Vital Tea Leaf (Seattle)

Vital Tea Leaf is located in Seattle on the corner of 1st Avenue and Union Street, across from the Seattle Art Museum.

The tea shop is split into two rooms by the shopping center hallway, so be sure not to miss out on half the experience.

One room features an extensive selection of teaware, supplies, artwork, and furnishings.

The second room is where you will find the tea. Most of this room is taken up by a long teabar with plentiful seating, where you can rest while you take part in a free tea tasting. This is a great way to discover new favorites. In addition to trying teas you might already enjoy, I highly recommend letting the knowledgeable staff introduce you to a variety.  You may be surprised to find that your tea collection has expanded by the end of your visit.

During my visit, I was invited to taste several teas including a High Mountain Oolong, Blue People, Puerh, Heicha, and Milk Oolong.

Here you can see a type of Heicha, which is a post-fermented dark tea like Puerh. It's worth noting that what much of the world refers to as black tea (Assam, Keemun, etc) is called red tea in China due to its color in the cup, leaving the black tea label to Heicha. 

I left with two new teas to try and I'm looking forward to returning for future tea tastings.  

Address:
1401 1st Ave, Suite A & B, Seattle, WA 98101

Hours:
10:30 am to 7:00 pm

The First Avenue Tasting Room closed in December 2016, but you can still visit their Western Avenue Tasting Room and Jackson Street Tea Lounge featured here.