Not surprisingly, the first phrase that Lily and David Duckler offer after saying hello is: "Would you like some tea?" But it's not the usual teabag thrown into a cup; for them, sharing tea with a visitor is an exercise in hospitality, cultivated half a world away.
As the owners of the charming Verdant Tea "tasting room" in the Seward neighborhood, the Ducklers often refer to the large photos lining one of the cafe's walls. Images of farmers, smiling over tea harvests, aren't just decoration — they're reminders to the Ducklers about why they're sitting here, in Minneapolis, offering a single visitor six different types of teas.
