:tips cap:

You're welcome.

The Spice Smuggler in Lansdale has a reasonably decent selection of teas. There has recently been an explosion in tea houses lately ... tons of them cropping up, offering you too little food for too much money, but a proper high tea with all the trimmings.

I got a gift certificate to one of these places for Yule. I will report back.

To quote Wolf, "I didn't need to see that". I followed your link to the Stash website and ordered a catalog.

I'm really tempted by the tea chests. My desk at work has a pile of loose tea canisters and tea boxes. A tea chest would at least take care of the boxes.

Found in Paoli: <a href="http://www.enjoyteamoments.com">Tea Moments</a> tea room and gift shop.

Enjoying Honey Mint Rooibos now, with Lemon Rooibos and Jade Ti Kwan Yin Oolong for later. (I must refrain from calling it Ti Kwan Leep.)

My current SO and I pretty much based our relationsip on tea culture. We saw the brewing, the smelling, the selection, the peaceful cup of tea and a biscuit scene etc all something that we were ready for. We saw our young, hooligan life getting older, and saw each other as our "tea partners". It was nice, even on my 21st Birthday card in 2004 he wrote "ps. i'll go put the kettle on now". So tea has a special place in my heart.

We got into Hazelnut and cookies & cream transfusions. I very much enjoy Chai tea and also Chai Tea Lattes. But my favourite is Vanilla Tea, even as soon as i can smell the steam coming off a nice freshly brewed pot it reminds me of cuddles and daisies and soft kisses and picnics in the mountains. ahhhhhh

I just remembered, we used to get these aweome teas in Sydney when we lived there in 2004.. i think they were called Pearl Teas. asian variety.

They were like a milky tea, with flavoured tapioca pearls in the bottom that were squishy and tasty to much on as you sucked them up your straw with the tea. I enjoyed combinations like hazelnut tea with peach pearls, or green tea with kiwi fruit pearls etc etc. I forget the name of the company though. damn i wish i had never of thought of them now i'll be cravin for days!

Found :
http://www.whatscookingamerica.net/BubbleTea.htm

Seriously if you ever get the chance, have some. YUM!

Bubble tea is very popular in the Philadelphia Chinatown area. I've had one and it was interesting. The straw is made extra large to accomodate the tapioca pearls. Still, having chewy bits in your drink requires a bit of adjustment.

For me it was the color. I had imagined the tapioca pearls to look like the tiny clear versions found in tapioca pudding. The place I used to get my bubble tea had opaque cups and straws, so it was months before I discovered that they were actually dark brown. Yuck. But I eventually got over it.

Ain't that a kick in the head? :rolleyes:

Bubble teas are around here too; the usual venues are oriental and Philipino places. Drunk through these twelve-bore straws that conveniently pass the tapioca pearls through.

Why doesn't McDonalds offer those straws with their extra thick shakes?

Because 20-gauge is enough for a McDonald's shake. ;)

Trip report: Checked out the Teavana at KoP Court with friends, while recovering from the bad Bahama Breeze experience in my other thread. High prices, but good blends, and I took home a few ounces of this and that and their 32-ounce <a href="http://store.teavana.com/brewandtouch.html">Perfect Tea Maker</a> gadget. (I had a 16-oz one already under the IngenuiTea brand name, but hadn't seen a 32-oz one before, and that's more convenient for brewing for my wife and myself simultaneously.)

Brandywine Gourmet on Gay Street in West Chester has some good looseleaf brands, as does the <a href="http://www.teamap.com/tearooms/special_teas_tea_room_499.html">Special Teas tea room</a> in Chadds Ford.