Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar

Hey y'know what this place kinda sucks.

I'm all about the "idea" of a mystical tree-fort-tea-lounge, and while a great example of an idea, the Tea Bazaar is a pretty bad example of a business.  Aesthetics aside,  the service is pretty damn awful for a trendy watering hole.  Granted, I haven't been here in a few months -- mostly because the last couple times I stopped by I ended up standing in a line for about 10 minutes before saying "Fuck it, there are way better/cooler/less expensive/more rewarding/less pretentious places to kill an hour and a half."  Seriously, the place is consistently understaffed and the staff consistently sluggish, and in a college town it's not too too difficult to find a hookah and a pot of tea at a moment's notice.

Great coffeeshops thrive on the flexibility of quick service for commuters and leg room for idlers, both of which can make up for mediocre coffee.  Tea Bazaar offers quality tea and an ostensibly relaxing, social atmosphere -- while I don't know what kinda hippy dippy loser stops in here for a steamin' pot before work, I do know that there's a very large population who are looking for the atmosphere and the service, the tea being equivalent to a nice bowl of mixed nuts.  Nobody came to Rainforest Cafe for the dino nuggets.

On a recent short trip through Charlottesville, my boyfriend and I stumbled in here seeking Yerba and anything to warm our cold hands on such a blustery day. Oh, they serve Yerba all right: they serve it up traditional gourd style!

Full size windows overlooking the main walking strip downtown and with a very zen-like seating arrangement make this the perfect pick-me up stop to escape the cold.

I am a bit of a wannabe artist, I don't like eating meat, and I feel most comfortable in subdued, quiet, unique locations.  Twisted Tea Bazaar fits the bill perfectly.  The first thing you see when you walk in is this huge twisted tree, which just sets off the tone right there.  It's like, "BAM, prepare to enter into the world you wished you lived in, the 'We don't need a suit and tie to be alive, man' kind of world."  

There are, of course, tons of tea options, both caffeine and decaf.  Personally, the list was just too big for me, so I always ask them to order me what they think I'll like.  I'm never disappointed.  They bring you a really big tea kettle.  I'm a big guy and just eat like a vacuum, but even my friend and I couldn't finish all of the tea.  So you definitely get your money's worth with the tea.

The food is pretty good.  I mean, I bet it is the weaker part of the experience, but I've only had the falafel (twice) and it was ok.  I'm a serious falafel afficionado though so don't listen to me.  The food was good and of course hipster and healthy.  

This is the place to go for a quiet first date, or just a quiet meeting (I've seen people doing business meetings there!).  It's a great little spot.  I think they have live music at some point but I never saw that.

Worth the trip downtown!