It’s no secret that I love where I live! I love Maryland and living right outside the Nation’s Capital is pretty awesome. BUT, I am sad that there isn’t really a tea culture here. If you want bubble tea, I could point you to endless places. When it comes to gongfu, there is only ONE place that I know of that allows for this type of brewing and it’s nestled in beautiful Georgetown!

While Georgetown isn’t the easiest place to get to, it is totally worth the trek. Georgetown is home to Ching Ching Cha, a Chinese tea house! A little bit about the name, cha means tea. Ching Ching was a bit harder to find a meaning. I found in two different places describe this as celebratory and maybe even equivalent to saying “cheers” which makes total sense!

I had no idea this place existed and for my birthday in 2019, my family surprised me with a visit here. I was stunned. Everything I wished we had in our area, we actually had! Of course when they asked what I wanted to do for my birthday this year I expressed interest in going back to Ching Ching Cha.

The tea house is small, intimate and has a beautiful design. The first thing I notice when walking in is the high ceilings with glass for natural light. The walls are lined with tea, teaware and art.

You have the choice of sitting on a platform at a low table with cushions and shoes off which I love! You also have the option of sitting a table with chairs.

The cool thing about this place is that when you order a tea, they bring you a tray, teapot and pitcher just as I would do at home. Water is boiled over a flame in the middle of the table so you can continually brew your tea.

Ching Ching Cha has a good variety of teas ranging from puer, green, oolong, black, white, tisanes, artisan (blooming teas), and herbal remedies!

I have been here quite a few times and have only tried their oolongs so I decided to branch out and give their pu’er a try. I got an incredibly woodsy shou that was strong and delicious!

My sister had the phoenix oolong which is one that I love and have bought from them and my mom had the oriental beauty. Their oriental beauty tea is phenomenal, my mom and I both bought some to take home.

Did I mention that they also serve food? We got a variety of food but I really enjoyed their cold salad on the right below and their dumplings on the left below. I’ve tried just about everything on the menu and from their salmon to marbled tea eggs, it is all a delightful treat!

We also got some dessert! The sweet on the left is lotus seed in puff pastry! For Persian new year we also put lotus paste on our table so I am familiar and fond of this taste. Both of these are right out of the oven, hot and delicious! Now, the coconut tart on the right stole the show. This tart is one of the most delicious sweets I’ve ever had. My mouth waters as I write this! The coconut comes through very well and It also reminded me of a cream of wheat dessert we get at our local Burmese restaurant so maybe there was some of that in it as well!

The experience was so wonderful as always. The atmosphere is calming, the food is delicious and I get the opportunity to nerd out about tea. I also have been able to introduce my family more into the world of teas they are unfamiliar with. It’s exciting to see them enjoy teas that they wouldn’t never think to drink!

The staff is so kind and informative when showing you how to brew so it’s a great place for anyone from beginner to expert!

Last but not least, they have a ton of teaware to grab your interest which is always a fun way to end a visit to them.

If you’re in a DC, this is a must visit! If you’re interested in ordering tea from them, I highly suggest the oriental beauty or the phoenix oolong which I have tried and bought for myself because I enjoyed it so much!

See you next time, Ching Ching Cha!

I'm not very good at hiding my pusheen obsession! I love this cute little cat so you're probably not surprised that I'm subscribed to the pusheen box :D The fall box had this cute little pan in it so I decided to create a pancake recipe!

I got some "grandpa's puer" from White2tea in my sipsby box this month. I've recently gotten really into puer and most of them have a really rich flavor which is great for recipes! This tea is named after "grandpa style" which apparently means not really paying much mind to brewing times. A more relaxed way of drinking tea. I can totally relate to grandpa style especially because when it comes to certain teas I like to judge them by color or aroma.

This is a great recipe for a small batch of pancakes. The pusheen pan is pretty small so It made many pancakes but if you use a regular pan, the batter would probably make 1-3 pancakes!