Seattle Best Tea
Exterior of the tea shop in Seattle's Chinatown–International District, 2023
Restaurant information
Established1996 (1996)
Owner(s)
  • Lydia Lin
  • Joe Hsu
Street address506 S King Street
CitySeattle
CountyKing
StateWashington
Postal/ZIP Code98104
CountryUnited States
Coordinates47°35′55″N 122°19′38″W / 47.5985°N 122.3273°W / 47.5985; -122.3273
Other locations4505 University Way NE
Seattle, Washington 98105
Websiteseattlebesttea.com

Seattle Best Tea is a family-owned business operating two tea shops in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. Lydia Lin and Joe Hsu opened the original shop in the Chinatown–International District in 1996, followed by a second in the University District in 2023.

The shops focus on oolong and offer products made from traditional Taiwanese and Chinese teas, including loose-leaf blends and drinks like bubble tea. It has garnered a positive reception, especially for its bubble tea, and is regarded as one of the city's best tea shops.

Description

Seattle Best Tea is a family- and Taiwanese-owned[1] business operating two tea shops in Seattle. The original Taiwanese-style tea shop is located on S King Street, near the Historic Chinatown Gate in the Chinatown–International District (CID),[2] and a second operates in the University District. The shops offer a large selection of loose-leaf blends, including black, green, jasmine, and white varieties,[3][4] and sell drinks on site, such as bubble tea (also known as boba) and other milk teas.[5][6] The business focuses on high-mountain tea (oolong) and offers products made from traditional Taiwanese and Chinese teas.[7][8] Seattle Best Tea has also carried tea-flavored ice cream.[6]

History

Spouses Lydia Lin and Joe Hsu opened the original shop in the CID in 1996, after moving to Seattle in 1992 and identifying a lack of tea shops.[7] According to Taylor Zachary of The Daily of the University of Washington, the tea house initially sold loose-leaf teas and added bubble tea to the menu in 2008.[9]

In 2017, the Wing Luke Museum presented an exhibition called "What's in your cup? Community-Brewed Culture". The exhibit featured Lin's personal story which, according to the North American Post, "[invited] the public to experience Chinese culture through tea and how 'drinking tea shortens the distance between people'".[10]

The original shop has offered educational classes, which were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon learning of potential light rail construction by Sound Transit,[11][12] owners opened a second location in the University District in 2023. The original location remains at risk of displacement because of transit planning.[7]

Seattle Best Tea has been a vendor at the Night Market, an annual street market organized by the Chinatown International District Business Improvement Area.[1][13] The business participated in the University District's Food Walk in 2023.[14]

Reception

Interior of the Chinatown–International District shop in 2023

A guide book of Seattle published by Lonely Planet says the business is "aptly named" and offers some of the CID's best bubble tea.[5] In a 2013 city guide, ABC News said Seattle Best Tea was among the tea establishments with "high marks".[15] In 2021, The Seattle Times recommended the business "if you want the perfect cup of tea".[16] Christina Ausley included Seattle Best Tea in Seattle Metropolitan's 2018 list of the city's nine "essential" tea shops.[17] The magazine's Ann Karneus included the business in a 2022 overview of sixteen recommended boba shops.[18]

Seattle Best Tea ranked first in Seattle Post-Intelligencer's 2019 list of the city's best bubble tea, based on Yelp data.[19] In Eater Seattle's 2020 overview of recommended eateries for hot tea, Dylan Joffe said Seattle Best Tea is "one of the friendliest places in the city to learn about leaves".[20] Ryan Lee and Jade Yamazaki Stewart called the business a "neighborhood gem" in the website's 2022 list of the metropolitan area's best boba shops, and called the heavy oolong milk tea "a crowd favorite".[6] Seattle Best Tea has also been highlighted as one of Seattle's women-owned businesses.[21][22]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "CID Night Market". Northwest Asian Weekly. 2021-09-30. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  2. ↑ Pong, Terumi (2023-01-04). "Visit the Chinatown International District in Seattle with kids". Seattle's Child. Archived from the original on 2023-08-11. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  3. ↑ Mongrain, Rebecca (2018-11-04). "9 places for stellar tea in Seattle (because not everyone's a coffee snob)". Seattle Refined. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  4. ↑ "Take a Chance With Lydia at Seattle's Best Tea". Seattle Weekly. 2007-07-17. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  5. 1 2 Lonely Planet Seattle. Lonely Planet. 2020-01-01. ISBN 978-1-78868-675-4.
  6. 1 2 3 Lee, Ryan (2021-04-16). "16 Thirst-Quenching Boba Shops to Try in the Seattle Area". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  7. 1 2 3 Cunningham, Serena Maxine (2023-06-07). "Seattle Best Tea continues their legacy in the University District". International Examiner. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  8. ↑ O'Connor, Jillian (2021-12-08). "Hot and soothing Seattle tea for the chilly, damp season". Seattle's Child. Archived from the original on 2023-08-11. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  9. ↑ Zachary, Taylor (2021-06-01). "Tapioca pearls' textured history". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  10. ↑ "Wing Luke Opens New Exhibit on Beverages "What's in your cup: Community-Brewed Culture"". North American Post. 2017-10-13. Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  11. ↑ "Sound Transit plans raise concerns in Chinatown-International District". king5.com. May 20, 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  12. ↑ "Light rail service reduced for 2 weeks due to Columbia City Station construction". king5.com. July 11, 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  13. ↑ Mehboob, Danish (2018-09-19). "Chinatown-ID Night Market draws record crowds to boost local business". International Examiner. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  14. ↑ "Around the Sound: U District $4 Food Walk". KIRO 7 News Seattle. 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  15. ↑ "See This, Skip That: Seattle". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  16. ↑ "April 30 is National Boba Day. Here's a guide to where to get Seattle's best boba". The Seattle Times. 2021-07-08. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  17. ↑ "9 Essential Seattle Tea Shops". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  18. ↑ "Where to Get the Best Bubble Tea in Seattle". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  19. ↑ Millman, Zosha (May 29, 2019). "The best bubble tea in Seattle, according to Yelp". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2019-06-03. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  20. ↑ Joffe, Dylan (2017-03-16). "Where to Get a Soothing Cup of Hot Tea in Seattle". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  21. ↑ "136+ of the best women-owned restaurants around Seattle | Dished". Daily Hive. Archived from the original on 2022-09-25. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  22. ↑ "Woman-Owned Businesses & Restaurants in Seattle You Can Support Right Now". Seattle Refined. 2021-04-07. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
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