I recently stopped in to check out Everett’s beautiful new tea shop Chai Cupboard. The shop is wide open with beautiful brick walls. One side of the shop has a wall filled with what must be more than 50 loose-leaf teas categorized by type. The opposite wall has spices, but I’ll get to that later. 

The shop is owned by Jeni and Tim Ellis. Jeni told me they opened the shop because she couldn’t easily find the teas she wanted to buy locally and was concerned about waste from packaging and shipping. 

Jeni was very friendly, knowledgeable and able to answer all my questions. Teas are sold by the ounce and Jeni packages them up to go in compostable bags. You can also bring in your own containers to eliminate waste. 

I selected jasmine green tea and genmaicha green tea which has toasted rice. It reminds me of the yummy tea they serve at Oshima Sushi in south Everett. I also purchased a lemon, berry sage black tea because I love all those flavors, and a mocha double vanilla herbal tea, after all, it sounds like a coffee, which I’m allergic to. I walked out with a ton of tea for $10. It’s going to last me a long time and I’m kind of bummed about that because I’m hooked and want to try more. 

BREWING TEA

I recently received a hand-me-down Breville tea maker. I always thought I didn’t like tea, but it turns out I was just brewing it wrong. If I’d known this, I could have invested in a good thermometer to measure water temperature because that seems to be the key.  

When I got home from Chai Cupboard I put all of my teas in glass jars and put them on a dark shelf, the proper way to store them Jeni told me. I had to go online to find out how much tea and water to use along with the temperature and brew time. It took me a few trials to figure out how I like my jasmine tea - 1 teaspoon per cup of water at 160 degrees for 2 minutes is perfect. 

It’s delicious and now I’m drinking four or more cups of green tea a day, which I hear has lots of health benefits. I brew a full pot in the morning, enjoying room temperature tea into the afternoon. 

SPICES

As I mentioned, there’s a wall of bulk spices. From what I could tell, it looks like Chai Cupboard has all the basic spices plus a whole lot more. There were many chili options, bee pollen and even sea salts. 

Next time I stop in for tea, I’ll be sure to check my spice cabinet to see if I need to refill anything. 

THE FUTURE

Jeni and Tim are working to figure out how to serve hot teas to go and perhaps hold tastings events. I’m looking forward to picking up a hot cup of tea and strolling around downtown. 

I think this is going to be a fun hobby and I can’t wait to go back to try more. 

What kind of teas do you like? Let us know in the comments. 

Chai Cupboard
2809 Colby Avenue
Everett, WA 98201
(425) 404-2022

Linda War Bonnet represents south Everett on the Live in Everett Team. When she isn’t working, she is running the Westmont-Holly Neighborhood Association. You might spot her walking her dog in the Holly neighborhood.