North Shore Travels, Part Three

The first two parts of my North Shore travels took me through Wenham, Hamilton, Rockport, and Gloucester. I decided to end my trip in Salem. Salem is a special town to me for a number of reasons: family ties, a couple of years living nearby, and food that is just steeped with family memories.

My mom lived in Salem as a kid and my parents met at Salem State College. My aunt and uncle own a restaurant in Salem - a real family run Italian restaurant with a long history. My mom worked there in college too. Currently, my cousin is one of the cooks and he makes the BEST pizza EVER. Seriously. EVER. (Bertini's Pizza on Canal Street if you're ever in the area.)

The other food stop that will always have a place in my heart is Salem Willows. The Willows is a waterfront park at which I remember playing many games of ski ball. But more importantly, it is where we could consume "The Trilogy": a chop suey sandwich, "the best popcorn in New England", and an ice cream. Yes, I certainly lost years from my life and have definitely compromised all efforts I have previously made to demonstrate my cultivated palate. But I will still swear that E.W. Hobbs makes the best popcorn in the world. Trust me. (And Diane Rehm even mentioned the chop suey sandwich on her show recently. Who'd have thunk?)

Now back to my tea travels. I am disappointed that I didn't stop at the Willows for popcorn on this journey, but this weekend's visit was about discovering new spots. I had heard that there was a new tea shop there called New Civilitea. Since I am usually in town visiting family, it was great to have the chance do a little of the tourist-y thing.

New Civilitea was a really pretty, bright space with exposed pipes, ecru walls, and large display windows. There were a couple of leather chairs and the rest of the space was occupied with tables that seated 2 - 6. Throughout the shop were items for sale on display - teapots, cup infusers, books, presses, and an assortment of tea accouterments. One of the displays is shown to give you a sense of the aesthetics of the shop. The items for sale were well selected and not overwhelming. Good quality.

The tea served was from Harney & Sons and Specialteas. There were two complete menus - one for caffeinated teas and one for decaf/caffeine-free. The selection was definitely amazing. The tea can be purchased to drink brewed in the shop or as loose leaf to take home. The caffeinated menu had 11 black teas (Assams, Ceylons, Darjeelings, Kenyan, Keemun, Yunnan, and a Lapsang), a pu'erh, 20 scented/flavored blacks (including a chai), 3 greens (2 China and a Japanese), 11 scented/flavored greens, 3 oolongs, 4 white teas, and 2 mate options. On the decaf/caffeine-free menu there were blacks and greens, herbal blends, rooibos, and honeybush.

The food was by Diamond Bakery Company - organic, whole grain items made with locally grown ingredients. In addition to the lengthy tea menu, there were also "tea quencher" drinks and coffee drinks.

On this visit, I tried the China Chun Mee Organic green. The tea came served in a large tea press with a timer set to the correct steep time. The ceramic mug was perfectly sized. A strainer was provided in case I wanted to use that for leaves escaping the press. Great presentation - actually made me consider a press for my tea brewing in the future. I loved watching the leaves expand and float during the steeping. Really added to the experience. I also love when shops not only give you a timer, but set it for a time. It is great to know what they recommend for a steep time. I can always ignore it and use my own parameters, but it is great to have some initial guidance. It was a calming comfortable environment. I would definitely recommend this shop if you visit Salem.

There is another shop in town, just down the street, that also looked worth a visit called Jaho Coffee & Tea. Their website clearly focuses more on the coffee side of their business. Actually, so does their menu, but they had some pretty unique offerings. The space was darker, more "moody" with big lounge chairs. Food seemed to be a much bigger focus than at New Civilitea. They serve tea in presses as well and do have some outdoor seating. When I was in the shop, I thought I saw that they sold Zodiac Tea. Their online menu shows that they sell Mighty Leaf, so I'm not sure which is currently in their offerings. In addition to their brewed hot teas and interesting iced teas (including White Mutan and Mate Limon) there were tea lattes: Chai tea latte, vanilla chai latte, coconut chai, mate latte, and matcha hot chocolate. There was one more, but I don't know what to make of it: "Green tea matcha latte." Since matcha is green tea, I really don't know why it is listed as such. Can someone more knowledgeable enlighten me?

That's the end of my North Shore travels (other than the fact I just returned there and spent the day at Crane Beach with my family. I'm now sporting a terrific sunburn, but it was still a fantastic day.) Let me know if you are familiar with the area and if you have other tea recommendations.

Back tomorrow with a book review. Have a great Saturday!