Wiens Teehandlung Schönbichler

From the Stephansdom (Vienna's cathedral), you round the block and see a tea shop which is clearly from an earlier era. There are teas displayed in the show window that prove this shop has some of the rarest Darjeelings. They were not shy promoting what the Germans call Flugtee (the newest First Flush brought in by plane).




You step inside, and you're transported back at least a century. There are huge canisters that the tea-seller will pull off the shelves and let you both admire and smell the leaves.





After a few minutes of admiring the tea sets and paraphernalia, you notice that there's a little loft above the showroom with comfortable seats and pillows. You climb the short flight of stairs and can look out over the shop to watch the customers flow in and out to ask questions and peruse the tea. There are books about tea, as well as Vienna , that you can peruse while you wait for your tea, but once it arrives, all you can do is sit quietly and let the world outside bustle by.