More Tea

In a follow-up to last week’s column, here are more places to have a cup of tea or buy tea leaves.

* Urth Caffe: This wildly popular cafe has a large, interesting selection, many of which are house blends such as Ceylon Champagne Napoleon (two grades of Ceylon), Hong Kong Breakfast (Oolongs), Moroccan (green Gunpowder and mint) and Monticello Afternoon (very lightly bergamot-scented). (Teas, small pot $2.50, large pot $3.50; leaf, 1 ounce $2.25 to $6.75.) Urth Caffe, 8565 W. Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (310) 659-0628.

* The Tea Garden: These shops specialize in Chinese herbs and do not sell brewed teas, but they do serve hot herbal elixirs and offer a very nice selection of high-quality loose-leaf teas, mostly green, white (unfermented--very mild and low in caffeine) and Oolong, including King’s tea, an Oolong infused with American ginseng. (Leaf, 1 ounce $4.50 to $27.) The Tea Garden, 9001 Beverly Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 205-0104; 1609B Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 260-1340.

* Paddington’s Tea Room: This Beverly Hills tea room serves tea by the pot, cream tea (tea with a scone), afternoon tea (tea with three courses) and high tea (with five courses). The 60-odd choices include bulk English Breakfast and Earl Grey--the original, from Jackson’s of Picadilly. The most unusual, Dragon Phoenix Pearl, is a green tea that comes in small pellets that open in boiling water to look like tiny tea branches; the tea itself is reputed to be soothing to vocal cords. (Pot of tea, $2.95 per person; leaf, 4 ounces $10.95 to $30.) Paddington’s Tea Room, 355 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 652-0624.

* Tea Rose Garden: At this Pasadena gift shop, “blended” teas come in many flavors, such as lemon mango punch and Paradiso Peach (both herbal) and peach-apricot and mango mist (black). Customers also can blend their own. Afternoon and high teas are available. (Tea, two-cup pot $2.75, six-cup $4.75; leaf, 1 ounce $1.70 to $5.20.) Tea Rose Garden, 28 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, (626) 578-1144.

* Lisa’s Tea Treasures: Have a cup of tea amid Victoriana and tea-related gift items at the Glendale Galleria, and take a bag of loose-leaf home. There’s a lengthy list of fruit and floral blends, tea’s inevitable answer to flavored coffees--Strawberry Darjeeling, Blackberry Jasmine, Marzipan Kenya, Caramel Peach, Chocolate Cherry. (Pot of tea, $3 per person; leaf, 1 ounce $3.50 to $5.) Lisa’s Tea Treasures, 2178 Glendale Galleria, Glendale, (818) 247-2186.