The Tea Scene in Camden, ME

First of all, I must mention that this is my 200th post. Wow. That's a lot of typing. :)

I also wanted to remind people that this weekend has been the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas. I'm looking forward to more reports about what new products showed up there. I'll be sure to share whatever information I learn.

Today I wanted to do a post about our recent trip to Camden, Maine. Of course, I was on the lookout for good tea. A web search before our trip didn't turn up much information so I was determined to find a place I could recommend.

On the way up to Camden we stumbled upon The Green Gourmet Market & Deli in Brunswick, ME. It was located right on Route 1 and it was one of those fantastic finds. It isn't particularly interesting on the outside, but the shelves were stocked with great natural foods and specialty products. I managed to find a new tea company based in Maine and picked up a couple of tins. (More about that at another time.) They also make amazing sandwiches - turkey and fig, great veggie wraps, etc. I was even thrilled to see a kids' meal that included a sandwich (and SUNBUTTER and jam was an option - fantastic when you have peanut allergies in the family!), organic applesauce, and a juice box. Not really tea related, but I wanted to share.

Camden is a truly stunning spot. One of its mottos is "Where the mountains meet the sea." This describes this beautiful locale perfectly. As you stand in downtown Camden you don't know if you should look behind you at Mount Battie and its surrounding hills and mountains or look forward at the wide expanse of ocean. We did both as often as possible. One day we drove to the top of Mount Battie to get the best views of all. Spectacular.

The tea situation was actually better than I'd hoped. The inn we stayed at (The Whitehall Inn - a historic inn that is where Edna St. Vincent Millay was discovered) served Mighty Leaf each morning. It wasn't the best tea, but it was a nice improvement from what hotels often serve.

We wandered through the downtown and checked out a few other places. Cappy's Bakery on Main Street served only Republic of Tea bags. Too bad. But I wasn't going to give up. We checked a cafe called Boynton-McKay. More promising. I saw that they served Equal Exchange coffee. I got my hopes up. Their tea selection included some nice bagged tea - Equal Exchange, Stash, and Revolution. Not bad. But I knew we could do better. We had noticed a place the day we arrived that we wanted to try.

We headed over to Zoot Coffee. Wow! What a find. It's a bright space with big display windows and plenty of seating. The cafe is dominated by a large bar and the owner was very welcoming and clearly knowledgeable about coffee and tea. M said she made him one of the best iced mochas he's ever had. I decided to try their Ti Quan Yin. Absolutely fantastic. It was a really flavorful tea. They use fillable tea bags and left lots of room for the leaves to expand. We went back the next day because we'd been so happy with our experience. It was a really warm day so I was in the mood for something iced. I asked what they had for iced tea and the staffer described in lovely detail their Keemun. Then she offered to make any of their loose leafs into iced tea for me. I chose the Genmaicha and it was outstanding - nutty, toasty, and boldly green. I cannot recommend this place more highly. Definitely check it out if you visit Camden.

I love traveling for so many reasons. One of the best parts is discovering those special places you'll remember and hope to return to. Zoot Coffee is one of those places.