Behind Tiffany’s in Old Town Pasadena you’ll find Bird Pick Tea & Herb, a relaxing place to take a tea break after shopping in Old Town.  The city of Pasadena is well-known for is love of tea.  Within a few blocks you can find several British and European-inspired afternoon tea shops where you can get your fill of hot scones and curd.

Bird Pick Tea & Herb is a more modern take on tea with an Asian vibe where you’ll find large glass canisters filled some of their special tea blends and herbals.  Some of their more notable blends are Honeydew Sencha, Vanilla Matcha, and Caramel Houjicha.

This tea shop is a great place for picking up some rustic looking tea gifts.  I don’t believe glass is the best way to store tea since light can degrade the quality of the tea, but perhaps the teas are so great they don’t spend very long lingering in those glass vessels…they certainly do have some very special teas here.

I visited Bird Pick’s tea bar and ordered a Lychee Oolong Tea, which was brewed perfectly and not too sweet.  I really love their logo as it represents a bird’s choosiness when picking leaves for nourishment.

Bird Pick Tea also offers several caffeine-free tisanes.  Many are unblended herbals like rose buds, lavender, rose hips, and dried hibiscus.  It can be fun to make your own blends at home, and adapt them to your own liking and preference.  Since you can buy as much or as little at you want, it makes experimenting that much more enjoyable.  I made some Rosy Apple Tisane a few months back using the same type of rose buds you can find at Bird Pick.

The Vanilla Matcha at Bird Pick is really great to bake and make drinks with.  It has a bit of sugar and vanilla added in and can be purchased in loose form.  Its best use is for making smoothies and shakes, and even eveyone’s favorite…matcha ice cream!

If you’re looking for Asian teawares Bird Pick has a large selection of Chinese and Japanese tea vessels.  And if you are looking to take your tea on-the-go, they have many good quality infusers in lots of different designs.

If you’re in Pasadena, make a stop at Bird Pick for a no frills alternative to afternoon tea.  You’ll leave refreshed, invigorated, and ready to take on the rest of your day!
Bird Pick Tea & Herb

10 S De Lacey Ave

Pasadena, CA 91105

http://www.birdpick.com/