You have downed so much coffee from so many cute little coffee shops that it would take a month of cold turkey for the last drop of joe to leave your veins.
Maybe it’s time for a change. You can keep the caffeine, but think about a different potion.
How about tea?
In addition to the stimulant, it’s got something else going for it: teahouses. Dozens of them dot the Front Range. If you’re looking for a cuppa and a little bite, most of these will work without advance planning. If you’re looking for high tea — with tiered serving platters and so on — it’s good to call ahead. Some places require 24-hour notice for high-tea reservations.
1. Celestial Seasonings, 4600 Sleepytime Drive, Boulder, 303-581-1202, celestialseasonings . Tours Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If you’re into tea, especially herbal tea, then a tour of the Celestial Seasonings factory is a must. And when you’re finished with the aromatic tour, visit the Tea Shop, where you can buy teas, and the Celestial Cafe, where you can order breakfast or lunch and drink tea — they serve more than 100 varieties.
2. The Boulder Dushanbe Tea House, 1770 13th St., Boulder, 303-442-4993, boulderteahouse . Afternoon tea every day from 3 to 5 p.m.
This place is something of a spectacle. It’s worth going just to experience the teahouse — a large space designed in the manner of a traditional Tajikistan teahouse — but you’ll want to sip tea and eat, too. Their high tea, served with a variety of pastries and a large selection of teas, is served every day for two hours in the afternoon. The restaurant keeps much longer hours.
3. The Huckleberry Restaurant, Bakery and Tea Room, 700 Main St., Louisville, 303-666-8020, thehuckle . Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
They don’t call it “high tea” at The Huckleberry, but the afternoon tea here has all of the trappings anyway: bone china, white tablecloths, a variety of teas and an impressive selection of baked goods. To top the homemade scones, try some Devonshire cream or lemon curd.
4. The Wildflowers Tea Room and Restaurant, 9009 Metro Airport Ave., Broomfield, 303-469-6361, guest-house.com/WildFlowersRest _Main.html#. Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You can choose between an afternoon tea and a high tea. With either, you get tea and tiered serving dishes full of pastries and savories, including scones with cream and jam. High tea gets you champagne or sparkling cider, soup and salad too. The country inn is described as “Grandma’s house” — mismatched china, linen, small tables.
5. The House of Windsor, 1050 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, 303-936-9029, houseofwind . Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed Sunday
The full afternoon tea here includes finger sandwiches, fruit, trifle or pastry, a scone and all the tea you can drink. In addition, the teahouse contains a market specializing in British foods.
6. Briarwood Inn, 1630 Eighth St., Golden, 303-279-3121, thebriarwoodinn . Saturdays 1 to 3 p.m.
The space here is swimming in antiques and the foothills setting is romantic and charming. In addition to teas and pastries, the Briarwood Inn’s service offers cakes, sorbets, tartlets and more.
7. The Brown Palace, 321 17th St., Denver, 303-297-3111, . High tea every day from noon to 4 p.m.
They have been serving afternoon tea at the Brown since 1892, which suggests they are doing something right. Engraved silver teapots. Specially commissioned Royal Dalton bone china. Live harp or piano music. Savories prepared by the hotel’s pastry chefs. Wines, ports and champagnes. The Brown Palace tea is one of a kind, held in the grand hotel’s grand atrium.
8. Seven Cups, 1882 S. Pearl St., Denver, 303-777-2877, sevencupsdenver . 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday
Most teahouses in the area are based on the British “cuppa,’ ” but not Seven Cups. This is a traditional Chinese teahouse. Not only are all the teas from China, the owner works with tea masters in China to get extremely high-quality teas. They do free tea tastings on Fridays at 3 p.m.; otherwise, the tea room is open all day. For munchies, they serve Chinese moon cake, ice cream, and wagashi, which are Japanese pastries.
9. English Tealeaves, 18551 Mainstreet, Parker, 720-851-6099, englishtealeaves . Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Parker has a 50-seat teahouse that, like many places specializing in tea, takes a British approach to preparing and drinking it. Expect china teapots and cups. Choose from among 130 different teas. Eat English-style meat and vegetarian pies, scones with jam and English cream, and more.
10. The English Teacup, 1930 S. Havana St., Aurora, 303-751-3032, englishteacup . Tea is served Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The shop is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sundays and Mondays.
The English Teacup doesn’t go on and on about a dizzying array of teas — instead, it focuses on standard English teas, and serves them as in England: with scones and simple foods and not much highfalutin fanfare. In addition, the Teacup carries a wide variety of foods from Britain.
Douglas Brown: 303-954-1395 or djbrown@denverpost.com
