There is a bit of planning that goes into these reviews but that doesn’t mean they remain in place.   I had several ideas about what to get into for today but those can wait.  None of them made sense for a myriad of reasons.  The season has yet to fully break and certain teas and tea-related contraptions don’t feel right to be recapped, at least not yet.  Their time is coming but not now.

With that being said, I didn’t panic or freak out.  I knew a place would find me. I say place because it just felt right to venture out of the comfort of my abode and seek out something inspiring.   And this brings me to Sidamo Coffee and Tea.

A chance visit to to our nation’s capital and even more specifically, the revitalized H Street, brought me to this cozy and charming shoppe.

I just knew I was in for something special.

Now the place also says coffee so that’s their bread and butter.  Oh wait.  The venue only had about a half-dozen tables which is right up my alley. There was a gentleman grinding coffee beans on sight and what a sight to behold.   It felt as authentic as DC can get.  And if you know Washington, you understand why I say that.

Behind the counter is a magnificent array of loose-leaf teas and since I’ve been on such a lemon kick lately I decided to go with King Tut Lemonade.  I had no idea what I signed up for and that’s what I love about this thing.

The lady behind the counter was on her own and demand was starting to accumulate. However, she still made my tea at a fastidious pace.  I had requested a large cup but had not realized I got the most amazing teapot and cup display.

You see it posted at the top but this deserves multiples pictorials.   And she brought it to me.  I didn’t expect that.  It’s always the little things.  Notice how I’ve even yet to describe the tea.

This tea really hit me where I needed it most.   The benefits of lemon have been documented greatly and a nice brewing pot of tea opens up other nooks and crannies of this spiritually healing fruit.

You’ll likely know it right away.  The main ingredient is lemon peel.   For sure I’ve had a plethora of cups that contained lemon peel integrated with other herbs and gems, but not like this.  The lemonade means something else entirely different and I’m grateful for that.

My stomach has had issues for a while and this is just what the doctor ordered.  It rejuvenated me from the onset.  If I could get more than four 4 cups from this, I would have taken double.  Can you have too much of a good thing?  In this scenario I’m not so sure.   I took my time savoring what I could.   And 30 minutes later I felt revitalized.

That infuser teapot is a work of art, don’t you think?

I really didn’t need anything to snack on but a fruit and nut bar was a proper sweet treat to counter the bitterness of this tea.  And I mean bitterness in the best way possible.  I loved it more than these words can articulate.

I love figuring out the ingredient before reading up on it.  And I’m blessed to be from an Iranian heritage where lemon peels have been used in some dishes.   That is the main reason I knew it was the peel.  Even as distinct as a flavor is, a sentimental memory from the past makes the discovery all the more joyous.

Life is something grand.   I had a sense that this place had a familiarity about it.  It wasn’t until I looked the place up that I recall visiting their second location in Fulton, MD.  That experience was left so much to be desired.  The barista or team-member could not be a more polar opposite than the DC location.  I’m not big on being too negative so I honestly never thought to write about that experience until now.  And I may get into full details another time but for now I give major love and thank you to Sidamo, and I look forward to doing it again.

To purchase King Tut Lemonade Tea, I have posted a couple of links here and here!

Stay healthy,

Ideen