Madeline's in Spokane

I recently visited Spokane, WA for work and got a chance to have tea at a café called Madeline’s on Main Street. It’s a cute café owned by a mother and daughter and very French inspired. They have lots on their menu including various types of coffee, tea (mainly mighty leaf tea), food, and desserts. The staff is really nice and extremely welcoming. I basically plopped down with my computer one afternoon, found free wi-fi (from the Pita Pit next door), and drank lots of tea. If you get a tea, they will refill your cup with hot water. If you order a coffee, you get free refills of drip coffee.

It’s a great place to hang out with friends, work on your laptop, or even compose music (the guy at the table next to me was gently strumming his guitar as he drank his coffee). The food is great too. They have an excellent selection of dishes (cooked that morning). There’s stuff for vegans too!

Definitely visit it if you are out in Spokane. Rating 5/5.

Clearing through a London Fog

I went to Starbucks (in a Safeway!) on a recent trip Seattle and saw a new tea on their menu: The London Fog.

Being a tea junkie, tea and London are almost synonymous in my tea dictionary. I got excited and ordered one. I wasn’t sure what I’d get, but the experience wasn’t bad. It’s basically earl grey tea with lots of milk and some sweet syrup (an equal proportion of water and milk with maybe 2-3 teaspoons of the “special” syrup). You can make it at home (but, you’d probably have to buy the ‘Starbucks syrup’). I’d say it’s worth one try, but definitely not an addiction. Rating 3/5.