Monday, April 29, 2024

12 Best Afternoon Tea Spots in Los Angeles

northeast tea house

I’d love to experiment with more traditional tea snacks—perhaps even making some—but beyond that we haven’t planned far ahead in terms of food items. Tea is very much the focus, and I think, ultimately, the rest of the menu will revolve around the seasonal teas. Beyond that, of course, the way gongfu brewing works and traditional tea culture in general—that all needs to be taught. And the lingering assumptions about tea we have from British tea culture need to be shed.

Rose Tree Cottage

What’s really nice is nothing has been such a hard sell so far. People are very much inclined to go off our recommendations. The thing I was most worried about was whether people would insist on sugar or honey, or insist on milk in their matcha. A few people have asked, but so far almost no one has seemed to care very much. Others have told me more than a few times, “This is Minnesota, so you can’t expect people to be too adventurous”—basically to express the point that we need to keep a foot in Western tea tastes to have a wider appeal.

Autumn Ai Lao Secret Garden Sheng Cake

Freshly milled matcha prepared with hot water does not require milk or sugar to cover up the taste, as do many non-fresh matcha powders, which are susceptible to degrading flavor and rapid oxidation with time. So that’s the main difference between us and even the other high-end matcha companies, let alone these chains you mentioned. Ours is all from this first flush, and in fact from an area called Uji near Kyoto, which is considered the best place for tea in Japan.

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I started doing that each morning—really trying to experience each tea, tasting what I could but mostly letting it open up and reveal itself on its own. Six months and one gut renovation later, Parish is milling fresh matcha and leading gongfu ceremonies at Northeast Tea House—a cafe that stands in stark contrast with the country’s many third-wave coffee shops. After a month of focusing on lockdown takeout, Northeast Tea House’s in-store service resumes January 12. The airy, contemporary space is well-suited to our pandemic times with its socially distanced smattering of tables and a long chabudai surrounded by cushions. A serene fish tank bubbles mid-shop, drawing its share of gawkers, but Parish encourages guests to leave their laptops at home.

White Tea – Unoxidized and minimally processed; smooth and lightly sweet.

northeast tea house

For reader convenience, we’ve also included which days of the week you can find the tea in each listing, as well as the cost of each tea set. Pu’er is a type of tea that is sun-dried, which leaves some microbial activity going on over time, slowly fermenting the tea and making it more complex with age. So I’ve been getting hooked on aged pu’er, both for the complexity and the way it makes you feel “tea drunk.” It’s actually a real thing, where good pu’er will make you feel a little euphoric!

Traditional Tieguanyin

Sign up for our email to enjoy Los Angeles without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush). Actually, they were asking me, as I was looking for a job after college, what my dream job was. I said it’d be having a tea house, but I kind of dismissed it as unrealistic, until they said, “Why not go for it? ” So really, this place wouldn’t be here—not even close—without them.

Rose & Blanc Tea Room & Venue

Available Thursdays and Saturdays, 1 to 3pm, the intimate service comes with views of the (mock) Herculaneum villa and amphitheater from the Founder’s Room, located just above the museum café. Pick from an array of high-quality teas, including the Villa’s Art of Tea signature blend, which adds a touch of lavender to Chinese black tea. Compared to the Getty Center’s admittedly lackluster afternoon tea offering, the Villa’s selection of vegetarian-friendly scones, sweets and sandwiches is delicious, and far better than it needs to be. From the moment the tencha (the specially prepared green tea leaves) are ground into a matcha powder, matcha may last from 6 months to a year in an unopened airtight tin kept at room temperature. However, many matcha drinkers notice meaningful flavor changes after one month.

Most people who stop by are new to the world of tea, so it’s largely based off of what we recommend. For loose-leaf tea, we probably end up recommending the Laoshan Black tea the most. I think it’s the most approachable and always good, since it’s incredibly sweet and chocolatey.

Blends of matcha are given poetic names known as chamei ("tea names") either by the producing plantation, shop, or creator of the blend, or by the grand master of a particular tea tradition. When a blend is named by the grand master of a tea ceremony lineage, it becomes known as the master's konomi. At the moment, we are waiting on a shipment of custom-pressed tea cakes—one pu’er and one purple leaf black tea.

Yes, I think the bombardment of troubling news and stimuli is quite a drain on people, and that’s largely why I’m not trying to copy coffee shops that encourage laptops and working. The tea obsession grows and grows, especially since I’m surrounded by kilos of it every day; it is hard not to over-caffeinate. For one, I shared gongfu tea with my friends and saw other people doing the same there, and realized that tea wasn’t just relaxing, but a remarkable medium for connection. And as my tongue and appreciation of tea has developed, the flavors have become an increasing draw as well.

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Afternoon tea also proves a wonderful social occasion for the sober community. As Gen Z showcases a much different relationship to alcohol, and members of older generations rethink their own relationship to drinking, gatherings that aren’t centered around booze have gained traction. Almost any traditional afternoon tea menu includes the option to add bubbles, if desired, but it’s an afterthought — the tea will always be the focus. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing, beautiful garden setting or a conveniently located place to enjoy tea with friends, these top L.A.

I’m really excited about anything that involves creating our own tea—tea you can’t get anywhere else—so if this first batch works out I could see getting really into custom-blending different batches of pu’er. Yes, it was important to strike some sort of balance; not so much between Western and Eastern, however. I’m pretty eager to distance ourselves from Western tea culture and prioritize authentic traditional, East Asian tea culture. The difference between the seating styles was more because not everyone is comfortable sitting on the ground.

I also did a gongfu session whenever I had time and tried to share that with my friends as often as possible.

Santa Monica isn’t exactly known for its upscale afternoon tea offerings, but this design-forward hotel is changing that with a modern afternoon tea service inside Palma, the Proper’s lobby restaurant. Designed by Kelly Wearstler, the impossibly chic space features unique floral arrangements and plenty of seating arrangements to choose from. While the tables that border the elongated booth by the window catch the most light, larger parties can opt for the secluded alcoves or one of the lower-slung coffee tables. Each service includes a glass of Veuve Clicquot or a non-alcoholic sparkling wine, plus scones, sandwiches and a rotating array of sweets that put a California spin on classic flavors. (In particular, we found the aged goat cheese and chive scone to be outstanding.) For $20 more, guests can also indulge in bottomless champagne. The wait can be considerable—I waited three months, in fact—but the chance to enjoy this museum afternoon tea offering is well worth the need for advance booking.

It’s not a guarantee of anything, but that certainly provides another layer of peace of mind. Yes, both she and my dad have been essential to getting this tea house going. From the outset, the tea house wouldn’t have happened without their support.

Additionally, the hotel is hosting a weekends-only “tea party” on the Belvedere Terrace every Saturday and Sunday featuring a DJ, eclectic and antique China and glassware, floral-themed cocktails, tea sandwiches, and more. The English tradition of taking a midday pause to refuel with crustless sandwiches, warm scones, and freshly brewed tea is alive and well in Los Angeles. From posh establishments that follow formalities to local spots that hit all the cozy notes, here now are 16 lovely places for afternoon tea in Los Angeles this holiday season.

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