Columbia Kate's

I love Columbia Kate's with all my heart! We visited 3 times during our honeymoon trip to Gold Country. We were greeted right away by Clare, the teahouse owner, and took a lovely seat by the window where we could look out onto beautiful Columbia, or look within at the absolutely adorable atmosphere. The tea list was was lengthy without being overwhelming. We first tried Russian Caravan - a delicious smokey black tea. We ordered a 4 cup pot along with two cups of smokey maple butternut squash soup. Heavenly. The food menu and and combinations are well thought, supplying a choice for every appetite and pocketbook. On our second visit, we came hungry and ordered the Motherlode Tea and the Dondero tea. The scones were the best I've had - apricot and white chocolate served fresh with cream, lem... (more)on curd, butter and jam (so good, i even finished off the condiments! so unladylike, i know). The tea sandwiches were nearly too lovely to eat. I particularly liked the Pickled Asparagus and dill cream cheese. The day's soup was a root vegetable with the most astounding brilliant rose color and delightful flavor. We also had Lapsang Souchong (woo! that has some punch!) and Roasted Mate. Both were delightful, and it was the eloquent wording on the menu that enchanted us into trying new flavors of tea. The third visit, I found wonderful vintage buttons for my collection, a gorgeous beaded blouse and gloves to wear to the theater later that night, and of course, drank tea and ate tasties til we nearly burst. The chicken pot pie is full of vegetables and flavorful chunks of chicken. The Turkey pot pie... now that was something extraordinary. Thanksgiving all baked together in a lovely heart shaped dish. I enjoyed a pot of my favorite tea - Assam, while my husband had a pot of China Gunpowder. I enjoyed the selection of cups for use and for purchase. The staff was so friendly and attentive, though all our needs were met the instant we came through the door. I love this place! You must go!

My husband and I live in the Mother Lode and discovered Kate's on a trip to Columbia our first November in the area. We love it and come at least once a month for a fix. I am a member of a tea group in Calaveras County and so I am familiar with a good tea experience. This is a great tea experience with fantastic food. The menu has a large variety certain to please everyone.

I love coming here for lunch. I live an hour away but will gladly travel for the tea, scones, and macarons. They offer a wide variety of teas. The ambiance is also very nice. My children like to come for a ' proper tea.' My husband is not a tea drinker but he enjoys the food and coffee here.

I fell in love with this lil quaint tea house back in 2008. I took my mom up to Columbia, Ca to show her the park and town. We stopped into Columbia Kates teahouse and we both felt that we were transported into a different time. A time where life was more simple and people appreciated the small things in life. We both ordered a couple of finger sandwiches and some lovely ice tea. I ordered the angel's dream and without a doubt feel instantly in love with the aroma and delicate flavor of blackberry. I can't remember what my mom ordered but after completing our great light meal, I decided to ask about their teas (they have a HUGE selection) and whether they did mail order or perhaps online ordering. To my delight, they DO! I've been an extremely satisfied customer of this teahouse ever since... (more). Their friendly yet professional service was fantastic and appreciated. Their selection of teas, phenomenal! The owner is HIGHLY knowledgeable in her field and could answer all of my many questions. Not once making me feel as if I was wasting her time. The shipping on all my teas thus far (and I order a lot!), excellent! Quick, never missing any teas and always a friendly 'Thank you' with each order.

Last time I was there, I bugged her a little more about her tea knowledge and found out she actually creates all of the teas I really like from there! I just think that is amazing! For anyone out there (like me) who does NOT appreciate lemon in their tea, as most do. Her own creation, named 'Meyer Lemon Cream'... is not tart nor bitter (like with typical lemon teas). It's smooth and well... creamy as the name implies. She uses Meyer lemons and as all those who bake knows, those are the BEST lemons around! I also highly recommend the cream of potato sausage soup! It was absolutely divine!

My favorite place to go. Authentic ambiance, eclectic and interesting shabby chic decor, huge tea selection, gift shop, and garden.
They make everything from scratch and have won awards for their unique and delicious deserts.
I love this place and go every chance I get!

My mom and I were finishing a two day road trip through Gold Country and stopped by Columbia for lunch. If only I had known about Kate's at the time! While eating at another local eatery I found Columbia Kate's in a brochure and set out to find the tea house - being quite a tea lover myself.

Our first step in the door was filled with the most beautiful aroma, and the tea menu itself took me several minutes to pour over and decide. After we finally settled on a tea to share, we moved on to the delectable list of desserts (and the lunch menu looked amazing too!). The tea was wonderful (and the loose blends I bought to take home are even more amazing), the food was great, and the service was attentive and pleasant. The tea garden was cute and whimsical. I highly recommend the Paris and Buckingham Palace blends.

I definitely plan to go back, regardless of the 7+ hour drive!