The Green Teaist Salon de the Vert El L’atelier

The TGT Blend tea is exquisite! I appreciate the simplicity and elegance of the décor at this location and knowledge of the manager.

This place is located in the quaint downtown of Lake Forest. The owner is a Japanese American attorney who practices international law in the neighborhood.
They specialize in steeping authentic Japanese green tea. We tried Tencha, which was a rare shade-​grown loose leaf tea. Because of the delicacy of the breed, it was steeped at relatively low temperature (~170 if I recall correctly) for a minute and 45 sec. It was steeped by the staff table side, who used a timer for precision. Very impressive. The flavor was complex — with hint of sweetness and substantial umami — more «savory» than the common non-​herbal green tea. We also tried the highly prized Gyokuro, also a shade-​grown variety. This was even more delicate, and so was steeped at lower temperature (cold water). The colder temperature, coupled with the more potent umami, was a bit off-​putting to my untrained palate — so savory it was almost like a consumme. Very unique, albeit an acquired taste. Finally we tried the Matcha, the ground green tea used in traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The staff who performed the tea ceremony table side was technically and functionally adequate, but she omitted several details in presentation and serving etiquette. I don’t think she was trained to do tea ceremony, but the result (the tea) tasted just fine. The tea was abound with natural sweetness. It was properly frothed to create a pleasant richness — similar to that of a cappuccino.
After we were done, the waitress took us on a tour of the rest of the place, which included a retail shop selling tea and relevant steeping equipment. The tea itself was stored in a humidity and temperature controlled cellar. You can tell that the store strives to keep the tea as fresh as possible.
The service was friendly and informative. Décor was simple yet elegant. Admittedly, the prices are quite high — I can’t imagine a place like this surviving outside of the affluent «old-​rich» North Shore neighborhoods. For the rest of us, this is probably not a place to go hang out every other day. Go if you are in search of authentic, top quality Japanese green tea steeped table side. Even if you don’t know much about green tea, the tranquil atmosphere and the cultural experience alone are worth the occasional splurge.
A true gem.

Dropped by here with a colleague to catch up over a cup of tea and escape the winter outside as we prepared for a meeting.
This tea salon is kind of gem — locked away in back of building, beautiful and expensive (think $ 10 — $ 30 per glass of tea). It’s unique though in that they have a range of green teas to try and will even perform a «Japanese Tea Ceremony» for clients.
The attached store has teas and tea related items for sale.

The Green Teaist is the place to go for tea. Its the atmosphere that gives the place the five stars. The way that the tea is presented to the customer is without question one of the best customer service encounters that I have come across. The stories behind the teas that the waiters are more than willing to talk about it just part of the experience. The prices there are a little on the high side but you pay for what you get and that is nothing less than great service, a great experience and of course quality green tea. We also got the shortbreads and some pastries which come from a bakery that is located around the corner. Very fancy very nice I would recommend this to anyone for the experience not for children. I was there with my family during the day and the place looks like it could be very nice for a great evening. The five stars is by far for the service and experience if you are into drinking earl grey at the house or some celestial seasons than this is a wake up for you and something that you should probably try!!!