Sean and I try to go on a “date night” 3-4 times per month. It’s more than a quick dinner on Buford Highway – it’s planned out with reservations and is generally somewhere we have not been or something we haven’t done previously. This works great for us as a way to keep exploring Atlanta beyond our own favorites on Buford Highway.
One site I always check for fun and interesting date night ideas is Scoutmob and their “Hand-Picked” series. It goes beyond food to include activities, massages, music, museums, etc. and all for great prices. When I saw the Hand-Picked promotion for tea tastings at Zen Tea in downtown Chamblee, I knew it was perfect for date night.
The shop is adorable, with rows of beautiful tea pots and functional accessories, little tables for enjoying tea and scones, and a long bar where you can sit and watch your tea being brewed. But most impressive was the shelves upon shelves of teas! From black teas to herbal teas, there is truly something for everyone.
Our entire class of 12 sat along the long bar and began with each of us choosing a tea of our choice from their list of over 200. Sean chose a chocolate chai tea (pictured below) and I choose a magnolia oolong. Both were served in ornate and miniature cast iron teapots.
The owner took us through all the different styles of teas, explaining that they are all from the same original plant and that variations between black, oolong, green and rooibos come from level of oxidation. Black leaves are oxidized the most and green the least, which is what allows green teas to retain many more anti-oxidants. So interesting!
We started with the strongest and more caffeinated tea, black tea, then had oolong, and matcha green before finishing with a white tea. This is the list of our guided tasting along with my own flavor notes:
- Darceylon – a combination of Darjeeling and Ceylon black teas, both from India, this tea was bright, fruity and a little bitter.
- Oolong Goddess Kwan-Yin – Oolong is the “Cadillac” of teas and this one was delicious. Oolong has caffeine but not as much as black tea. This tea was mild but full-flavored with a slightly nutty taste and was light-colored.
- Matcha Green Tea Iced Latte – our green tea taste was Matcha, the powder made from the tea leaves. Because you consume the entire leaf this way you get the most anti-oxidants available. Our iced lattes were delicious – it tasted like green tea ice cream. Refreshing, with notes of vanilla and a bit earthy.
- White Tea Georgia Peach – this was our final tea of the class and it was lovely. White teas are light and delicate and have the least caffeine of any of the teas made from leaves. (Herbal teas are different because they are made of other ingredients.) This one had a delightful fresh peach flavor and was not overly sweet the way flavored herbal teas can be.
The owner sent around tins of all the various tea styles for us to smell so we could get a sense of what we liked and what they were made of. This was a strawberry mango herbal tea – so beautiful and smelled great.
At the end of the class, we chose one more little pot of tea to share. I chose Ceylon Apricot for Sean and I. We love apricots and this tea did not disappoint. We were SO full on all of this tea, though. 
At the end of the class, we each got to choose a bag to take home. I chose the White Jasmine Rose (and I am drinking a cup of it as I’m writing this!) and Sean chose this incredible herbal Hibiscus Lemongrass. We also bought a small bag of Matcha so we can make those iced lattes at home.
All in all, this was a great date night and a tremendous value. It lasted 2 hours, came with everything I described plus a cake and sorbet and was $26 per person. Zen Tea also offers High Teas (reservations required) and tea and scones sessions (no reservations needed). I highly recommend this local spot in downtown Chamblee. It’s the perfect place to come with friends, on a date or even by yourself to sip on some tea while watching the trains go by out front.