Seattle Teahouses: Sunday mornings at Miro

Ah, Sunday mornings. The quietest, least stressful few hours of daylight a week.

I love Sunday mornings.

Some of us sleep in and have a leisurely morning, some go to church, some are outdoors jogging or skiing, and some of us have tea with friends. Do you have a Sunday morning ritual?

Over the last couple years, an occasional Sunday morning get-together at Miro Tea on historic Ballard Avenue has evolved into an almost weekly touchstone. Call it the Church of Tea if you will.

As soon as the Ballard Farmer’s Market opens, I’m there with a clutch of reusable bags and a fistful of cash. In the winter this too popular market is less crowded and friendlier.

After shopping, I meet my tea compadres for fine tea, an occasional buttery muffin or extravagant crepe, and good conversation at Miro, just up the block from the market. We call ourselves the teasome threesome, but lately we’ve morphed to four since my niece started joining (the teasome foursome? tea squared?). Sometimes we have drop-ins.

With all the steaming, whooshing, and clatter, coffee shops buzz with frenetic energy—which of course can be a good thing when you need to get revved for the day. But who wants that on a Sunday morning? Miro feels soothing, friendly, and a tad laid-back in comparison.

With a large selection of loose leaf teas, there’s always something interesting to sip at Miro. I’m a creature of habit, so I usually order jasmine, although lately I’ve gone for peach blossom silver needle. We share a pot, but sometimes one of us goes rogue and orders our own, separate cuppa.

Miro serves large, sumptuous crepes. Linds and I often split the Christy—a savory spinach and goat cheese-stuffed crepe topped with a delicate, paper-thin slice of Serrano ham and a lightly fried egg. It’s a marvelous blend of flavors and textures. All of Miro’s crepes are excellent.

Above us, intriguing art hangs on the tall, gallery-scale walls. The shows rotate on a regular basis, from photographs to oil paintings to mixed media. One of my favorite exhibits was Jim Molnar’s photographs of tea estates in the Taiwanese mountains.

Gracious and lovely owner Jeannie Liu is often around, and welcomes suggestions from her customers. The tea baristas like Taylor, Henry, Carly, Emmy, and Andrew are mellow and friendly. After all, it’s a mellow and friendly place.

So we sit and sip, talk about our week just past and the week ahead, compare notes on what we’ll be cooking with the farmers’ market fare, describe upcoming adventures or whatever else comes up. Somehow it’s grounding for me.

I hope your Sunday mornings are equally pleasurable, whatever your routine. If you stop by Miro before noon, I’ll likely be there with Tea Squared. Just follow the aroma of peach blossoms.

When You Go
Besides being a nice Sunday morning stop, Miro is open into the evenings, with occasional live music. Or try their Saturday afternoon tea tastings that feature a range of offerings of specific teas.