Fort Fun Families

I love jasmine tea - just love it! And not just any jasmine tea; it has to be Jasmine Yin Hao.

Which you can’t get in tea bags from the local grocery store. What I mean to say is, while you can get jasmine tea in tea bags from local grocery stores, it’s not quality jasmine tea.

Even the “jasmine” tea I’ve tasted at local Asian restaurants is not the best quality tea (unfortunately it doesn’t even taste ‘jasmine-y’ to me).

And while I enjoy tea from tea bags, and have a cabinet full of herbal tea from Celestial Seasonings, I’ve found that the quality of loose teas are far superior to bagged teas.

You might be under the impression that you have to fork over a lot of money to get a good quality tea, but that’s not the case.

You can find a bunch of great stores online that sell wonderful loose teas, but you don’t have to search far, because we have a superb gourmet tea provider right here in Fort Collins!

The Tea Table used to be a brick-and-mortar store located in Old Town. Several years ago the owner, Lori, decided to make her tea available exclusively online.

I was a little bit sad about that, because I enjoyed going into her store and smelling the wonderful teas, and tasting the samples that she had lining her counter.

Still, having young children kept me out of her shop more often than not because her shelves were lined with gorgeous tea pots and china, and my little ones love to “see” (you know, with their hands) everything.

But Lori decided to do two things that ensured I would only order from her.

• She offered up to 5 free samples of tea with a paid order, and
• She offered local pick-up without any associated fees (and has since expanded to two locations)

The Tea Table also has a monthly (give or take) newsletter that is brimming with information about the benefits of tea and other interesting tea-related information, which always includes a coupon.

If you don’t like tea but enjoy a hot drink, you should check out her selection of rooibos. From the site

Rooibos (pronounced “roy bus”) is made from the needle-like leaves of a caffeine-free bush native to South Africa. It is oxidized like black tea, and is a popular alternative to decaffeinated black tea. Good both hot and cold, it has a mild flavor and won’t turn bitter with extended brewing. It is reputed to be even higher in antioxidants than green tea and is known for its soothing properties.

If you like iced tea but not hot (or at least not during our hot Colorado summers), she provides information on how to prepare many of the teas cold.

There is so much to be said about the store, the gargantuan list of teas (and related products) available and the tons of information given about each tea, as well as Lori’s wonderful customer service, that I am constantly recommending The Tea Table to anybody who enjoys tea, hot or cold.

Go check it out; you’ll be happy you did!