Fountain City tea shop will serve 'Indiana Jones' vibes with flavors from around the world
For all the tea-faring adventurers out there, a new themed tea house is setting out on a journey to open in Fountain City later this year.
The Kraken's Cup is planned near the Food City on North Broadway in late spring or early summer.
Owner Vallie Prince has been working toward opening a tea house for seven years. She's combining her food service and archaeology backgrounds to grow Knoxville's tea scene.
"Knoxville has a huge number of restaurants," Prince told Knox News. "I decided to just do something different and branch out, plus I like educating people, and not enough people know about tea."
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It will join tea shops like The Spice & Tea Exchange, Hello Tea House and Tonya Rea's Teas and Remedies.
Knoxville tea room will have two themes
The Kraken's Cup combines two storefronts together into one 2,500-square-foot, full-service tea room with two themes.
The English Tea Garden dining area will be outdoor themed with trees, birds singing and a fairy garden.
The Adventurer's Library area will incorporate Prince's archaeology background with an early 20th century theme. Think "Indiana Jones" meets "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," with photos and artifacts from all over the world.
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Kraken's Cup menu
Expect an accessible menu with six or seven basic teas for newbies, with options including Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Jasmine Green, Sencha, and teas "most people would probably see in their kitchen."
Prince said she'll have a separate menu for more adventurous tea drinkers who want to venture out. In total, she'll offer about 60 teas.
Genmaicha - a browned rice green tea
Red Robe Oolong - a five-tea blend from the Wuyi Mountains
Mugicha - a tea made from roasted barley
Ceremonial Matcha - a high-grade of matcha grown in Kyoto, Japan
Pistachio Pu'erh - a tea made from pistachio nuts and rose petals
Rosemary Mint - an herbal tea with rosemary, licorice, eucalyptus and peppermint
The food menu will include soups, salads and sandwiches. A draft menu includes the Ploughman's Lunch, which comes with a full sandwich – like a traditional cucumber sandwich or the Admiral Glenn's ham salad sandwich – royal deviled egg, toasted garbanzos, a baby dill pickle and a personal teapot.
Prince also is planning a members-only Explorer's Club with a "passport" to log tea reviews. Once a member fills their journal, they'll get "something special."
Steeping tea education in Knoxville
Prince wants to provide classes to educate Knoxville about tea and how to brew it once the location opens. She's hosted these classes previously at the Frog Juice Boocherie.
"What I recommend is if people have a chance to attend the 'What is Tea?' class that I teach, that is a great place to start," Prince said about trying new teas. "Because it does walk people through the six main types of tea so they can narrow down what they like or don't like."
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Prince said her goals go far beyond one storefront.
"I want this to be the beginning of a tea empire. I want this to be location one and then I would like to spread out and have other locations," Prince said.
When it opens, The Kraken's Cup will operate Wednesday through Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville tea shop Kraken's Cup will open in Fountain City
