Denver, Colorado-area teahouses: Cozy places for the holidays and beyond

With upwards of 50% of Americans now drinking tea and many more people moving to (or visiting) Denver, Colorado, it’s a good time to tell you tea drinkers about our five favorite area tea shops. Our list is a mix of classic and relatively new tea houses, but each has a distinctive look and feel, as well as a great selection of teas and goodies for your enjoyment.

Ku-Cha House of Tea, 1211 Pearl Street, Boulder (303-443-3612); 128 S College Street, Ft. Collins; 2445 E 3rd Street, Denver (Cherry Creek):

In Chinese, "Ku" means bitter, and "Cha" means tea. As owners Qin Liu and Rong Pan point out on their website, they sell “bitter tea” because the tannins in traditional tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) always taste a little bitter. But the bitterness soon turns into sweetness, which the Chinese call "Hui Gan" (sweet after). They name their store "Ku Cha" also because its tasting experience represents life experience. One enjoys the sweetness of final success after a bit of hard and sometimes bitter journey to get there. Without the bitterness, there is no sweetness.

Started in Boulder, Colorado, Ku Cha House of Tea, was established in 2005 with a mission to bring you the finest teas around the world. Their philosophy has led them to stock more than 170 tea varieties: green, white, oolong, black, puerh, dark, chai, herbal (tisane), rooibos, yerba mate, fruit infusions, blends, and decaf teas. They want you to think of drinking tea as fun because, no matter what taste you prefer, you can always find a type of tea that suits you. Green tea provides a light, fresh taste; black tea, a full bodied flavor; and oolong tea, a blend of both green and black tea flavors. Tea drinks also are colorful: green, yellow, black, red, and more. When you drink tea, you can enjoy its delightful flavor and appreciate its color.

A Puerh cake tea on display at Ku Cha.

A visit to https://www.kuchatea.com/ or to their shops in Boulder and Cherry Creek proves the owners’ range:

• Organic greens and whites such as An Ji White and Gen Mai Cha

• Oolongs such as Dan Cong (Honey Orchid), Jasmine, and Passion Fruit

• 40 black varieties including An Cha, Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling, Keemun, Lapsang Souchong, and Yunnan

• Puerh teas such as Bing Dao, Gu Yun, Tiger Mountain, and Tuo Cha

• 36 herbals or herbal blends

• a wide variety of Japanese teas

They also sell beautiful and functional tea accessories, as well as books, gift boxes, decorative pieces, and even pastries infused with Ku Cha’s wares.

Great news! You can try most of these teas and treats in Ku Cha’s large tea room at the back of their Boulder store. Travel and Leisure Magazine has recognized it as one of the six best places to drink tea in the United States, and Lonely Planet recommends it as a “must visit” west of the Mississippi River. We find it offers a “touch of China,” with plants, water fountain, and a glass roof that accentuates the openness of the space. The shop’s wall boards are painted in Chinese style using warm, inviting colors. Its antique furniture reflects Chinese motifs and design elements, adding to an overall décor that provides a cultural context for visitors. All this adds up to a wonderful experience if you can journey to Ku Cha.

The House of Commons, 2401 15th St, Denver: (303) 455-4832. A lovely cafe inspired by London's tearooms rests just a short stroll from the Platte river in lower downtown Denver. The House of Commons takes its name from the nearby Commons Park, opened in February 2005, but with a handy nod toward the lower house of Parliament in Great Britain. This “taste of London” is a neighborhood gem. Their website boasts “an oasis of calm in a busy world,” and they serve an array of fine teas and treats. You can enjoy a full lunch or their award-winning afternoon tea service, depending on which way your stomach directs you! Because they’re nestled in a small urban space, they can be a little tight on seating, especially if they’ve put tables together to accommodate a larger group.

For the afternoon teas, you’ll reserve with a $10/person charge, which they then apply to your bill. They have a gluten free option available if you have anyone with dietary restrictions. The tea includes a pot of tea (more than 80 choices), cucumber sandwiches, beef sandwiches, a curried egg sandwich (favorite of many customers), two types of cake, fresh scones, clotted cream and lemon curd. Their curd is good enough to eat straight with a spoon. Scones are a bit more like biscuits but fresh and tasty.

The Brown Palace Hotel, 321 17th St, Denver: (303) 297-3111. This famous venue has a more formal flavor and 125 years of luxurious history boasting many prominent guests. The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa became the premier place to stay as Americans flocked west in the late 1800s to seek their fortunes in gold and silver. Today, it’s touted as one of Denver’s most elegant and beloved hotels. Before or after tea, be sure to dive into the hotel’s history during a specially guided tour.

Many people indulge in their traditional afternoon tea in the open atrium that forms the Denver tea room. There, one can feast on scones, finger sandwiches, truffles, Devonshire cream shipped directly from England, and herbal, green, and organic teas. Typically, the soft sounds of a harpist or pianist float in the air around you. The Brown Palace’s afternoon teas are booked weeks in advance but can vary a bit in quality. Although staff are always knowledgeable and pleasant, sandwiches in particular can range from average to delectable. Desserts are lovely and interesting, though, including the Earl Gray cookies.

Capital Tea, 1450 S Broadway, Denver: (303) 777-2255.  A quaint tea room with a fine array of loose-leaf teas. Cafe tables with little flowers, a cozy seating area, and afternoon sunlight create a casual setting for individual customers or friends meeting to catch up. They always have soft, pleasant music playing and local art on display for purchase. Perhaps that’s why they stay busy and have a reputation as a local hotspot for young professionals, south Broadway artists, and shoppers who want an afternoon break.

Capital Tea’s staff is friendly, and tea, food, and pastries are consistently tasty. Tea flavors are full, round, freshly brewed, and served singly or in a personal teapot. Customers rave about their pastries because they employ a classically trained pastry chef who creates wonderful scones, cookies, cakes, and other treats. Macaroons and mini Bundt cakes are personal favorites. Only downside: they go fast, so it’s best to get there earlier in the day.

They do serve afternoon tea, which comes with a scone or bread, endless pot of tea (you can switch types), and the classic tea service (sandwiches, savories, sweets). Keep in mind the atmosphere here is casual, so you won’t have the elegance of a “Russian Tearoom” experience. Still, afternoon tea is a fine way to enjoy a break from work or shopping with your buddies.

Bumble Tea, 2260 E Colfax Ave, Suite 101 at City Park, Denver: (720) 502-4371.  Opened in spring 2019 and quickly established itself as a unique tea room with lots of reasons to stop by for breakfast, lunch, or afternoon tea—with or without reservations. They blend all their teas in-house using responsibly sourced, organic ingredients, considering it important to offer customers the highest quality with unique small-batch teas.

Their tea names show a mind at work and, sometimes, a Hawaiian theme: Bees Knees, Hot Mama (Red Rooibos tisane), Hungry Like a Wolf (shades of Duran, Duran), Hawaiian Five-Oh, and Olomana Ridge (Oahu) are examples. Creative lemonades and locally sourced, fresh-roasted coffee round out the drink menu.

Food selections are wide-ranging, from veggie quiche and burritos, to Pau Hana and Bumble waffles (Apricot honey and lavender whip!), to always available Hawaiian butter mochi and chewy brownies, plus special cinnamon rolls on Saturday. Owner Megan says : “Our muffins, scones, and other baked goods are baked fresh from scratch daily and are always ready by the time we open at 7:00 a.m. Occasionally, they won't be in the display window at exactly 7:00 because they’re not quite cool enough to plate, but they’re always available. We place a sign right at the register posting our daily selection.”

Bumble Tea’s décor is also fun, with an eclectic mix of chairs, furniture, and bumble bee motifs everywhere. They have a wall of troll faces for sale in the back. There's even a display of bumble bee artwork by students at East High School—coincidentally where our daughter’s domestic partner works. East High’s 140-year history includes some famous graduates: internationally renowned stars of stage, screen, music, and the literary world, such as movie stars Pam Grier and Don Cheadle, singer Judy Collins, and writer Sidney Sheldon. You probably won’t find them hanging out at Bumble Tea, but stop by anyway for a cozy place to plot your own fame and fortune.

When you visit a tea house for your next gathering, wow your friends and the shop’s staff by bringing along your own Tea Tabard tea cozy™ from koffeekompanions.com . Or, better yet, match that tea cozy with Kup Kaps™ from our 23 choices. Going on your own? Try one of our money-saving sets. We’ve been taking coffee and tea drinkers to their happy places since 1996™.