Harmony Tea Bar, oh how I wish you were closer. But, I'll still make the drive down to South OC for ya!
This place has such a large variety of loose leaf teas! I love it! Located in Mission Viejo, Harmony Tea Bar specializes in serving honestea that's all natural everything. Woo! They offer milk alternatives too like soymilk and a lot of their stuff is organic!
Yummy Matcha Latte!!
THEY CLOSE LATE! I LOVE IT ALREADY!
YUMMY CHEESE AND HERBS SCONE!
YAAAAAAS!
They also whisk the matcha! Good sign, good sign!
Alright, who is on Team Mystic? Let's become the very best together and catch all them Pokemon!
ALL THE GOODIES THAT KEVIN AND I GOT:
Pomegranate Green Tea
This was amaaaaaaazing. I am spoiled and lucky enough to be able to drink freshly squeezed pomegranate juice everyday by my mom. Yay for moms! So when the sign said the pomegranate is all natural and not from concentrate... you know I was a bit skeptical.
At first sip though I KNEW! It tasted very similar to my mom's freshly squeezed pom juice! YES! Okay, so I believe it. and the owner, Don, later told me that they use the Pom Juice which is indeed all natural and not from concentrate. Kevin also loves that brand too! I totally recommend this drink!
Matcha Blueberry Tea
I got the tea version instead of milk tea version. The flavor is definitely there. It's the blueberry matcha that I love! The only other place to get this in OC is 3 Blossoms Cafe in Garden Grove and both places are great!
I would prefer this in a milk tea form so next time I'm gonna try that! It's already good as just a tea form!
Matcha Latte
Love it! It's not as strong as I would like because I love it strong and sorta bitter. I'd get this again and would probably try to ask for a stronger flavor!
But if you don't like bitter matcha, then the way it comes is already great!
Masala Chai (Hot)
Unfortunately, this was the disappointment. Out of all the drinks, this was the biggest letdown because all the others were so yummy!
We got the hot version to take home but it was way too milky. Either that or the masala chai flavor is not really there. It's... very faint? I would prefer the Milk Box version of this and so does Kevin.
Blueberry Scone
YES YES! So good and perfect to pair with your drink! Flaky goodness with blueberry!
Cheese and Herbs Scone
Remember to ask them to warm it up because they can! It's better warm too! This was one of the best things ever. It's... compact? Like you are getting your money's worth here because it's each bite is full of flavor. In fact, when they warmed it up we were able to SMELL all the herb goodness! It's not too "herby" either. Just right.
Pro Tip: All pastries are only $2 after 5pm!
YELP LOWERED MY EXPECTATIONS, BUT SOME OF THE COMPLAINTS ARE UNJUSTIFIED
So honestly, after reading the Yelp reviews, I had pretty low expectations. Them yelpers sure responded negatively to Harmony Tea Bar and left some bad reviews. And I wasn't that sure if it was gonna be good. But when I experienced it for myself, I realized, these yelpers have no idea what they are talking about. They don't know quality when they drink it. Or should I say, they don't know qualitea... LOL
The drinks we tried were fantastic. And yes, they are pricey at around $5 but that's normal nowadays for a good quality drink. I'm so sick of all those Garden Grove / Westminster boba shops that sell powder / syrup drinks for like $3. Like... my body can't handle that crap anymore.
THE OWNER, DON, IS SO INSPIRING!
Kevin and I got to have a little chit chat with the owner, Don! He is so friendly and nice and inspirational and it was awesome to get to know about his story of how he started Harmony Tea Bar!
He showed us videos of how he personally goes to the all the tea companies/manufacturers (including Japan) where he gets the tea. And he doesn't just go once, he goes a couple times a year to insure quality!
It all started when his previous career as an attorney caused him to drink too many energy drinks. It got excessive and unhealthy so the doctor suggested him to drink tea. And that's how it all began. Wanting to know more and more about tea led to his newfound passion. Kevin loves tea also, so it was pretty cool to hear them both discuss about tea!
At first Harmony Tea Bar only appeared at night markets and soon after, the first brick and mortar store opened in Mission Viejo. And I'm so happy for that! To see someone's passion turn into something more. A business. A community.
Don cares a lot about the products he sells. To insure quality and taste, before he releases any new drink he does a test taste with his staff first, comparing drinks from other stores too. I think that's really cool because a lot of other places just want to make a quick buck by adding something "new" on the menu without properly researching.
Oh, and all of the teas are loose leaf.
No powders. No artificial sugars. No artificial syrups. And the drinks are only around $5 for that! I could imagine it being more expensive in a hipster area in Los Angeles...*smh
A fresh batch of boba is made every 2 hours. They don't ever re-use the old batches.
ALMOST ALL ARE ORGANIC TEAS
Including their custom blends for Black Milk Tea, Thai Tea and Masala Chai Tea!
NO ARTIFICIAL ANYTHING. SERIOUSLY! INCLUDING THAI TEA!
Do you ever notice that most Thai Milk Tea drinks are orange? That's because there is added food dye into the tea mixture. I know this because I've bought Thai Tea leaves before from the market and the ingredients even say color dye 55 (okay i made that number up but you know what I mean) which made me wonder, does that mean it's not completely "real"? The orange color was just... for fun this entire time!? I seriously thought my entire life that Thai Tea was some special tea from some special tea leaf that was orange. But naw, it's food coloring y'all.
And Don is committed. Like really. Even his Thai Tea that he gets does not have this orange color. I cannot wait to try it next time!
SOME UNIQUE DRINKS I CANNOT WAIT TO TRY NEXT TIME:
- Thai Tea (all natural baby!)
- Matcha Creamsicle
- Matchata
- Pineapple Oolong
OH AND ALSO, THIS IS A GREAT STUDY SPOT! They have another room with tables where you can chill and study. Free wi-fi of course! And even better, the shop closes late at 11pm and 12pm weekends!
Address to Harmony Tea Bar:
25380 Marguerite Parkway, Suite L, Mission Viejo, CA 92692
(located in the Saddleback Lanes/Michael’s shopping center, behind Snow Station)
Stay Connected with Harmony Tea Bar:
Website | Order Online | Instagram | Yelp
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