Xiu Xian Tea

I love Xiu Xian Tea! Each time I come with my friends, we’re invited to sample a wide variety of teas while chatting with the very friendly owner. Here, sampling is fun because it’s not the serve-​yourself-​from-​a-​big-​vat-​in-​the-​entryway and then feel pressured to buy overpriced tea from another tin vat (Teavana style). Instead, sampling means that you should clear the next 30 minutes for a fun lesson in tea. For example, I learned that you have to ‘wash’ your tea first before drinking the first brew (this does not mean using soap, just FYI)! There are also classes every Sunday from 12 – 2 where you can learn about a different tea each week. The cost is only $ 5!
I highly recommend this unique place for it’s great customer interactivity and tea selections! Come support it so that we can keep a location in Bellevue!

We did not feel welcomed here. The lady in the shop did not greet us, offer any help or even acknowledge us. We stood by politely as she focused on other customers. I sure hope those customers were spending a lot of money, because as much as we wanted to buy some tea, we ended up leaving empty-​handed.
The prices were too steep (har, har) to put up with that kind of service.
I was really hoping for a better experience, because I would like to see more tea shops in this area!

I adore this shop. They’ll let you try anything and they’ve a fairly wide selection including decaffeinated versions of some of your favorites. She encourages you to try the tea you’re sniffing at these cute little naturally carved wooden tea tables. If you find yourself at the Crossroads Mall, do take a moment to pop in and try/​buy the tea. It’s an experience.

If you like tea, whether it’s green, oolong, white, red, chai, bubble or iced… this is Nirvana. Never expected to find it at Crossroads Mall.
Mako is so friendly and more-​than-​willing to allow you to taste your way around until you find your favorites. I already thought I knew a fair amount about tea but I got a real education and walked away with some fabulous teas for excellent prices. And she’s always bringing in new varieties.
She’s got a great, big space, lots of pots, sets, accessories, etc. and some of the most beautiful tea tables to sit around and sip… you know, in a very samurai, Jet Li bad-​ass sort of way. I’m a manly man after all.
She also managed to addict me to her Spicy Chai and Green Tea Lemonade iced tea. Evil woman, but in a good way.

Well, I’ve just made another trip to Xiu Xian, because the new spring sprout has arrived at last! This is a wonderful treat for those who love GOOD, authentic Chinese tea! I am especially partial to the new Imperial green and sitting at those great tea tables with Mako is a lovely way to pass the time.
It is just so wonderful to find a place that believes it is an important part of the purchasing process to try the merchandise out first and decide if you like what you’re getting!
Another new (inexpensive) treat by Jenni & Mako are the wonderful, cold blended teas that were added! My favourites are the Lavender and Chai lattes (I take mine with soy milk), but they also have a blended black tea latte made with Pur’h (which I normally don’t much care for, but this one is oh-​so-​special)! It’s WAAAY better than Starbucks or my kids bubble tea habit (I hooked them last week)!
Treat yourself nice and go see Mako at Xiu Xian in the Crossroads Mall NOW!
* Pros: FREE WI-​FI, in-​$ tea, near good food, yummy tea, cool drinks, comfortable in– and out-​door seating
* Cons: not open later (might change soon), no food

Wow, I just had wonderful experience in this little tea shop. It was so good I almost wanted to keep it to myself, but I want them to stay in business too. I’m not a tea expert but I grew up drinking tea everyday of my life. So I know what good tea should tastes like and I’m giving this place five stars!
Time magically dissappears once you step into the store, so please allow yourself to spend at least an hour browsing and tasting various kinds of teas. They specializes in Chinese tea, you won’t find «flavored» tea, but the combination of different types of teas and herbs makes great natural flavor. They are so well blended, you can actually enjoy the flavor of each ingredients. I already have some favorites from the store, but I will not recommend any particular tea here. It will be your journey to find the right tea for you!
The owner is very passionate and knowledgeable about teas. She let me taste so many different kinds of tea over gorgeous natural wood tea table. She educated me what and what not to do while making a cup of tea. I felt very much energized and relaxed at the same time after spending an hour with her.
They also have this traveling tea bottle that I’ve never seen before. It’s such a clever little bottle that has strainer inside. (It’s very hard to explain) If you are a kind of person who drinks tea throughout the day, it will be must have.
FYI: It’s outside of the main building, around the corner from the Barns&Noble near the movie theater.

Excellent new tea shop at Crossroads!!!
I happened to see this when at Crossroads (which I live ½ mile from) last time. It wasn’t there the last time I’d been on that side (they opened in November 08).
Anyway, very quaint little shop with very tea-​knowledgeable staff. The lady was helping me at every step, allowing me to try every tea I was considering before I bought.
The rewards program is nice too. It’s nice to have a tea shop close enough I can walk, so the more I buy the more I’ll save with the rewards program.
I love to support nice, friendly local businesses like this. :)

Tucked away behind the mall near the theater in crossroads is the wonderful little tea shop run by a very knowledgeable tea guru. We went in thinking we would just browse for a minute and left an hour later after a very fun tea education. They request you try before you buy and are more than happy help you find the perfect tea for your needs. I always wondered why green tea (when I make it) tasted so bitter. Now I know the secret to the perfect of tea. This is tea for the real tea lovers and you will not find much of the fluffy flavored stuff here, just enough to give you a nice choice. I might also mention that they have a great customer rewards program where they offer you discounts on future purchaces based on what you spend. I picked up a few great tea brewing traveling mugs that I had not seen before, they are very handy. Great place to find gifts.