TEA FOR YOU

… OR TWO, OR THREE OR MORE

By Alison Stucke

Aspot of tea can refresh you when you’re hot, warm you when you’re cold, soothe you when you’re not feeling well, wake you up when you’re groggy, or calm you down for bedtime.

If you’re already a tea lover, or if you’d like to try sipping this divine beverage with more than 4,000 years of history, Duluth offers a delicious and healthful variety of tea options.

Here’s a peek into several tea-serving places you might enjoy.

The Snooty Fox

1831 E. 8TH ST.

You don’t have to be “snooty” to enjoy tea, but this little fox knows the “good stuff” when it comes to tea! Located in the Chester Bowl area, The Snooty Fox offers tea of many types and tastes, including black teas, black blends, chai, dark teas, puer teas (a variety of dark tea, fermented and probiotic), Oolong and Oolong blends, green and green blends, white teas, mate (a South American beverage brewed like tea but which is actually not a tea but a stimulant), herbal blends, decaf teas, local blends, and Rooibos blends (Rooibos is a shrub-like plant native to the mountainous areas of the Western Cape province of South Africa).

To celebrate spring or early summer, try a Strawberry Rhubarb or Cherry Blossom tea latte, or the seasonal favorite “Evening on the Porch” (a blend of chamomile, rosehips, raspberry leaf, papaya leaf, peppermint, spearmint, blackberry leaf, passion flower, red clover, star anise, wild cherry bark, lemon peel, wintergreen, lavender, stevia and extracts).

You’ve got to try it to believe it! Bubble Tea, also known as boba tea, is a creamy, flavorful beverage, and The Snooty Fox serves it up cold in a delightful variety of flavors, including Creamsicle (with blood orange and French vanilla flavors), Vanillavender (with vanilla and lavender flavors), and many more (see thesnootyfoxteashop.com/bubble-tea/ for the entire menu). The ‘bubble’ part of the name refers to the chewy tapioca pearls or fruity Bursting Boba served in your drink.

Using a 7-tea blend and repurposed oak barrels, The Snooty Fox also brews their own refreshing and probiotic Kombucha, a fermented tea beverage. They serve it on tap.

BEANER’S CENTRAL

324 N. CENTRAL AVE.

Beaner’s Central in West Duluth features Fair Trade and Certified Organic loose-leaf teas from Rishi tea, “fresh each season and direct from tea gardens around the world.” Sit down for a while and sip a cup of Rishi black tea such as Darjeeling 2nd Flush Muscatel; a green tea like Dragon Well (it’s pan-fried in woks); or a caffeinefree botanical blend such as organic Unity (a blend of spicy ginger, soothing licorice, and zesty lemongrass blended with immunity-enhancing Ayurvedic herbs).

If you’re in the mood for something spicy, bold, and robust, enjoy a Chai. Or, if you feel for something more calming, order Local Blend by Anahata Herbals, an herbal dispensary in Duluth. This tea blends organic chamomile, rose hips, red clover blossoms, nettle, raspberry leaf, and locally wildcrafted cedar. It’s definitely a must-try. If it’s a foggy Duluth day, order a “London Fog” (Earl Grey

Organic Fair Trade tea with milk, soymilk, or almond milk).

Beaner’s Central also offers fabulous food and breakfast menus, as well as frequent live music. See beanerscentral. com for more information.

WHOLE FOODS CO-OP

610 E. 4TH ST. AND 4426 GRAND AVE.

Health and well-being are the focus of the teas of Duluth’s Whole Foods Co-op. Kombucha tea on tap is the hot (well, actually it’s cold) news at both store locations. Snooty Fox and NessAlla kombucha are sold. Bring in your own container, or purchase one at the store.

In the Co-op’s refrigerator section, you’ll find a selection of bottled kombucha teas and other teas proponing to be good for the gut. In the hot tea section, find Yogi teas called “Stress Relief,” “Throat Ease,” “Breathe Deep” and others.

DULUTH KITCHEN CO.

MARKET GOURMET

600 E. SUPERIOR ST.

If you want to enjoy your tea at home, check out the loose tea and tea sachet selection at the Market Gourmet in Fitger’s Inn.

Blended in Two Harbors with ingredients from all over the world, Zenith Tea Works loose teas come in brown paper bags with windows to see the beautiful tea and charming names like “Misted Mountains in Days of Yore,” “Ice Queen,” “Grandpappy’s Pipe” and “The Agate Hunter.” They’re fun to try, and you’ll probably find a favorite. Don’t forget to purchase a tea infuser in the shop.

Organic teas from Octavia Tea Company come in silver tins designed to keep teas fresh and flavorful. These loose teas come in a variety of types and flavors including Tumeric Plum Berry, Silver Needle White Tea and Orange Spiced Black Tea.

If you like your tea delivered via sachet (rather than loose), explore the fine selection of Harney & Sons Fine Teas, including “Ginger Liquorice,” “Dragon Pearl Jasmine” and “Paris,” a fruity black tea, with caramel and vanilla flavors and a touch of lemony Bergamot, “suggestive of Parisian tea flavors in Paris tea shops.”

Sonoma’s Chardonnay and Rosé iced teas will be a delight in the upcoming warmer weather.

Also at this shop you’ll find a wonderful variety of specialty honeys and sweeteners for your tea.