Thanks Tucson!
We’re very pleased to announce that we’ve been voted Best of Tucson in two categories for 2011 — Best Tea Service and Best Bulk Tea Selection. This is a major honor for us and we sincerely appreciate it. Thanks to everyone who put in a good word for us.
All tea lovers (and tea crazies) are invited to join us at our original teahouse in Tucson, Arizona. A friendly, relaxed, authentically Chinese atmosphere awaits. At the teahouse, you can:
- Sit in our beautiful tea room with a pot of tea
- Schedule an authentic Chinese tea ceremony
- Sample Chinese and Japanese sweets
- Buy tea in small packages (25-100 grams), or order tea in bulk (500 grams or more)
- Join one of Zhuping’s tea classes, to learn more about tea from a Certified Chinese Tea Master
- Stop in for a Free Tea Tasting (Fridays from 3:00-3:30pm)
Our teahouse is one of the very first genuine Chinese tea houses in North America, and the first to be owned and managed by a certified Chinese Tea Master. We spend months in China every year, personally sourcing each and every one of our teas from producers in the Chinese countryside. Stop in — we’d love to tell you their stories.
In addition to tea, we also source our own teaware, furniture, fixtures and fittings for the teahouse. We offer a wide range of genuine Chinese tea sets and other fine teaware for sale, as well as packages of tea to take home.
Teahouse Hours:
- Monday through Saturday: 10:30am – 8:00pm
- Sunday: 11:30am – 6:00pm
(seating for table service ends at 7:30pm)
(seating for table service ends at 5:30pm)
To contact the teahouse, dial (520) 881-4072. Please direct any customer service communications to sales@sevencups.com.
What the papers say…
“The Tucson teahouse is regarded as a local treasure…Seven Cups is primarily still a well-kept secret. Most business comes through word of mouth; Hodge has done very little marketing over the years. ‘Not a lot of people know about us, but the people who are crazy about tea know us, and that’s growing all the time,’ Hodge says.” Fresh Cup Magazine, December 2008 Tea Almanac (download pdf)
“Banging his head and knees in a tiny clown car bouncing along a potholed Chinese mountain road, Tucsonan Austin Hodge seeks out artisan teas — the kind of stuff that will absolutely ruin you for Lipton’s and Earl Grey. The world’s best teas, and China’s worst roads, are on those mountainsides…so go there he must…” Arizona Daily Star, 18 November 2008 (download pdf)
“Tucked into a little strip mall across the street from Rincon Market, Seven Cups is a charming Chinese teahouse that serves truly remarkable tea in a relaxed, elegant atmosphere. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and will happily explain the different leaves and growing regions of the wide variety of teas they carry. They offer etiquette lessons in Chinese tea drinking if you want, or you can just relax and enjoy the nuances of fine tea all afternoon. (The large pots are refilled with hot water three times.) If you get hungry, they also serve Japanese sweets–small, delicate pastries made from exotic ingredients, like red bean paste, that taste like nothing else on Earth.” Best of Tucson, 2005-2011
“A true Tucson treasure is heralded by a bright green awning and little else. Austin… invited us to sit at any of the other tables. And what tables they are. Polished and carved with Asian designs, they are one piece of the puzzle that makes Seven Cups one of the most calm and welcoming areas I’ve run across in Tucson: a place where you can just chill for a while. Oriental music plays in the background, mixing with the hum from the aquarium in a back corner. Ceiling fans twirl overhead, and pink lamps over the tables add a splash of color to the room. It’s a lovely little spot. It was a welcome respite… we were all pretty stressed for various reasons when we entered Seven Cups. But the atmosphere–combined with a healthy dose of delicious, high-quality tea–calmed us into delightful mellowness by the time we left about an hour later. The teas and pastries were all delivered swiftly, and then we were left to chat, sip, stir and enjoy. Every so often, Mr. Hodge would come by and fill our pots with hot water, but otherwise, we were left alone to just calm down, drink delicious tea and forget about the world that zoomed by outside. It was a nice moment. Seven Cups is not perfect… but it’s pretty darned close. Austin Hodge and Zhu Ping should be applauded for this venture. Because of Seven Cups, Tucson is a better–and slightly calmer–place.” Tucson Weekly, 2 September 2004
“Beyond the tea-lined shelves are slow-turning ceiling fans, an aquarium, red paper lanterns and wooden tables decorated with inlaid birds and vines for people who want to drink tea and indulge in Japanese sweets. Chinese music softly wafts through the dining area.” Arizona Daily Star, 2 September 2004
“The atmosphere at Seven Cups certainly assists in the pursuit of serenity. Warmed by Chinese redwood furniture and red lanterns, the teahouse promotes lingering over teapots and conversation.” Tucson Citizen, Friday 30 July 2004
“The tearoom, which seats 30, is decorated with red Chinese lanterns (for good luck) and a large feng shui table, “for everything,” Zhuping Hodge says. Traditional Chinese music echoes off the clay walls.” Arizona Daily Star, 23 July 2004
