Place: American Tea Room, 909 S Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90021
Tea of Choice: Hong-Kong Style Milk Tea - Black Teas, Evaporated Milk, Brown Sugar & Chai Tea
Giraffe Rating (out of 5 | for tea): 3.00
The first tE(a)scapade! Ty to Cathaline for being the guinea pig.
On a Saturday afternoon after a long and arduous first week (reading through syllabi is exhausting), Cathaline and I ambled* over to the American Tea Room. This tearoom is a hidden oasis within the busy city; I'll certainly be back to study. The ambiance is set firstly by the fiberglass fire pits outside and abundance of succulents inside. As you proceed through the glass doors you're hit with a sweet aroma, and open, naturally lit space.
Cathaline - a Brazilian sassmaster - is at USC on a year abroad via the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program. She is a multiplicity of things:
(1) Girl Genius.
(2) A Tough Cookie (specifically chocolate chip).
(3) Could Potentially Take My Title As #Sassmastersupreme.
I chose a Hong-Kong Style Milk Tea to kick off the blog, as it was the thing on the menu that is most similar to the British equivalent - I'm a stickler for the black tea, milk and sugar combo. The tea was smooth and the right level of sweetness. Cathaline decided on the Chai Tea, by recommendation of the "Tea-rista" (tea version of a barista). I'm not too big of a fan of Chai; I don't like to drink things that taste like potpourri.
Pros: The seating area and/or ambiance, there's SO much natural lighting; it's light, bright and vibrant. There's a tea machine that lets you look through all their options and allows you to input what you like in teas - and offers suggestions. PRIME study spot. The tableware was too perfect.
Cons: Small menu, not much choice, but a large selection of tea for purchase. Space inside and out is limited, so either get there early and stake out a study spot or shack up with a stranger.
Thank you for coming to tea with me, Cathaline.
*took an Uber
Until next time,
BG