deeper, richer flavor.  While I enjoyed this tea at the recommended brewing time of 30-60 seconds, I found that I much preferred the greener results by brewing for 1-1.5 minutes.  At a higher temperature, the shorter brewing time works very well. 

This was a Fukubukuro tea, selected by Yunomi staff after you specify the grade.  Fukubukuro (lucky bag) are available as part of the Japanese New Year's festivities and are most often blind bags from retailers.  It's always a fun surprise to see what's inside and the packaging for my tea was beautiful.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Uji Gyokuro (Yunomi/Nagatani Tea)

Uji Gyokuro - Gokou & Uji Midori

Nagatani Tea/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Kyoto Prefecture, Ujitawara Town, Yuyadani Valley
Product Description:

A high quality gyokuro from the family-owned tea factory, Nagatani Tea. This gyokuro was made from two cultivars that are from the Kyoto prefecture: Gokou and Uji Midori. With the gokou cultivar known for its' rich umami and the Uji Midori characteristic of its aromatic characteristics (floral, creamy aroma), please delight in the dance of these two cultivars! 

A bit more about these two cultivars (for those who are curious): These two cultivars were specifically developed to suit the soil and climate of Kyoto prefecture. Both are cultivars that are well-suited for shading, therefore, it is often made into gyokuro or matcha. Gokou is perhaps the more common, characteristic with its' earthy aroma and deep umami. The aromatic Uji Midori cultivar was selected in 1985 from a seed of zairai (native) tea bushes from Uji. In comparison to the gokou, it is still quite a rare cultivar perhaps because it does not leave a strong impression with its' lighter umami. 

Temperature: 140-176° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 2-3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of nuts, nut shells, and nori.  

The liquor is pale green with a savory, nutty, and edamame aroma.  The taste is light and nutty with notes of spinach and edamame.

While this gyokuro is light and pleasant at 140° F, I especially enjoyed the deeper, greener results when brewed at 176° F.  The fullest flavor was in the first infusion, followed by at least two more lighter yet enjoyable infusions.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Starfire Licorice (Whatcom Tea)

Starfire Licorice

Whatcom Tea
Type: Flavored Black
Origin: Not Provided
Product Description: Not provided.

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3-5 minutes

The dry leaf blend includes star anise, chamomile, cinnamon, fennel, licorice root, orange peel, cloves, wild cherry bark, blackberry leaf, papaya leaf, and peppermint.

The golden liquor has an aroma and flavor of licorice at the front followed by notes of cinnamon, clove, and chamomile.  The finish is long and refreshing.

This is a versatile herbal blend and can be steeped for a wide range of times with good results.  I found that increasing the steeping time between infusions helped to boost the flavor.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Kuki Hojicha (Kaminari Issa)

Kuki Hojicha/​茎ほうじ茶​

Kaminari Issa/雷一茶
Type: Green
Origin: Japan
Product Description:

This tea is made from roasted sencha stems and has a fragrant, refreshing taste.

Temperature: 176° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 2-3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of fresh roasted chestnuts.

The aroma and taste of the copper-orange liquor is rich with notes of roasted nuts.

This tea was delicious throughout three infusions with the fullest flavor in the first.  While it mellows slightly by the second infusion, adding a minute or two to the steeping time after the first really helped to bring out the flavor.  For those of us who don't always watch a timer and get distracted easily, this hojicha does well at almost any temperature and steeping time.  This tea is available in-store only, at the time of this review.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Gochujang Chai (Onyx/Atria)

Gochujang Chai

Atria/Onyx
Type: Flavored Black
Origin: India, Nilgiri, Iyerpadi Estate
Product Description:

This organic chai is a distinctly unique Onyx blend that starts with a base of single estate black tea from Iyerpadi Estate, one of the highest tea estates in the world nestled in the Nilgiris, the "Blue Mountains" of Southern India. The featured spices include ginger root, cinnamon, cardamom pods, clove, lemon-grass, and Gochugaru, a sun-dried Korean red pepper. The brewed tea is a balance of savory heat and warm sweetness, producing the ultimate cup of chai with a full body and delicate lingering spice notes. Very enjoyable on its own and comforting when paired with your favorite milk.

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3-5 minutes

The dry leaf blend includes black tea, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, gochugara Korean red pepper, and lemongrass.

The dark red liquor has a spicy and sweet aroma with cinnamon, cloves, and pepper at the front.  The taste is bold and spicy with mild astringency.

While this is a particularly spicy chai blend, it doesn't burn the tongue.  Instead, I found it pleasantly warming.  I especially enjoyed the second infusion which was slightly mellower.  Increasing the steeping time after the first infusion helped to liven up the flavor and the pepper notes had moved to the front by the third.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Russian Caravan (Experience Tea)

Russian Caravan
Experience Tea
Type: Flavored Black
Origin: Not Provided
Product Description:

A traditional black tea blend with a light smokiness reminiscent of the tea carried to the czars in caravans from China. It can be thought of as the original “man tea”. Think about pairing this tea with a stout blue cheese!

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3-5 minutes

The dry leaves have a bold aroma of wood smoke.

The copper-red liquor has a heady aroma of smoke and berries.  The taste is boldly smoky with berry-like notes, and a long finish.

I admit to having a fondness for smoky teas and this is a lovely Russian Caravan.  The berry-like notes in the aroma and taste were unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome.  This tea produced three flavorful infusions with the profile mellowing slightly by the third. 

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.