lupicia tea

This shop is such a gem for tea lovers, it almost redeems the Century City mall for me. We fell in over the holidays on the hunt for gifts and ended up taking care of a good part of our list in this store alone.

They have an amazing selection of teas and an incredibly knowledgeable staff. They carry everything from a line of more than 200 loose teas - many of which are hard to find or original blends - to beautiful tea pots and accoutrement, and great gift boxes and holiday sets. The prices aren't cheap, but are reasonable for the quality. And even if you're not in the market to buy, they're very generous with the samples.

Their specialty is Japanese tea (given that they have more than 80 locations in Japan, this shouldn't come as a surprise), so if you're a fan, this place needs to go on your favorites list. The Gyukoro Green is great, as is the selection of Genmai Cha. Other favorites include the Sweet Dreams blend (cut ginger, chamomile, dried apple, fennel, bluemallow), which is a must if you find yourself sick, and one of their top-sellers, the Champagne Rose (black tea). If you like spicy, the chai selection is fantastic.

To learn more, you can check out their website which has recently been translated to Engrish.

Westfield Century City Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90067