Tea Time In Beverly Hills!

When Passport to Beverly Hills was announced on Unilocal,I made an RSVP beeline for the Tea Time in Beverly Hills event at American Tea Room. I had my eye on this place since coming upon reviews of this business by several Unilocal friends who LOVE tea as much as I do.
After submitting my RSVP, I was placed on waitlist and hoped with bated breath and sent a follow-​up email to see if there were any last minute openings. Lucky for me, a spot opened up and I was in — YAY!
The majority of stores of Beverly Hills close down after 6pm, but American Tea Room opened its doors for us Unilocalers to present a lavish evening tea! I had the pleasure of sitting next to Unilocalers I met for the first time: Alida R., Sabrina F., Jason P., Jessica C. and Carla. The tablecloths are aptly red for us Unilocalers as you can see:
David, one of the owners of American Tea Room started the event with an overview of the store’s philosophy and specialty tea products. They source teas and herbs from throughout the globe to create unique blends. A seasonal item the store is especially known for is the «Kabuki» tea consisting of a high grade green tea from Japan, which is grown in shade and paired with fragrant, dried cherry blossom petals. He also told us about the special swag bag from American Tea Room with tea samples (So Coconut — organic blend of Chinese black tea with coconut; and Sleeping Beauty — Valerian root, mint, chamomile, forest berries, rose petals and fennel), free iced tea coupon, tasting cup and measuring teaspoon. Here’s a pic of what we got with the usual Unilocal goodies as well:
We were served both cold and hot teas that were specifically paired with scrumptious savory and sweet snacks provided by Valerie’s Confections, a Silver Lake based caterer (She’s opening up a shop in Echo Park soon).
Evening Tea Menu (4 tea drinks accompanied by snacks):
* «SMOKE AND FIRE» COCKTAIL MADE OUT OF A BREW OF LAPSANG SOUCHONG TEA had a shot of bourbon and was garnished with kumquat peel and sprigs of lavender. The cocktail was paired with a Smokey Wheel h’or derves of Dutch Cow cheese. The drink itself tasted smoky, too from the Lapsang Souchong tea leaves.
* ROYAL MANDARIN ICED TEA was another offering — it was paired with Earl Grey petit fours by Valerie’s Confections.
* KABUKI GREEN TEA was the hit of the evening. The hot tea was a beautiful light woodsy green accented with the aroma of cherry blossoms. This was paired with scones and fruit preserves flavored with American Tea Room’s Kabuki and Tangier teas.
* CHOCO LATE, AN ORGANIC ROOBOIS TEA that’s slightly sweet and bold enough to compliment the Hazelnut Toffee dessert rounded out the menu for the evening.
As if that wasn’t generous enough, American Tea Room offered us Unilocalers a 20% DISCOUNT ON PURCHASES THAT EVENING — I bought Victoria (think very strong Bergamot-​scented Earl Grey with rose petals and a top note of vanilla bean); and Toasted Fig (blend of organic Pu-​Er, figs, dandelion roots, coconut flakes and fennel).
Jordan, one of the staff of American Tea Room served as bartender of the evening; he mentioned to me how they started special tea events in the evenings to introduce creative ways of using their teas. I also received a few pointers from Jordan about how Lapsong Souchong tea leaves could be ground and made into a crust for pan-​fried salmon or used to smoke cheeses, fish and meats.
Many thanks to Brittany B. for coordinating such a wonderful event! I also want to extend kudos to everyone at American Tea Room — owners, David and Randy, along with their staff, Katie and Jordan. They made a cohesive and smooth team displaying individualized service and gracious hospitality to us lucky Unilocalers.
I definitely cannot wait to go back to American Tea Room to try their AFTERNOON TEA ($ 20 per person and no reservations necessary) and to try and buy some more teas and herbal infusions!
[PS: They’re currently offering a Unilocal check-​in 10% discount for in-​store purchases. Sometimes they offer general discounts through mail order purchases on their website at
]

Very cute tea boutique. Their teas are not cheap, but that’s because they’re not cheap. All high quality tea in there and an assortment of tea accessories. Great place to get a classy gift for someone you may not know intimately, but still want to honor.

My first Unilocal event in L. A! The owner gave us a short intro to start and explained his background, and told us about the drinks we were drinking and foods paired with it. Among the tea drinks were one with Maker’s Mark and kumquats (you had me at hello) and a fruity iced tea concoction. We were also given delicious food pairings of scones with some lovely tea-​infused jams (my favorite was the kabuki with cherry blossoms – delicious!), some smoky cheese on a wafer thin cracker, some chocolate covered toffee, and an Earl grey infused lavender petit fours. We were given a lovely swag bag, with tea samples, a proper tea spoon, and we got to keep our double-​walled tasting glasses. Parking was easy in the lot next door.
From floor to ceiling, for many walls, big tea containers as far as the eye can see. I never knew there were so many kinds! If you are a tea lover, this shop will be your paradise.

The store itself has a great vibe and a neat layout, while the selection of tea is incredible and vast. The staff is knowledgeable, fun and passionate, and I was shocked at how much I enjoyed each of the teas I had the opportunity to taste. Whether you go for a cup of tea, or are looking to purchase tea leaves to prepare at home, this is a great spot to check out.

Totally tasteful & terribly tantalizing tea time. Truthfully: tables, toast, teeth & tongues. Totes thankful.

Wow – some seriously amazing teas, chocolates, and pastries. This was probably one of the best Unilocal events I’ve ever attended. I particularly liked the cherry blossom tea and the fruit-​infused iced tea. And I agree with Doreen – these guys should do afternoon tea, as they do it REALLY well.

I gave up coffee a month ago. It’s been tough, but with the help of Unilocal I’m getting through this trying moment in my life.
I was able to attend Tea Time at The American Tea Room, part of Unilocal’s Passport to Beverly Hills event (
), recently. I took this chance as an opportunity to «think outside the box,» if you will, and view tea not as my coffee substitute, but as my drink of choice. Once David, a co-​owner of the American Tea Room, started talking about his business, how he fell in love with the teas of the world, and basically, his mission, I slowly started feeling the conversion process occur.
The staff at American Tea Room really welcomed us and pampered us with treats from Valerie Confections. They had a spread of smoked cheese, buttery scones, chocolate covered toffee, and a delectable piece of cake with a sugary lavender rose petal to finish the look.
We were able to taste four teas, two hot teas, one iced, and one spiked. I wish I could remember the exact name of all the teas, but what I do remember is that they were all delicious and the bourbon spiked tonic was strong… deceivingly adorned with a sprig of lavender and orange zest.
What I definitely do remember was the 20 percent discount that they extended to Unilocalers that night. I definitely took advantage of the deal and purchased a bag of «So Coconut» after a conversation with the other owner. I mentioned to him that I have been coffee free for over a month and we chatted up a storm about caffeine, the jitters, and the awesomeness of tea. He even debunked some caffeine tea myths for me.
I left enlightened and equipped with tea and a goodie bag from American Tea Room, which had two tea samples, a teaspoon, and double-​insulated glass tea cup, to set me off on my new tea venture.

In the five years I’ve lived in Los Angeles, I’ve driven through Beverly Hills once (with an out of towner who wanted to see Rodeo Drive), and have never deliberately visited. The American Tea room gives me a reason to go back!
When we arrived at the event, we had a chance to explore the shop, smelling samples of some of the amazing tea for sale by the ounce. I brought home a bag of Brioche blend (which smells like an almond pastry) and it tastes as good as it smells.
We then sat down and David, the owner, told us all about the tea pairings we would be sampling. We had a fruity iced tea paired with earl grey petit four, chocolate tea (that is sugar and fat free but TASTES AND SMELLS LIKE HOT CHOCOLATE!) paired with an amazing chocolate toffee, kabuki (Japanese green tea with cherry blossoms) tea paired with scrumptious scones with amazing tea based jams, and a smoky cheese paired with a tea cocktail, made with lapsang souchong and Maker’s Mark. I would never have thought to pair tea and bourbon, but what an excellent pairing!
In addition to the usual Unilocal goodies, the owners of the American Tea Room graciously provided some lovely swag — tea samples, a scoop sized for the perfect cup of tea, and a coupon for our next visit.
Parking at the store is easy in one of multiple city lots nearby; the first two hours are free, or a flat rate of $ 5 for vehicles entering after 6 PM.
If you’re looking to get into specialty teas, or to find a gift for a tea lover, I suggest you check it out. It’s expensive, but worth it if you can afford it.
Thanks to Brittany B for a lovely, intimate event!

Unilocal INSIDER TIP FROM DOREEN (AKA AZN PERSUASION): If you love tea, you will loooooove, love, love this place. They have walls of tea from all over the world. There is structure parking right by S SM Blvd. Two hours free during the day and after 6pm a flat $ 5 fee.
*****
I only wish they had a café for tea time! Sampling the 4 exotic teas and desserts/​jams were yummy! Such a cute place, very friendly owners and staff, highly recommend. They also sell tea supplies and cookies. A good place to get gifts.