Don’t Taste Washington without first devising plan

Have a taste of Washington, or two, or three…

I have two tips for people who are interested in going to Taste Washington at the Davenport Hotel on June 11:

• Have a plan. You simply can’t taste every wine or eat every bite of food offered at this event. Before you step into the lobby, take a look at the list of wineries and restaurants at www.tastewashington.org. The $75 ticket will give you access to samples from 102 Washington wineries and 27 restaurants.

Otherwise you’ll find the fresh seafood bar and Washington White Out wine tasting bar halfway through the night and really wish you had started there instead.

• Take notes. You’ll be forever arguing with your husband about whether it was the Dunham Cellars or DeLille Cellars wine with the wonderful tobacco flavors that you liked so much.

The new restaurant and drink offerings this year are from: Beverly’s Restaurant at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, C.I. Shenanigans, Cravens Coffee, Okane on the Hill, Raw Sushi and Island Grill, Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops, The Barn on Trezzi Farm, the Davenport Hotel, the Glover Mansion, Wild Sage American Bistro, and Windows of the Seasons at the Red Lion Hotel at the Park.

New wineries include Brian Carter Cellars, Bunnell Family Cellars, Cayalla, Coyote Canyon Winery, Long Shadows Vintners, Merry Cellars, Va Piano Vineyards, Waters Winery and the Precept Brands “WoW” portfolio (Wines of Washington).

Tickets are at Arbor Crest and Latah Creek wineries, Peters and Sons, William’s Seafood and Wine and Vino! Purchase tickets online at www.tastewashington.org.

Cravens Coffee … and tea?

Spokane’s venerable coffee roaster Cravens Coffee Co. is cozying up to a new cuppa. This time it’s tea.

Simon Thompson says when he met the owner of the Aspen, Colo.-based Two Leaves and a Bud he told Thompson, “You talk about coffee like I talk about tea.”

Thompson says Cravens had long been interested in wooing the less caffeinated – from baby boomers who are watching their caffeine intake to the growing number of people who appreciate the flavors of fine teas.

Two Leaves and a Bud, named for the part of the tea plant that is traditionally harvested, sells single region teas that have not been blended with cheaper tea fannings and dust. The whole leaves can be seen in the pyramid-shaped sachets, which give the tea room to circulate and expand. Thompson said Two Leaves and A Bud has a tea packing facility in China where most of the tea is purchased at auction.

Cravens has an exclusive contract to distribute the teas in this area and it can be found at Rosauers, Yoke’s, Super 1 and Tidyman’s grocery stores as well as many of the restaurants, cafes and drive-throughs where Cravens Coffee is available.

The teas include: Organic Assam, Organic Earl Grey, Mountain High Chai, Jasmine Petal, Tamayokucha green tea, Organic Orange Sencha, White Peony Blossom and Organic Chamomile Flowers.