Status Sipping : Tea Time Replaces the Two-Martini Lunch as L.A.’s Socially Correct Experience

Chalk it up to health-conscious California living: More and more Angelenos are meeting friends and business associates for a spot of tea.

Heralded by the ancients for its medicinal qualities, tea-sipping has become the good-for-you thing to do--with all the social correctness the two-martini lunch used to have.

Timothy J. Castle, publisher of the Tea Quarterly, a national newsletter based in Santa Monica, has seen the popularity of tea drinking grow since his publication began in the early 1980s.

“Our readership and advertising revenue continue to expand,” says Castle, who wrote the book, “The Perfect Cup.”

Here is a sampling of tea-time experiences in the Los Angeles area that can send the most novice of tea-tasters in the right direction:

* The Rose Tree Cottage, 824 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, (818) 793-3337.

Located in two historic Pasadena bungalows, the Rose Tree Cottage offers three one-hour afternoon tea sittings seven days a week. Tea is served in the finest English tradition.

Owner Edmund Fry takes great pride in treating each of his guests like royalty. A former Londoner, Fry carries on a family tradition of tea service started by his mother, who worked as a tea server, or “nippy,” in one of London’s famous tea houses.

Tea service includes a choice of English scones (Fry’s great-grandmother’s recipe) and crumpets, plus other treats served at tables set with English bone china and fresh flowers. English imports, including linens, china, sundries and food items, are for sale.

Tea sittings at $8.50 are available at 2, 3 and 4 p.m. Call for reservations after 10 a.m. on the day you wish to attend.

* Japanese-American Cultural and Community Center, 244 S. San Pedro St., Suite 505, Los Angeles, (213) 628-2725 or (213) 931-9872.

For tea drinking that borders on a religious experience, try the “Introduction to Tea” class available through the Japanese-American Cultural and Community Center in Little Tokyo.

Students take turns playing host to classes of up to 10 participants as they learn the historic and ritualistic aspects of the 15th-Century art of the Japanese tea ceremony.

The ceremony is thought to symbolize life in microcosm and seeks to worship the beauty found in everyday living. The ceremony is considered a social event that pays deep respect to each guest as he or she drinks the green tea mixture from ceramic bowls.

Everything about the tea ceremony--from room size and decor to each step of the tea-serving process--is allegorical in nature.

Remember: Shoes must come off at the doorstep of the home in which classes are held.

“Introduction to Tea” classes are held once a month. Contact the Japan-American Cultural and Community Center for specific times and dates. Classes cost $10.

* Cafe Latte, 6254 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 936-5213.

Voted “best retailer and restaurant” for fine teas by the Tea Quarterly, Cafe Latte presents one of the largest variety of teas available in Los Angeles.

A tea supplier for several Los Angeles restaurants, Cafe Latte is not concerned with the social aspects of tea drinking but with the quality and integrity of the beverage.

This moderately priced restaurant with its knowledgeable staff offers nine custom blends of tea, plus a variety of black, green, scented, fruit and herbal teas. The kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, but patrons may order just a cup of tea.

Two specialty iced teas are offered daily, and all teas are available in bulk.

Cafe Latte is open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Dinner is served in the restaurant until 10:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

* Huntington Library Tea Room, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, (818) 584-9337.

After a rugged day of roaming through museums of priceless art, manuscripts and artifacts, make your way through the beautifully manicured gardens to the Huntington Library Tea Room.

The tea room provides light fare in a semiformal setting. Piping hot Earl Grey tea served in silver teapots compliments a buffet table of fresh fruit, finger sandwiches and tea cakes. A variety of scones is served at the table.

Afternoon tea is $10 per person.

The tea room is open 1-4:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and noon-4:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Reservations recommended.

* Trumps Restaurant, 8764 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 855-1480.

Famous for its dinners, Trumps in West Los Angeles has become equally well known for the afternoon tea it began serving eight years ago.

The cool Greek garden atmosphere lends itself to unwinding as a harpist plays soft New Age tunes.

Beginning with a complimentary cocktail and tea sandwiches, the afternoon meal includes a custom blend of Earl Grey tea, freshly made scones and a variety of tea sweets. Pastries are made an hour before tea time.

Trumps also offers a tea lunch, which adds a luncheon salad to the fare above.

Cost of the afternoon tea is $15; the tea lunch is $19.

Tea at Trumps is served 3:30-5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Tea lunch is available from 11:45 a.m.-2:45 p.m. Reservations are a must.

* The Novel Cafe, 212 Pier Ave., Santa Monica, (213) 396-8566.

Ready to curl up with a hot cup of tea and a good book? That’s the whole idea at the Novel Cafe.

Comfy old sofas, chairs and end tables situated throughout two rooms of 5,000 new and used books invite patrons to pull up a chair and stay a while. Thirteen varieties of tea--including herbal, decaffeinated and flavored--are offered in this very informal literary bookstore and coffeehouse.

Light sandwiches, salads and bakery goods are available.

Open from 8 a.m.-midnight Sundays through Thursdays, 8-2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

* Priscilla’s Gourmet Coffee, Tea and Gifts, 4216 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake, (818) 843-5707.

Although coffee is the big draw at this tiny 1919 renovated brick gas station, Priscilla’s also serves 23 varieties of tea. Located in the heart of Burbank’s media district, Priscilla’s is the perfect quick-breakfast stop for freshly baked muffins and croissants.

Mugs, strainers, teapots and other tea and coffee paraphernalia adorn the walls. One specialty iced tea is served daily. Prices are inexpensive and patio dining is available, although many customers take their tea on the run.

Open 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturdays. Closed Sundays.

Time for Some Tea Trivia * A cup of tea contains about 100 milligrams of caffeine, or half that found in a cup of coffee.

* India, the world’s largest tea-producing country, generates more than 1 billion pounds of tea and exports more than 490 million pounds annually.

* The United States imports approximately 174 million pounds of tea annually, second only to the United Kingdom.

* Tea plants come from the same family as the popular Southern California camellia.

* Black, green and oolong describe processing features of each type of tea, not differences between tea leaves and plants.

* Iced tea was first created in 1904 during a heat wave at the St. Louis World’s Fair.