Sweet Tooth Teas: Chado

You can't escape it around this time of year; sweets have been invading around every turn! Not that it's a bad thing, I'm in the search of the perfect candy apple and popcorn balls... Mmm... And why do all of the kids get all the fun with their Trick or Treating anyways? It's about then I decided to get my sweet kicks the way that I do best: with tea! These teas are not sweetened by sugar, but have natural indulgent qualities you can find in desserts. However, most of them do go excellent with milk and sugar!

 This is my first post about Chado Tea, and the selection I am writing about today has one of their classics as well as something new. If anyone is visiting SoCal I highly recommend you stop by a Chado Tea Room. They are mainly located in Los Angeles, but they just opened a branch in Hollywood behind Mann Chinese Theatre. The one that I frequent is in Old Town Pasadena, mainly because that entire strip is littered with tea houses and it makes my shopping easy. I'll have to do a Tea Crawl one day to show you... that seems interesting...

Anyways, Chado is home to over 200 teas. They are the leader in tea culture being brought here to California. Infact, this weekend I'll be attending the second Tea Festival hosted by them in Little Tokyo. I'm so excited! I love going to tea there when I want a surprise and a little bit of tea gossip. I'm always scouting their new blends and asking of the new harvest when they arrive. They are the only tea house I know of that carries both First and Second Flushed Darjeeling.  That's a big deal! It's through interaction and lectures through them that really kicked off my inspiration to be a Tea Connoisseur. One day I hope that dream comes true, but until then, I just love tea and everything I can learn about it.

My sweet tea collection is for people like me who love the taste of scrumptious sweet pastries and delicate things. These blends add have those qualities as well as the smooth taste of tea. It just hits the spot! And you get the best of both worlds.

These are my Sweet Tea Choices:

White Coconut Vanilla: OMG! This tea is so heavenly!!! I am a huge fan of classic Coconut Cake with custard filling and this tea has those exact qualities. My favorite teas from Chado are mainly their White Teas. The blends they make with them are no exception. This tea was being served iced in champagne flutes when I was there and Jordan, the manager, brought some for us to sample. I was hooked at first sip! It's delicate and slightly sweet with the ending note of warm vanilla and toasted coconut. They usually garnish their iced teas with a slice of strawberry which I felt enhanced the flavor. I've had this tea with plums as well and it seems to pair with any fruit. I love this tea in the morning with toast. It gives me just the right amount of energy with just the right amount of indulgence to get my day going right. Steep longer if you want and intense contrast between the tea leaf taste and the sweet coconut vanilla notes.

Phoenix Black: Several of my friends go for this tea whenever we get the tea service. It's a great beginners black tea, especially if you have a sweet tooth. Unlike most black teas, it's easy to over or under steep a tea, add too much milk, or find the right amount of sugar. The Phoenix blend is hard to really mess up. It's a black tea infused with honey, caramel, and vanilla. When smelling it you instantly pick up the aroma of rich amber honey. The blend is done so tastefully and can be enjoyed any way that you enjoy it. I think this is why it's one of their most popular blends. If you enjoy that creamy dessert taste without the caffeine, they apparently have a Rooibos version of this; I'll have to try it sometime. This black tea blend is a favorite of mine when I want the steep taste of black without the fuss of milk and sugar. It's also a great tea to go to to pair with cream desserts like napoleons, cream puffs, or a scone and cream for that extra boost of sweet decadence.

I'll be posting a second post of Sweet Teas as well. In the meantime I highly recommend browsing their selection online at: www.chadotea.com . If you can't make up your mind call a location and pick their brains. All of their staff is knowledgeable and versed with their teas it's ridiculous. Happy Tea Hunting!
-Stef