A charming little tea shop has opened in the trendy Highlands Neighborhood of Denver. That’s great news for those of us who live in Colorado but it’s also good news for those outside of Colorado. Teatulia Tea Bar has set up shop at 2900 Zuni Street, in a space cooperatively and creatively shared with other businesses. Locals can drop in and have tea, coffee and a bite to eat. Everyone else can still partake of the teas by ordering them online or from stores and cafes throughout America and Canada.
First, a little about the tea itself. Teatulia is a Denver-based Company whose story involves a family of entrepreneurs and one tea garden in northern Bangladesh. The family of Dr. Kazi Ahmed approaches their business with the community and environment in mind. The teas are cultivated without the use of pesticides, machinery or unnatural irrigation. The garden is a cooperative open to the workers in neighboring villages. They have also planted hundreds of indigenous herbal shade trees, restoring the ecological balance to a formerly arid land. Good stuff.
Teatulia Tea Bar is a light, slightly funky space where one can linger over a hot or iced drink, pastries, salads, sandwiches and cheese plates. Drink options include a Pot of Tea which comes with tea and cookies for two, a variety of coffee drinks and interesting tea concoctions like the Iced Peppermint Herbal Infusion with Hibiscus and Mint Leaves. My favorite was the Lemongrass Herbal Infusion tea with Strawberry and Muddled Basil mixed with sparkling water. It was the color of summertime, a glorious pinkish red and delicious.
I’ve tried four of the Teatulia bag teas that can be purchased to make at home: Neem Nectar Tea (lovely), White Tea (with hints of peach), Ginger (slightly peppery) and Lemongrass (very clean-tasting). All were good hot but with the warm weather we’ve had in Colorado, I tried them all iced. Each tea bag is intended to make 2 cups which I love because I’m the kind of thrifty person who makes two cups off of each tea bag anyway so now I don’t have to feel weird about it. Experiment with how long you steep the teas to see what you like best. I steeped them longer when I was making them iced to account for dilution from the melting ice.
If you’re looking for something unique for Mom for Mother’s Day (or to treat yourself), stop by Teatulia Tea Bar in Denver for a respite or create a little gift pack of teas Mom can make herself when times get stressful . And if you’re a mom, there will always be stressful times, right? Here’s to you!
