In the three towns that make up my area (aroundfremont) alone, none of which were mentioned in the article, I can think of at least half a dozen more tea places, without even counting any of the places that specialize in cold drinks (bubble tea and such) or coffeeshops that also a good selection of teas OR the loose-leaf tea shops. :) It's really the Asian population that's driving it--most of the pseudo-Victorian places have been around a while, but the recent explosion is largely driven by Taiwanese/Taiwanese-American entrepeneurs. When I was in Taipei, teahouses were trying to beat back the proliferation of Starbucks-style coffeeshops, and I love that the trend spread here. They love both Asian and European-inspired teas--I had a $5 (!!!) pot of floral tea in a cozy Swiss-decorated shop in Taipei. Quite crazy. I loved it. (I miss Taipei--the gigantic bookstore that teashop was located over was open 24 hours. *sigh*)
Most of the local teahouses that are open till midnight or later have free wi-fi, too. :D
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Most of the local teahouses that are open till midnight or later have free wi-fi, too. :D