Sipping a New Specialty

The Chado Tea Room is taking on a city steeped in the coffee tradition.

Founder Suity Liongosari, who grew up drinking tea in her native Indonesia, has steamed her way into a hot new marketplace. From the start, she wanted to do away with the Victorian images traditionally associated with drinking tea. Her goal was to open a place where she could market high-quality teas and cater to specialty drinkers.

“It takes a lot more to be a tea drinker than a coffee drinker,” said Liongosari, 35, a former interior designer. “There are so many depths in tea drinking.”

Taking advantage of a national trend toward greater interest in tea, Liongosari is using the teahouse to showcase and introduce customers to the breadth of gourmet blends.

During a visit to Japan four years ago, Liongosari said she was amazed at how much care and pride Tokyo department stores put into packaging teas. Unable to forget those images, she traveled to England and the European continent, where she explored tearooms and began learning more about the different tastes of tea. Two years ago she opened Chado, which in Japanese means “the way of tea,” in a small space amid the shops of 3rd Street in West Hollywood.

“We want to make tea accessible,” said Liongosari. “We want people to be able to really taste the tea.”

Tea is the drink of choice for half the world’s population. It is relatively cheap, and a small amount of tea leaves goes a long way compared with coffee beans. So it is no surprise that choices abound from local, national and global sources.

Tea comes from the leaves of a plant known as Camellia sinensis . The plant produces three basic types of tea: black (fermented and full-flavored), oolong (semi-fermented and slightly bitter) and green (unfermented). There is also herbal tea (herbs brewed like tea).

The selection at Chado consists of more than 150 varieties, including rare teas such as rajini, an Indian tea blended with rose petals that is meant to be sipped in the evening, and rhubarb iced tea for summer.

Selections range from traditional fare to more obscure blends from China, India, Taiwan and Africa. Liongosari stores the tea in brown canisters on shelves that extend from the floor to the ceiling.

Tea is sold by the ounce and ranges from $2 to $8 an ounce. A minimum purchase of three ounces is required.

Customers, who are encouraged by a sign at the front door to “invite someone dangerous to tea,” can also stop by and sip their favorite blend. The purple-walled room is cozy with eight tables, and eclectic music plays softly over the speakers.

“I like the atmosphere,” said Myra Bauman, who stopped by on a recent Sunday for a cup of her favorite tea, Earl Grey. “It almost feels like England.”

Chado also has a small menu of sandwiches and pastries, which are served with the teahouse’s special cream. And most days from 2 to 4 p.m., it presents a laid-back English tea service with all the trimmings. The cost is $15 per person and reservations are required.

Chado Tea Room, 8422 1/2 W. 3rd St., West Hollywood. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Information: (213) 655-2056.