Finally - Tea Done Properly in Sacramento
2007-02-17

A featured tea set at Hina's Tea.

Recently, Rob and I have become big fans of tea. I'm not talking about the boxes of bagged tea that you can get at the supermarket (although those have become quite fancy in recent years), but rather the myriad of varieties of loose leaf tea that you can find. Now we have somewhere to go in Sacramento!

Places like Infusion in midtown Sacramento offer some interesting varieties of teas, but despite the name, this is not the place for tea connoisseur, aspiring or otherwise. They pour scalding hot water over tender green tea leaves, and once I noticed "Oolong" listed under the "Herbal Teas" section.

Luckily, my growing interest in tea seems to correspond with a general increase in fine teas in the community. We've discovered a number of tea shops, including one at the Arden Fair mall with quite a nice selection. Unfortunately, something about going to the mall to have a nice tea buying experience didn't really jibe with me. There are a few other tea houses in Sacramento, but a traditional English tea house doesn't really provide the sort of tea drinking or tea-buying experience that I'm looking for.

The Hina's Tea Storefront, 2319 K St.

But, I think that we've found our number one tea source: the newly opened Hina's Teas in midtown Sacramento. The subtitle of her web page sums it up quite nicely: "an urban tea experience." If you know anything about me, you will know that such a subtitle appeals directly to me.

Although we missed their grand opening last Saturday, we ventured over today to check it out, and we were quite impressed. The place has a very clean look, and an immediate survey as you're walking through the door tells you that this is a proprietor who is serious about tea. You can see all of the available teas in clear jars behind the sampling bar in the back. A sitting bar near the front lets you relax and savor a full cup of whatever tea you'd like. The bar is fit with interesting inset coasters fitted with LED lights. Combined with the clear tea mugs, your tea drinking experience directly contributes to the ambiance of the space.

During our visit we met Hina who is incredibly friendly. When she saw us overwhelmed by the selection, she invited us to sample a few teas from the selections that we found the most interesting. Rob also tested her ability to meet certain arbitrary desires for an iced tea. The first pick that Hina made really pleased Rob, and we went home with two ounces of it. I tried a roasted green tea (Hojicha Uji) which I found very pleasant, but it wasn't the sort of green tea I was looking for. I presented a challenging dilemma, since I had very picky requirements, but wasn't really very good at describing them. Nonetheless, they sent me home with a tea that I'm quite pleased with (Kokeicha).

Hina told us about the big plans she has. We will be looking forward to small, exquisite tea snacks (but only ones fit for an urban tea experience, of course!), as well as events, and perhaps even mixers! The possibilities are really very exciting!

I'm very excited about returning to chat with Hina, and absorb more of her tea wisdom, and experience more of her fine teas. If you enjoy tea, or even think you MIGHT enjoy tea, you absolutely must check out Hina's Teas, at 2319 K St. in Midtown Sacramento.

Images come from Hina Tea's website

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