Tea Tasting - Darjeeling Green (from Chado Tea)

First of all, thanks for finding us and reading.  We're looking forward to sharing our experiences with this virtual Tea Cafe blog.

The first time we came across Chado Tea, we were enjoying a day off by taking the Metro Gold Line from South Pasadena to Little Tokyo.  Chado is right across the street from the Japantown stop in the same building that houses The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.


We were intrigued by the look and feel of the space.  The employees seemed very customer service oriented and knowledgeable about the product.  We didn't purchase anything at the time, but the first impression intrigued us.  Our opportunity to patronize this establishment came when we redeemed a Groupon offer for an Afternoon Tea for two earlier this year. Included in the offer was bulk tea to take home. One of the varieties I decided to try at home was the Special Darjeeling Green Tea exclusively available at Chado Tea.

According to the website, the tea is described as: "A superb Darjeeling green and also rare to find in this quality. Specially manufactured for us this tea is a very refreshing green tea with a subtle and sweet taste. A rare find."

We found that this description was true to the tea (pun intended) and found the flavor profile pleasing and mild. It is versatile to pair with foods, especially with slightly sweet snacks or desserts. However, the gentle Darjeeling was great to enjoy on its own. It tasted akin to a lightly oxidized Oolong Tea.

We enjoyed multiple brews of steeping the tea leaves. The flavor of the tea maintained its stamina as high quality teas should. Highly recommended if you feel the need to indulge every once in a while.

 -Vivian808