ABOUT TILE CAT TEA HOUSE
ABOUT ME
My name is Madeleine (颜西樱). In 2017, I spent a year living in the remote tea mountains of China's Yunnan province, near the border of Laos and Myanmar. It changed my life profoundly. After four years of living and traveling throughout Yunnan province, I left with a love of tea and tea culture, many kind and knowledgeable tea friends, and a desire to share it all with those I love. In 2024, after a Covid-imposed hiatus, I went back to the tea mountains and sourced high-quality tea leaves from badass female tea farmers and friends.
I am joined in this endeavor by my partner Joel, who makes all the ceramic teaware we carry, beloved resident teahouse cat Margarita, and many other friends and loved ones!
ABOUT THE TEAHOUSE
Tile Cat Tea House is an intimate Chinese-style teahouse in Los Angeles's Westlake neighborhood. It is a living room pop-up space for tea drinking, learning, conversation, and time spent well together. In addition, we sell small quantities of tea from Yunnan, China and handmade ceramic teaware.
The name "Tile Cat" comes from the ceramic tile cats (瓦猫) traditionally made in Dali, in northwestern Yunnan province. Perched on roof ridges, these gargoyle-like creatures protect and safeguard people's homes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Tile Cat Tea House?
Tile Cat Tea House is located inside my private home in LA’s Westlake neighborhood. You will receive the specific address and directions once you have registered for a tea session. If you’d like a general idea of the location, you can type the zip code 90057 into your preferred maps app.
How much does a tea session cost?
Different offerings have different prices based on the time, energy, and supplies they require. We are committed to sliding-scale, donation-based pricing for all tea sessions and classes. On each offering description, you will see suggestions for three tiered rates: Community, Standard, and Supporter. These rates differ between offering types. Please choose the rate that feels right for you OR you may write in a number between or above the suggested rates. (There is a minimum rate for each offering, which is the lowest rate listed.)
Additionally, we offer a $10 First Time rate for Tea & Chat and Seasonal Special tea sessions! Hopefully this encourages you to try it out for the first time, or bring a friend who has not yet experienced Tile Cat Tea House!
What kind of tea do you serve?
We serve exclusively tea that comes from the tea plant known as Camellia sinensis. We do not serve herbal, flower, or fruit teas, and we do not add milk or sweetener. As the tea plant has naturally occurring caffeine content, all of our teas have some amount of caffeine.
The large majority of our teas are hand-sourced from personal tea connections in China's Yunnan province, with the exception of Taiwanese oolong teas which are sourced through a friend. We specialize in looseleaf pu'er, black, and white teas from Yunnan's southern Xishuangbanna Prefecture.
At Tile Cat Tea House, we brew tea gongfu-style, meaning we have a few special tea supplies and drink multiple brews out of relatively small teacups.
Join a tea session or a Tea 101 Class to learn more about any of the above!
Do you sell tea?
Yes, we sell small quantities of hand-sourced tea from China’s Yunnan Province as well as handmade ceramic teaware. Currently, we only sell tea in-person at the tea house and occasionally at events and pop-ups. We do not sell tea online or in quantities larger than 50g. That said, if you’d like to receive tea via mail or local pick-up, reach out and we can likely accommodate a small order :)
Do you do private events?
Yes! We can accommodate small private events at the teahouse (e.g. private tea tastings, birthday parties, book club meetings). We can also travel to offer tea services at events (e.g. corporate tea tastings, pop-ups, parties, wellness retreats).
You can read more about private events here.
OfferingTree