To Do in Cleveland: Cleveland Tea Revival

So I had this gift certificate for Muse in Cleveland (it's the restaurant inside the Ritz Carlton) that I've been meaning to use for approximately a year and it was juuuuust about to expire at the end of this month. And since Jeff is on vacation from work this week, and Abby is in between semesters at school I figured now would be a good time to put it to use. So Josh and I and Ab and Jeff headed up for brunch at the Ritz on Sunday morning (thanks to my mom for watching the boys)! It was delicious, I mean of course it was - it was brunch after all, kind of hard to go wrong there. Not terribly exciting though nor really worthy of blog post memorandum, but if you should ever find yourself downtown around noon on a Sunday hankering for some brunch I'd recommend Muse for sure.

But because we were there, at the Ritz on a Sunday, it made me really just wish we were there for the tea service. You see, the Ritz used to have a Sunday tea and Abby and I and our stepmom, Patty have been many times before for various occasions and/or celebrations (as documented here, and here).  And that tea is so freaking good. The scones alone, I'm serious. SO GOOD. Anyway, they don't offer it year round anymore, only around the winter holidays and on mother's day, I believe, so that's kind of a bummer. But being there made me really want some tea, is my point. And I'd read a little write up on a new tea house that opened up in Ohio City that I've been really wanting to try out...and so. Obviously after brunch we ended up over at Cleveland Tea Revival.

 

It's not your grandma's tea service, that's for sure. It's basically a hipster coffee shop, but with tea instead. But it is really, really good. Also, from a design standpoint the interior is really lovely as well and I know the owners, Amber and Mike, put a lot of elbow grease and sweat equity into this place to make it what it is today. The story behind their start-up, a run down of their environmental practices and their vision for the shop can all be found on their blog (where it's written far more eloquently than I would do anyway) so feel free to check that out here. 

Since I'm avoiding caffeine for the most part these days Josh and I shared a pot of white tea after getting Amber's recommendations and sniffing a few jars for what smelled most appealing. They have something like fifty different teas to choose from, and a really fun toast menu to go along with your tea as well. If we weren't already so full I would have loved to try out some of their homemade toasts and jams, but I'll just leave that for next time. 

Abby and Jeff shared a pot of darjeeling, which is high on the caffeine scale, but I stole a sip just to taste it and it was wonderful. Also, a pot of tea, which was easily shared and worth about four servings was only $4. Take that Starbucks. (You can get tea to go as well if you're just in the market for a quick cup).

It was such a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. I can only imagine how nice and cozy it would be to stop in there in the colder seasons and hunker down with a pot of tea and some toast and a good book.

Cleveland Tea Revival, do it.