A sophisticated high tea
SereniTEA’s Tea Room
207 Park Lane, Estes Park
&
The Duchess Tea Room
255 Linden St., Fort Collins
For a traditional British high tea experience, entrepreneur Daisy St. Pierre has created two options in Northern Colorado: SereniTEA’s Tea Room in Estes Park and The Duchess Tea Room in Fort Collins. While the locations offer similar menus—think fresh pastries, light sandwiches and scones with clotted cream and jam—they differ in personality.
At SereniTEA’s Tea Room, guests find themselves immersed in historic mountain charm. Located in the old Prospect Inn, a property constructed in 1915, SereniTEA’s provides a glimpse of Estes Park’s past as well as views of the surrounding peaks from the outdoor patio.
“The setting itself makes you feel special, with all of the pretty china and pretty desserts,” St. Pierre says. “Most of the guests are really surprised to have something like this in a mountain town.”
Down on the Front Range, St. Pierre says The Duchess Tea Room offers a more modern option in the heart of Old Town Fort Collins with its own past as a recognized historic site. The building, constructed in 1882, has long been a Fort Collins stomping ground, previously hosting a meat market, a confectionery and a billiard hall. St. Pierre revels in the site’s charismatic Italianate architecture, complemented by gentle pink and blue pastel decor.
While Mother’s Day reservations are filling up quickly at both locations, St. Pierre says there will be specials for Mom—including a dedicated menu and photo opportunities—throughout the month of May.
SereniTEA’s Tea Room. Photo by Keep Social Media Social.
An inclusive experience
Avery’s Modern Teahouse
5685 McWhinney Blvd., Loveland
For more than a year now, Avery’s Modern Teahouse has offered an inclusive space, conveniently located at Loveland Yards, that embraces people of all abilities. That starts with the staff, a group of charming young people like 23-year-old Alexa Monarch and others who have a range of mental and physical challenges.
They serve up loose-leaf black, green and herbal teas as well as lattes and cold-brew coffee. The menu also features sweet treats, such as bubble waffles and scones, and lunch fare, including soups, paninis and burritos.
Monarch helps with the cafe’s signature tea parties, which are complemented by a variety of hats, scarves and pearls that are available for guests to dress up in. Customers enjoy working with Monarch, who serves guests with a smile and great attention to detail.
“My favorite thing is being happy and seeing customers,” she says.
McKenna Schultz, Avery’s general manager, says the business strives to offer work and growth opportunities for people with physical and developmental disabilities. With colorful pastel decor and cozy seating, Avery’s was intentionally designed as a calm, welcoming place that offers amenities such as noise-canceling headphones and children’s games.
“We try to be a place of inclusion for the general public,” Schultz says. “Families of kids with special needs feel like they have a place they can go.”
Mother’s Day will offer a fun and creative way to get acquainted with the staff and clientele: Avery’s will host a mommy-daughter trucker hat decorating day. Spots are $45 per person and include a hat and selection of patches. Reservations are accepted.
Photo by Kayla Young.
Bar vibes without the booze
Roots & Leaves Kavas & Teas
807 17th St., Greeley
223 Linden St., Fort Collins
1801 S. College Ave., Unit D, Fort Collins
530 N. Garfield Ave., Loveland (coming soon)
Roots & Leaves Kavas & Teas is quickly becoming a sociable alternative to the bar scene. At the core of the business is the kava root, derived from the Piper methysticum plant, which has been used for centuries in the South Pacific for ceremonial purposes. Brewed as an earthy tea, kava root provides a calming, sedative effect and a relaxing evening out without the hangover. Customers must be over 18 to consume kava, and the beverage shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol.
The kava bar hosts everything from knitting circles to drag nights, and they also offer a selection of herbal teas and smoothies. Nicole Carbone, vice president of marketing and business development at Roots & Leaves, says the calming effects of kava create a friendly atmosphere.
“I’ve never seen a bar fight at a kava bar,” she says before raising her drink and shouting, “Bula!,” the Fijian word for “life” or “good health.”
Mother’s Day will offer a fun and creative way to get acquainted with the staff and clientele: Avery’s will host a mommy-daughter trucker hat decorating day. Spots are $45 per person and include a hat and selection of patches. Reservations are accepted.
Casual and trendy
Bougie Boba Tea Bar
3820 W. 10th St., Unit B1, Greeley
At the family-run Bougie Boba Tea Bar, chill tunes, local art and plush seating complement a diverse menu of milk teas, coffees and blended drinks. Owner Melanie Rocha describes the cafe as a “happy place,” inspired in part by her daughter’s love of boba—the small, chewy tapioca pearls that give these Asian-inspired drinks their signature touch.
She says creating the Bougie Boba menu was a labor of love, starting with the carefully selected loose-leaf teas and custards, creams and simple syrups, all of which are made in house.
“Even when we’re training our employees, we let them know we don’t do things quick,” Rocha says. “We want to make sure the drinks are good. We’re not just whipping something up and it’s out the door.”
The shop also offers alternative milk options—an important detail for Rocha, who is lactose intolerant—like almond, oat and lactose-free milk as well as sugar-free selections. For boba lovers who prefer to stay in the car, the teahouse also has a convenient drive-through window.
On Mother’s Day, moms get a free boba waffle, a popular Hong Kong street food with a crispy, honeycomb-like exterior, served with a sweet dip.
Photo by Kayla Young.
A tea lover’s paradise
Happy Lucky’s Teahouse
236 Walnut St., Fort Collins
Inside Happy Lucky’s Teahouse sits a treasure trove for the tea obsessed: an 18-foot-wide “Great Wall of Tea” that’s home to 200 loose-leaf teas and what co-owner George Grossman describes as the largest tea selection in the state of Colorado.
“We built Happy Lucky’s because we wanted to build a place of community for people to come and gather and experience great tea,” Grossman says.
Located in Old Town Fort Collins’ historic firehouse, Happy Lucky’s isn’t just for the tea sophisticate.
“If you walk in and say, ‘I don’t like tea,’ I can find something for you,” Grossman says.
The “leafsters,” as their staff are known, are on hand to help customers navigate the variety of blends, from black and green teas to rooibos and chai. The options are plentiful and include selections from other tea companies as well as their own.
“Many of our teas are Happy Lucky’s proprietary blends that are created in house by our master blender, Andy Boone,” Grossman says. “We’re always creating new things, which is kind of fun.”
For Mother’s Day, Happy Lucky’s will feature their jasmine and rose petal teas alongside a selection of pies from Renee the Baker of Fort Collins.
