Great Tea House by Great Tea Road Co — Restaurant in Hopkins

My boyfriend and I recently attended a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony at the Great Tea Road Co. Titima now has a charming brick and mortar location nestled in Prior Lake's quaint and picturesque downtown. Leading up to the tea ceremony, Titima was very courteous, professional, and timely in her communication. She was also very understanding when 2 of my guests could no longer attend the ceremony due to the spring blizzard we had. Even with having to trek through a fair amount of snow to get there, Titima still showed up, on a Sunday, to host the ceremony for just my boyfriend and I.

When we arrived, Titima was wearing beautiful traditional Japanese garb. The ceremony was small and intimate, and we really enjoyed being the only ones there. Titima gave a great lesson on the history behind the tea ceremony, and she implemented it with great precision and respect. My boyfriend and I enjoyed watching her intricate moves and experiencing a peaceful, reflective ritual. Titima served the most unique kind of tea I have ever had. It is called matcha and is made from finely ground green tea leaves, which Titima then whisked into steaming hot water. The result was a very full-bodied, extremely flavorful tea. Prior to drinking the tea, Titima served us "tea sweets," which are made from cane sugar or bean paste and are dissolved in the mouth prior to drinking the tea. I won't fill you in on the philosophy behind doing that - you'll have to attend the tea ceremony to find out - but it's neat.

After the ceremony, Titima kept her shop open so that my boyfriend and I could peruse her selection of vibrant, carefully hand-selected teas. I really enjoyed hearing about how Titima travels to various locations locations around the world, such as Japan, Taiwan, China and Thailand, to meet the tea growers and source directly from them. As someone who cares about the ethics behind what she consumes, this mean a lot to me, as I know more of the proceeds from tea sales are going directly to the farmers who are growing it. I also love knowing that when I shop at Great Tea Road Co., I am supporting not only a local business, but also someone who is willing to share her love of great tea and knowledge of the art that is the Japanese Tea Ceremony with the broader community. This is something I have never experienced before, and if you are looking for something new and unique to try, I would highly recommend it. You will not only be enjoying a great cup of tea, but you will also be participating in and learning about a very culturally and historically...

This is tiny little shop in Prior Lake. As the adage goes, BIG things come in small packages! I am in love with this place! All of the blends are arranged on one wall, sorted by the type of tea the blend contains. Each blend sits in a small labeled jar that you can pop the lid off of to smell the blend. Such an intoxicating mix of aromas!

It was a pleasure talking to the lady that owns the store. She sources all of the tea herself and makes all of her own blends. She doesn’t just sell tea, she lives tea! Her passion for her craft shines through, and while I can not say that her end product is without equal, I can definitely say I have not found anything better. I recommend the Belgian chocolate black tea blend. Some sweetener and milk added to the poured cup and I am...

A tiny little one-woman space tucked away past other shops and insurance offices, but definitely worth a visit if you like tea and are in the area. The owner's really friendly and was ready to answer any questions I had. One cool feature they do is that the teas come in two sizes--like a 2-ish oz box, and a sample-size envelope of like 12-ish grams, (which is especially nice if, like me, you find a lot of stuff that sounds and smells good, but don't really want to risk committing to a bigger amount until you try it). The teas are organized very neatly and have clear differentiation between standard and black-label premium. They also have a small selection of tea pots, tins, and other...