TenPenh's Little TeaPot
 

For centuries (if not millennia), tea has been an important part of everyday life and special occasions throughout Asia.  There are elaborate rituals, customs, and ceremonies for serving and drinking tea, including those in China, Japan, Taiwan, and Myanmar.  At Washington's acclaimed TenPenh restaurant, you can choose from nine teas to accompany or end your meal.

TenPenh offers a taste of Southeast Asia in DC's power corridor.  The diverse menu of contemporary Asian-Pacific cuisine draws inspiration from the cuisines of Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, and the Philippines.  The tea menu is also diverse, featuring loose leaf teas, tisanes (or herbal teas), and blooming teas.  All orders are freshly brewed.  Loose leaf teas and tisanes are served in metal tea pots.

The loose leaf tea offerings include: Guranse, an organic black tea from Nepal with an exquisite aroma and flavor; Earl Grey, an organic Chinese black tea with oil of bergamot; and Dragon Well, a celebrated Chinese green tea with a jade color and grassy flavor.  Many health benefits have been attributed to drinking tea, especially green and white teas, usually in relation to their antioxidants.  While that may require further research, lingering over a pot of one of these at TenPenh is a sure cure for beverage boredom.

Tisanes are made by infusing water with herbs, flowers, fruits, and/or spices, and are often referred to as "herbal teas."  At TenPenh, you can try the French Verveine, an infusion of the herb lemon verbena.  The Mind and Body is brewed with lemongrass, apple, ginger, ginseng, and cinnamon, and the Tropical pot is an herbal infusion with mango, banana, and pineapple.

Perhaps most popular on the menu, are the blooming teas.  White tea - the least processed tea, usually containing bud and young tea leaves - is hand tied into a bud that blossoms into a flower as it steeps on the table in a clear glass pot.  Diners are delighted to watch this drink bloom before their eyes.  Choices include: Beauty, a mild white tea with jasmine and lily; Modesty, a medium bodied tea with marigold; and Spirituality, a fuller bodies tea with Indian trumpet flower.

Whatever is the preference – tableside tea blossoms, herbal infusions, or green or black looseleaf teas – tip over the teapot, pour a cup, and indulge in this customary beverage at TenPenh.