Vashon Tea Shop

I like tea, and Vashon Tea Shop has a lovely selection! The young woman who helped me was very kind and generous — I even got a sample to try later, as I had to catch a ferry.
I liked the sample so much, I’m going to order the tea to be shipped to me (Organic Keemun).
Thank you Vashon Tea Shop!

Very friendly patronage with a great tea that leaves a wonderful aftertaste in your mouth. Very relaxing and cozy.

My wife and spent the day going on the ferry, shopping and eating on Vashon which we do every few months. We had a great time except when we went to this tea shop. When paying we were told that we had to pay an «extra dollar». I asked why and was told «ferry riders pay extra dollar». I asked her to clarify and was told «ferry riders from Seattle pay more». I don’t know if this is a policy on the island or not, but it will the last time we ever darken that doorstep. I dumped the tea as soon as I got outside. Very poor practice. No other place we have went to charged us extra.

We spent the day visiting Vashon (eating and drinking) and stopped in this cute little store to check out the tea (we do love a good cup of Joe, er, Earl!)
The prices were very reasonable (the loose leaf tea we got was $ 2.50 per ounce) and the tea was amazing! My husband said it was the best tea he has ever had. The woman (who I believe to be the owner) was very nice and welcoming.
They do have food but since we just had lunch we didn’t eat anything but the selection and descriptions looked delicious.
A nice tip… they ship to Tacoma! YAHOO! Cant wait to come back and have tea at the store and/​or have it shipped to us since we loved it so.
Oh…its also attached to the charming bookstore next door, makes for a lovely afternoon!

Perfect little spot for a pot of tea. They ha a large selection and a helpful staff, and it’s attached to the bookstore.

This is a sweet little tea shop, and they have the coolest décor, with a inside door straight to the next door book shop! I really enjoyed my Raspberry Sunshine (I think that’s what it was called) tea. Then I played with the Gumby toys and took some photographs. Just a nice little place to soak up the relaxation vibes.

The tea selection here is fantastic. So many varieties to choose from and a staff that can help you navigate them all. The Roiboos Afrikans is my favorite. They have a small but tasty selection of snacks, too.

Vashon Tea Shop is a darling, cozy little place to order a superb pot of tea and curl up with a book. Wish this were near me in West Seattle!

This is one of the best places on the island in my opinion! They have a great selection of teas. I love the feel of the place; it was very cozy and inviting. A good spot to have a mug of tea and read a book. Also, the woman who was working was very helpful, and very friendly. She seemed to know a lot about their product. She asked me a series of questions, and pointed me to the perfect tea for me! The black tea I enjoyed was so tasty that I bought 2 oz to take home with me! It is also great that it’s attached to the bookstore. Definitely recommend this location.

Had a great experience here with a friend of mine. We were cruising Vashon on a warm spring day and I saw this little shop and was enticed to go inside by all the bright décor, photos on the wall and Japanese lanterns hanging. We decided to stay for a pot of tea and ordered the strongest black tea they had. The guy working was very sweet and helpful. He recommended a cake to go with our tea and we ordered that as well.
While I looked around at all the stuff in the shop, he laid out a table of cute dishes and everything we needed for our afternoon tea. He told us how long to let it steep and we did. We were the only ones there when we were served but a small wave of people hit the shop while we were there. Our spot by the window provided good people watching opportunities but was cozy enough that we could still have an intimate conversation.
There’s some good gift type items to buy here and the tea did not disappoint. It was strong and delicious. The little cake was incredible too and I’m so glad we got it. I think it was an almond cake. Yum. After our little respite, we headed back out refreshed and happy.

the guy working at the tea shop this past saturday morning was one of three friendly shop keeper we met during our entire weekend stay on vashon island. he was really knowledgeable, kind, patient, and friendly – which meant a lot to us, since our vashon experience had mostly been being stared at and ignored by the locals.
he helped us pick out a tea for a mid-​morning snack, which we paired with a delicious scone and shortbread cookie. there is a $ 10 min for using a card, but he was willing to waive this for us! which was really kind. we sat outside and he brought everything to us and even kept us appraised of how long the tea would be brewing – but he brewed it himself to make sure it was perfect.
we were in such a hurry to get off the island and catch an early ferry the next day i regret that we didn’t have a chance to stop by again to get some of the tea. if you ever go, the autumnal flush darjeeling is perfect with milk and one sugar cube.

cute. charming. relaxing with a japanese/​asian flair.
i could see the japanese elements playing in this tea shop with the décor and also the drinks and snacks although it does sell a variety of western teas and snacks too.
i was able to get macha green tea latte style. they do have the traditional style which i normally don’t see in seattle tea shops as much. matcha green tea is thick and strong. the latte takes away the strong taste and makes it more easy to drink mixed with the milk. it was delicious!!!
and the women working there was so kind to us! we got some complimentary shortbread cookies. there is also a bookstore connected to the tea shop. a man was playing music at the bookstore shop and the tea shop woman encouraged us to go over. so i got to listen to some music with my yummy tea lattte.
gotta love that laid-​back, trusting environment on the island !

The shortbread hazlenut cookie was amazing. The tea was really refreshing after a long day hiking around muddy streams. The service wasn’t fast but it was fast enough. The chairs were really comfortable and though crowded we were able to find a spot for four adults and a child near the back. I will definitely return to this place!

Precious.

To my fellow Unilocal Elite who wrote the one star review: So far, I’ve paid them about two dozen visits, and friendly, island conversations have not once interfered with my ability to be served properly! Come and try it again? Perhaps that staff has been replaced…
I enjoy the Tea Shop! Yes, expecting Japanese cuisine is going to disappoint you, but there are lovely tea ceremonies there on a regular basis, done by a lovely local Japanese man.
And loads of different teas… And you can sit with your tea for as long as you like. Even if it’s just a cup.

I had to compose myself to write this, for a year.
The service was that bad.
I just– if I had a mouthful of hot water after getting my foot stomped on and part of my arm stripped off by a flesh eating bug– I’d probably be in a better mood.
You sweet, gentle readers believe I’m mistaken, joking perhaps?
A common affliction for island businesses (even in a recession) is the «You must have a cute conversation with me before I regard you as worth my time,» attitude.
Again I feel like I’m gargling boiling water– I just get a fuzzy feeling of utter rage at the mention of it. *shiver*
I came in with four people– big mistake. It is clearly sectioned off for people who want to buy 6.00 cups of tea every half hour while they stare at the depressing dark walls and listen to the owner trying to recapture her youth through her unqualified protégé‘ .
All four of us stood for five minutes in a tiny store– waiting to be asked what we wanted. Oh we made noises– had eye contact several times, we didn’t just stand helplessly.
But both of the blondes working there started and ended conversations with each other and the patron sitting. And it wasn’t about tea.
It was like I stepped into their living room and not a business. I was supposed to wait fifteen (oh I kid you not) minutes until they were READY to take our sooo complicated order (1 pot chamomile, two tea cookies we got ourselves from a wobbly free standing cart and a latte-​and they asked how to make it! Then got defensive about it!).
Living here 15 years and being treated like an unwelcome guest for showing up — I’m getting that fuzzy rage filled feeling again.
Off-​islanders might consider the passive aggressive «meandering», puttering to be «laid back»…after the first five years of it– you get to know it’s actually «If you want me to do something– it’ll be WHEN I want to do it».
I feel like buying tea at Wal*Mart out of spite.
Oh and before I forget– they don’t serve Japanese food. they offer Miso soup. That’s like putting Jack in the Box in the «mexican food» sub category.

A cozy little shop in ‘downtown’ Vashon with an Asian theme; besides excellent coffee, a variety of teas and tasty-​looking muffins, they offer side dishes like miso soup and quiche! They also have a variety of little tea-​related knick-​knacks for sale throughout the store that bear investigation; on my recent visit, I was happily distracted by the live music playing that afternoon in the corner, a welcome component to the scene that made my rainy day complete.
A shared doorway connects them to a bookstore that I’ll need to research further before I review them, but it seemed like the two stores were a natural fit.