#tea drinks

CiTea specializes in fresh fruit drinks and CBD drinks. According to the signs, they started out in Chengdu, China. It’s named after a girl named Ci. They have tea drinks, pudding drinks, coconut milk drinks, cheese foam and some creative drinks with no descriptions (e.g., God Bless You, Dogecoin, PMS SOS).

There were a lot of signs – e.g., buy one, get one free drinks Tuesday – Thursday from 2 PM – 6 PM, a membership program, etc. The décor was interesting – dark green walls, thrift store furniture, a piano, plants, etc.

Coconut milk with coconut pudding ($7): This was made to order and served in a clear plastic bottle. The drink wasn’t cold enough and the pudding was soft and loose – like soft silken tofu. It wasn’t too sweet. When I added ice cubes at home, it tasted better. The coconut pudding at other places is smoother and more gelatinous.

3 out of 5 stars

London Fog on Teapot Tuesday

The weather here has been cold, wet and dreary. It is perfect weather for drinking hot beverages and I am happy to say that I have perfected the perfect hot tea drink. The London Fog. Earl Grey tea with a nice frothy, whipped, creamy topping. It is the perfect blend and oh so soothing. The ingredients are few so just about anyone can make it. 1 Earl Grey tea bag 1/2 cup hot water 1/2 cup…

I like milk tea, but there are so many milk tea shops now that a new one opening doesn’t garner the same level of interest for me. I always wonder what’s different about the new shop and I’m not in a rush to try it. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Cha Redefine in the new food hall area of Old Town Pasadena.

Yes, it’s a tea shop but they are tea purists. The drinks don’t come with boba or add ins. They use traditional tea with modern brewing methods and fresh local ingredients.

The menu includes cha, chappuccino (tea with fresh organic milk), cha latte (tea with milk and whipped cream), cha with fresh fruit, and seasonal limited drinks. Chappuccino sounded the most similar to milk tea. You can choose the level of sweetness, amount of ice, and milk (organic whole milk, almond milk, oat milk). Most drinks are available hot or cold. They do not use powdered creamer. Drinks are a bit pricier but higher in quality. They have several kinds of oolong tea!

* Da-hong-pao Chappuccino ($5.30): This (oolong milk tea) was excellent - strong floral tea flavor but not bitter, milky but not overly so, cold but not too much ice, foamy on top.

It’s a drinks only place. They also sell loose leaf tea and tea pots. The shop is small but cute and elegant. And they have free wi-fi. Sign up for rewards using Five Stars. The location is a little inconvenient since it’s in Old Town and I usually have to park a few blocks away.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Echo Park’s hipster milk tea/boba shop features classic tea drinks, specialteas, teas, snacks, and a daily rice bowl. It looks like a coffeehouse. Quality is emphasized. They don’t use powders and they make some of their own drink ingredients. It’s mostly a tea place, though they have some eats. They have baked Asian pastries, one type of rice bowl per day, steaped eggs, bubble waffles, and jerky.

* Rice bowl of the day ($9). During my visit, they served a simple veggie stew with cauliflower, carrots, corn, zucchini, bell peppers and tomatoes. It was just okay. The stew was too plain. I did like the steaped egg though. It had a nice tea flavor. The steamed white rice was fine.

* Earl Grey milk tea ($5) with herbal (grass) jelly. It was creamy. The housemade grass jelly was pretty good – soft with the expected herbal jelly, not too sweet. The tea flavor was there but could have been stronger.

The place is cozy and hipster, with a neon sign, hgh ceilings, industrial looking with cement floors, tiles, one brick wall, photos on one wall, Polaroids on another wall, and shelves with tea canisters with tea, boba, and rice. There were fresh flowers at each table. The music was soothing and they had tons of board games and books.

3.5 out of 5 stars