Tea in California

This is the first "tea bar" I’ve been to.  It is a bar where you order tea.  No food - just tea which you drink at the bar while reading or talking to your bar mates or the very charming women that tend the bar.  This is a small establishment in Old Town Salinas.  They have one of the largest tea menus I have ever seen.  It’s made of teas and tisanes with a large good collection of oolongs and pu-erh's as well as greens, blacks and whites.  A good place for the tea purist looking to try "deeper cuts" as well as someone who wants something fruity and/or fun.  Seems to have a pretty stable and knowledgeable wait staff who have quite a bit of knowledge about tea and can serve as guides to building more tea experience and knowledge. Gold Leaf Spice & Teas 8 1/2 West Gabilan Street Salinas, CA  933901 831-753-7700 https://goldleafspiceandteas.com/

Okay.  This is not actually California, but it's too good to not mention and it's only a few hours from where I live.  An elegant tea service in a lounge next to the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.  A European style of tea service, in a casual atmosphere.  Limited selection of teas and food, but they use that to perfect what they do.  A prix-fixe collection of gourmet sandwiches and desserts to match your chose pot of tea.  They cover the types of tea pretty well (white, green, oolong, black) but there is only one choice for each.  They seem to mainly use Tealeaves as their source for tea.  This is a pretty good brand with a focus on specialty blends.  The other big draw for the Tea Lounge is the amazing view, which you can see above.  My biggest complaint, is, as a tall and large person, their furniture does not provide a lot of leg room or back support. Tea Lounge at the Waldorf Astoria, Las Vegas 3752 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, NV 891158 702-590-8888

A relaxed yet occasionally busy place for tea and excellent food.  The tea is more focused on blends and herbals then pure teas, but that is also available.  The food is uniformly excellent.  Not just good, but creative and interesting (there is an eggsalad/apricot sandwich that I could praise extensively).  This is a family-owned place with husband and wife proprietors.  He is the head chef and she is a warm and inviting hostess.  Sometimes their kids are busing tables, working in the kitchen or cleaning up, so it only adds to the friendly and welcoming atmosphere.  A wonderful spot for tea, food and relaxation in downtown Lancaster.  TMTR has also become meeting space for growing and diverse people of the Antelope Valley. If you visit, sit down awhile and don't be afraid to ask questions.  Also, tell them the "Guru" sent you.  They'll know who it is. The Modern Tea Room 705 W Lancaster Blvd Lancaster, CA 93534 661-941-4616 https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-