To A Tea

We’re wimps when it comes to cold weather. More than a few days of soggy rain, gusty trades and daytime highs below 80, and we’re bundled up in hoodies, wearing socks and trading icy drinks for mugs of hot tea in the afternoon.

Before you hoist another cup of plain old Lipton to your lips, head to Pacific Place Tea Garden at Ala Moana Center .

Owner Lynette Jee has been dealing with tea leaves for decades (she’s developed custom blends for Mariposa and Moana Surfrider, among others), and her café offers some truly unique teas infused with fruits, herbs, flowers and other unexpected additions.

Try a cup of the Mango Season tea flavored with mangoes grown in Kahuku. Or the Hula Dreams infusion made with Mamaki, an herb grown on the Big Island and used by native Hawaiians for cleansing and calming stomachs. The iced Hibiscus Orange Tisane is especially refreshing – it’s not really a tea, but a blend of dried oranges, tangerines and hibiscus petals steeped in cold water and blended with juice and honey. And Jee is constantly inventing new flavors and blends – there are 50 to choose from in all.

Sounds like our cup of tea. 

Pacific Place Tea Garden, upper level of Ala Moana Center (overlooking Centerstage), 808.944.2004 or www.pacific-place.com