Six weeks ago, we told you that the coffee nerds at Portola Coffee Lab in Costa Mesa's OC Mart Mix were going to open a tea bar called Seventh Tea Bar. They were hoping to open this year, but it looks like the holidays are going to intervene; instead, the tea bar, adjacent to the coffee lab, will open Jan. 2, 2013. There will be crowds, so you'll want to make a reservation (à la Theorem) if you have large parties or special requests.
The space has been substantially complete for a little while and there have been sneak peeks here and there, but the full experience will have to wait a little while. Expect the same attention to be paid to the most widely consumed beverage (besides water) in the world that is paid to coffee; don't expect a lot of “one lump or two”, because artisanal tea doesn't need sugar.
Seventh Tea Bar is located in the OC Mart Mix at 3313 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa; their website is seventhtea.com.
