L’amyx Tea Bar

What I ate: Iced Guava Jasmine Tea, chicken salad sandwich
Visit date: August 26, 2012
First time? No, sir.
A 5-​star review solely for their refreshing guava drink! L’amyx makes (now «made” – so sad they are closed!!) one of my favorite beverages: guava jasmine tea. I crave it! Good thing I know the ingredients (jasmine tea, soy milk, guave Kerns); now I just have to figure out the ratio and maybe I’ll get over the fact that they are now closed.
Come back L’amyx!

Honeydew tea all the way! I remember getting hot bubble tea here, which was a unique experience.
This place opened when I was in high school, so it’s been around for maybe 9 years. Sad to hear that they are closing soon.

UPDATE: Looks like they are closing at the end of October not September. There is a closing sale on Oct 20 & 21^st form 12−3pm.
I have been coming to this place regularly over the past 6 months and really enjoyed hanging out with a Coconut milk tea. love it.
But I am sad to report, they are closing their doors at the end of the month.
They are having a closing sale, so check it out. also they amended their hours 10a-​5pm daily.

I’m something of a tea snob. When I make tea at home I use organic bulk tea in a sliver strainer and I have precise timings that I use for different black and green teas. So I love that there’s a «coffee bar» dedicated instead to tea. The ambience is like any coffee bar and if you can find a seat, it’s a great place to relax before a movie or read for a while. Their teas are very good, though a bit overpriced IMHO.
I was disappointed that they don’t know how to properly prepare green tea. Hear this: if you don’t want green tea to be bitter, you have to steep it (a) in 180 degree water, not boiling water, (b) for no more than two minutes. I ordered the Jade Green and either the water was too hot or when they brought it to me and I started timing it had already been steeping for a minute, because it came out with a bitter tinge.
So, good overall but the people who work there should be trained in the proper brewing of green tea.

Best bubble tea I have ever had hands down — and I am pretty picky. I don’t like the sickly sweet bubble teas with all the preservatives and agents I cannot pronounce.
L’amyx uses real tea, real milk/​soy/​coconut products and it is the perfect amount of sweetness. I have tried almost all of the flavors and they are all amazing. I am a fan of cold tea — I think the hot bubble tea is weird.
Wish they had an outdoor seating area!

Honestly, I think my experience was «Meh. I’ve experienced better» (specifically thinking of Tranquil Tea Lounge in Fullerton) but I’m going to give it 3 stars because:
1) I don’t want to lower their ratings because of my individual experience/​preference.
2) I liked their bathroom. Some may scoff at this reason, but this is a tea bar with hot water refills. Bathroom is very important. More on the b-​room to follow.
Came here late one weekday night with a few friends. Lots of tea choices, but none of us were tea fiends so we asked the cashier/​barista (are tea drink makers baristas too or is that term reserved for coffee makers??) for a recommendation. Mm… he didn’t know much about the teas. From the guys working there, you got the feeling that they just knew how much hot water to put in the teapot, and not much else. One of the guys couldn’t really tell which tea was which after he had steeped them. (Can’t really blame them because I’m sure they didn’t receive some hoity toity tea training, but still. I was hoping for more tea knowledge)
TEA: I got the Genmai-​cha since I love roasted rice tea. It tasted good, as genmai-​cha usually does, and there were free hot water refills so my tea lasted a good 10+ cups over a two hour period (of course it tasted a little weak at the end as the tea leaves were steeped-​out)
AMBIENCE: Most tables were taken even into later hours of the night. Lots of people just studying and reading so it was pretty tranquil
FOOD: I didn’t get food but my friend did and she payed an arm and a leg. Food prices are steep!
BATHROOM: You have to get a key and walk outside to another part of the building. It was super clean and only took like 10 seconds to get there so I was very happy since I had to go so often.
All in all, it was peaceful and quiet. I got a lot of reading done and had some good tea. Prices were pretty steep and the workers didn’t know much about the tea. It as an ok experience.

I’ve been here several times for the past few years. I used to go to its location on Grand Avenue, but after that was closed, I came here. I love this tea bar. The teas are wonderful. They can be kind of pricey (one of my favorite green teas, Arabian Nights, is approximately $ 10, and I’ve seen one tea that’s about $ 20!), but the great part about ordering tea is that you get a nice teapot and cup. When you’ve used up the tea in the teapot, you can go to the counter, and whoever is working there will give you a free refill! I just LOVE that.
Just came here on Friday with a friend. I ordered Victoria’s Breakfast (a black tea, about $ 8), and shared a vegetable quiche (which was generously served with a large side of salad with plenty of fresh greens!) with a friend. The customer service here never fails to impress me.

I cannot believe this place is open until 11pm on weekdays! I may be posting up on Piedmont more often now.
I’m one of those annoying café loiterers that buys one drink and stays for 3 hours, and L’mynx is a spot that welcomes such lingering, guilt-​free. There are all manner of folks making themselves at home here: an Italian language conversation group at one table, a business meeting at the next, and then the loners like myself tapping away furiously on their keyboards. It has a real comfy vibe, with spacious seating and big windows facing out to Piedmont Ave, so you don’t feel totally excluded from the outside world.
They have a vast and exciting tea selection — in both leaf and bubble form — and they take both pretty seriously. Tell them it’s your first time in, and they’re happy to consult and direct you to a good palate match. I ordered a pot of some fancy mint tea, and was invited to come back for hot water refills, no questions asked. I love the illusion of feeling like a low-​maintenance chick.
I think my L’amyx Like will be L’amyx Love soon.

Reasonably priced tea club, for the quality.
Club details: 3 months = $ 63; 6 mos = $ 117, 9 mos — $ 162; and 12 mos = $ 198. I did the 9 mos and learned so much about tea leaves, steeping, pairing with snacks etc. Each shipment included little 1oz bags of tea and a snack ie tea cookies, rice crackers. I also received a brewing filter basket. My teas all arrived with information about the theme and individual teas within the theme.
After 6mos, I learned which teas I like and then bought the full size tin. I cannot say that I have tried every tea that they carry, but I have tried most. My favorites include:
(1) Harmutty Assam — Black
(2) Amber Mint– Herbal
(3) Genmaicha — Green with toasted rice
(4) Tie Guan Yin — Oolong (love love this)
(5) White Peony (organic) — White
Others I have enjoyed but drink less frequently:
Spiced Pear, lavender, Keemun, vanilla black, Dragon Well, Formosa (strong).
I have not tried the chai’s but maybe next visit. I usually don’t stick around for the food since Barneys and Fentons is so close, but I’ve been happy studying here in the past. And, I like that the bathroom is not in the tea shop.

Late night tea house nestled between the boutiques and restaurants along Piedmont Ave… perfect for chitchatting or studying.
Choose from a fairly wide selection of loose leaf teas and get your individual mini cast-​iron tea pots (~$ 3.00/ea). Cute! Their desserts aren’t bad either– the raspberry chocolate cheesecake is heavy on its own but goes well with a pot of tea. BBT is on the sweeter side. They also have savory foods like sandwiches and quiches.
Grab a pot of tea, share a dessert, listen to the soft drizzling rain outside.

I’m a huge tea drinker. Spearmint, peppermint, green, black, herbal, mango, you name it, I drink it.
So when I went to L’amyx I was super excited. This place is adorable… and their chicken salad sandwich and green salad… sooooo good!
This is the perfect place to catch up, drink tea, do work and just plain chillax.

Great place for studying if you are looking to get away from the internet.
I ordered the golden thai tea with pearls. The tea was quite good, very flavorful and not too sweet, but the pearls were horrible. Not chewy enough and had no taste what so ever.
Definitely not coming back here for boba, but maybe to study.

The best thing about L’amyx is their bubble tea.

Like tea? Then I’d avoid L’Amyx. Over the past year, I’ve given it a few tries and I’ve been disappointed every time. The location’s good if you’re in the Piedmont area, but that really seems to be the only thing going for it. Facilities and ambiance aren’t bad, aside from occasional espresso noises and a frequent running of their blender. I can deal without Internet access, although usually having it available is usually a plus, but they now require a $ 10 minimum on debit/​credit purchases, a tall order when most of your menu is made up of items under $ 5.
Keep in mind that L’Amyx bills themselves as a tea bar or premium tea emporium, suggesting that they should know their stuff when it comes to tea and its preparation — which is unfortunately pretty far from reality.
Looking for information about their teas from their counter staff was like getting blood from a turnip. The employees seemed ill informed about tea types and its preparation. Their tea selection itself is a smattering of a few teas in a few primary tea categories and is fairly limited overall. But their largest failings come from improper brewing of the tea with too little tea for pot size (they only use one size of cast-​iron tea pots), wrong water temperatures for tea type or the teas themselves being of poor quality or stale!
I tried different teas each time I visited L’Amyx in an attempt to find something that was worthy of a premium tea emporium. The Dragon Well was the first. It was pale in color and reminded me of dried fall leaves and had almost no fragrance. The first brew tasted like the last of a better quality tea. On another visit, I tried the Gyokuro, which was improperly brewed the first time (the water was way too hot). They tried again and replaced the pot, but they just couldn’t get the water temperature right. My last and most recent experience was with their Tie Guan Yin Oolong. In my experience, Oolongs tend to be a little more forgiving when it comes to brewing errors and I thought I might actually have a good cup of tea with this one. But, to be frank, I think I’ve had better bagged tea. Along with the Oolong, my acquaintance had an espresso that they described as watery and thin.
If you’re in for a sugary treat like bubble tea, perfumed/​scented tea or bland espresso, then give them a shot. But if you’re serious about tea and can deal with a small detour, go to Far Leaves in Berkeley or Teance — better selections of quality teas, prepared by people who are passionate about tea.

I’ve had my fair share of bubble tea in Seattle. I can honestly say, bubble tea at L’amyx is lame. I ordered the honey dew cold with lychee jelly and it was a disappointment. Instead, I got a small 12ounces, lukewarm drink with large chunks of ice and pearls. This is the last time I get bubble tea from places that doesn’t specialize in bolba.
If I hear more good things about this tea bar then I’ll give it another chance b/​c I haven’t tried their teas. I do like the décor and the minimal noise, but so far it’s not on my top list.

This can be a relaxing place for a sip of tea. There are comfy sofa chairs, love seats, and an assortment of teas to choose from. I’ve been here a few times over the years — with friends or just to go to for some knitting time.
I usually get the jasmine tea since that’s my favorite, but you can try fruity flavors like peach… or stick with the greens and blacks.
It can get pricey, but it’s all about experiencing the tea.

I thought this place was cute. Good, friendly service with a nice selection of teas to chose from. I think you are rather silly if you want to come here expecting a typical Asian tea shop. It’s not. I wouldn’t necessarily get boba here. But if you are craving a pot of silver needle jasmine hot tea; the place to get that is here.
They refill your pot. The sitting area is comfortable and relaxing. There are a few sweets to chose from in the case. There are bar stools to sit at the counter. The bathroom is the complex at the back.

I’m sorry, but no.
Rarely do I give one star reviews. Rarely do I give two star reviews. It takes a lot (or nothing) to earn such a rating from me.
Sure the drinks are unique, but are they good? No.
Yes the interior is nicer than your typical tapioca place, but is there wifi? No.
I paid around $ 4 on a hot day for a milk tea /​coffee tapioca drink and had to force feed myself to get through half of it. So sad.
L’Amyx looks promising from the outside, but take your $ 4 and go buy 2 drinks from Chinatown. You’ll feel much more satisfied.

I need sandwiches for lunch. NEED. And I’ve been on this little «no grocery shopping» kick (not intentionally) so I’ve been stopping at any little place that has sandwiches.
Sandwiches and a bit of neighborhood charm.
I was disheartened that all the cold teas were sweetened (though probably could’ve asked for it unsweetened). I ordered the one with passion fruit because it has to be good, right? Ordered a turkey and pesto sandwich.
Yes all the sandwiches were a bit pretty and «gourmet.»
The «tea» was ridiculously sweet. I couldn’t finish it.
The sandwich was that good. Overly toasted and way too much pesto with not enough meat.
The service/​staff were very friendly, helpful, and spent their «free» time cleaning up/​tidying the place.
I MIGHT stop back in here if I happen to be in the neighborhood, but most likely not.

I’m a big fan of tea shops! I wouldn’t say this is a true tea shop because it doesn’t have gourmet tea leaves from around the world. But it’s more like a coffee/​tea/​bubble tea shop. Good sized place with a bunch of tables for two to four people, and occasionally a booth here and a couch over there. It was very crowded on a mid-​afternoon holiday. And it was also very quiet inside because most people came solo and was doing some kind of work on their laptop.
I decided to get the Lychee Bubble Tea (green tea, milk, lychee — $ 3.25) minus the pearls, balls, tapiocas, or whatever you like to call it. I rarely get them because they fill me up quick but now that I think about it, I should’ve so at least I could’ve known if they were good or not here. I like how they list the ingredients, although basic, in each drink. It just gives you a better glance at what type of tea they use for which drink. This was really really good and everyone at my table agreed! You can taste the lychee and what would’ve made this drink perfect was if there were lychee bits in it. The drink isn’t too flowery but the lychee aromas were just lovely to my nose and palate.
I’ve come to Piedmont Avenue many times to grab food but this place went easily missed under my radar… so be sure to stop here! It’s a perfect stop for a rainy day.