Friday, 24 May 2013

O5 Rare Tea Bar

If you're looking for a fun night out that doesn't involve a hangover the next day, look no further than O5 Rare Tea Bar.  I have been dying to try this place for months and when I finally made it there, it didn't disappoint!  An amazing assortment of delicious teas, tapas, desserts, very knowledgeable staff, a tea serving experience like I have never had...it was a tea drinkers dream come true!

Interesting Facts Learned While at O5
  1. White tea is what you get when you steep tea leaf buds.
  2. Black tea is what you get when you steep tea leaves that have grown out of the bud.
  3. Herbal teas are normally made from flowers and herbs.
  4. Hibiscus tea is high in anti-oxidants.
  5. O5 is not just a tea bar.  They serve tapas and desserts and you can buy tea, tea cups and tea paraphernalia to take home as well.
  6. In traditional tea ceremonies everyone sits on the floor so each person is at approximately the same eye-level.  O5 built their tea bar high so that the people enjoying the tea are at approximately the same eye level as the people preparing the tea, in order to keep with tradition.
  7. Tea should be steeped, poured into a "serving dish," and then poured into cups.  This ensures everyone gets the same strength tea, as the tea doesn't steep further during pouring.  
  8. O5 has movie nights on Tuesday nights!  They normally post the movie to be played on their facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/O5Tea), the movie starts when a good chunk of people have arrived and, if there's a big group, they'll sometimes even make a batch of popcorn and sprinkle it with matcha!
  9. O5 hosts special events...some alcohol based... (http://o5tea.com/discover/).  They're even applying for a full liquor license.
  10. O5 is open late (11pm Monday - Saturday, 9pm on Sundays).
The tea bar!  I just love the look of this place...the light fixtures are amazing!

Page 1 of the menu.

Page 2 of the menu.

Page 3 of the menu.

Our tea setup!  In the background: the kettle on a crazy fast hot plate, our tea leaves in our tea pot for steeping, and our pouring cup.  In the foreground: our absolutely amazing hibiscus tea! 

My hibiscus tea!  It tasted like grapefruit, cranberries and flowers all at once...plus you could eat the flowers!  It was delicious.  Our leaves made 3 pots and could have made another one. Unreal! ($6 + tax for two people).
 
Twitter: @O5Tea

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