da.u.de tea lounge

The da.u.de tea lounge is a stone's throw away from Wildflour and makes a striking contrast with its white walls and white everything. If Wildflour relaxes you in a way that makes you want to chill and socialize, da.u.de calms you down in way that makes you want to sit still and read a book. When the smell of blended tea leaves wafts through the air conditioned room, you can't help but feel a sense of zen about the experience.

The small space makes it a more intimate tea experience. 

A lot of tea stuff to choose from. Great for gifts!

When I first read da.u.de I immediately forgot the words as I read them, and  the moment the bus crossed the street it disappeared from my memory. On my second attempt to remember, I read the name and repeatedly said it in my head over and over until I was distracted by BreadTalk. Again, the name went down the bin. It's one of those names that just wouldn't stick to my memory because those dots and the three-word-division was quite new to my vocabulary. I think it took over five times of coming across the word before it sorta stuck to my head.

To prove that I wasn't alone in this dilemma, my conversation with friends went something like this:

Cesca: Are we going to da.u.de?
Me: Yes! Let's go there to make Karla jealous!
Francis: So, where can we find hik.ac.un?

It took exactly two seconds for Francis to forget the name, save that it comes in three syllables. But now that I've come into terms with the name, I find it pretty interesting to say because it's different.

On one corner, you can smell the tea and make your choice from there.

There are two kinds of tea mixes available, the couture blend and the premium blend. I love the idea of using the word couture and tea together...so classy! I asked the lady about the difference of the two; she said that couture blends are specially blended teas done by their tea master, while premium blends means that it's really a premium blend. Her answer shut me up, I had to bite my tongue from asking a follow up question. Instead, I nodded and said, "okay." 

There were so many teas to choose from their menu that I didn't even read it. I just wanted tea. Now. One tea came to mind, chai.

There were four blends of chai, I asked for the spiciest one; she recommended the Spice and Everything Nice and Kehwah Chai...I wanted the Pink Chai...after a brief stare-off we both decided that Masala Chai it was. 

Wait! Let me explain:

I said I wanted to try their chai. The girl asked me what chai I wanted; I said, "the pink chai." She went off and the took a sample of the chai tea for me to sniff at. I took a whiff of the pink, it smelled very floral with a hint of cinnamon. I wasn't in the mood for flowers, so I told her the chai I want should be more on the spicy side because I was going to be pairing it with a dessert. (To balance the taste, I often go with something bitter, a little spicy or salty, or something really diluted to go with my sweets. I once made the mistake of having hot chocolate with my chocolate cake...I felt like a diabetic after the consuming the two.) Anyway, she went off and enthusiastically took two more chai blends for me to smell. After inhaling two more teas my nostrils became confused and I could no longer distinguish differences, so I told her to give me whatever she wanted. She said some obscure words, I said, "ok."

Doesn't that look pretty? 

First came a glass of water...then the coveted Tea Brulee (P150.00.) I've always been a fan of tea-infused desserts, and their creme brulee was just that. The creme was infused with their Lemonada Tea, and you will continue to taste that distinct creamy-lemony-milky-teay-thingy spoon after spoon. It gets to a point when it gets a little too sweet though, so you can slice a bit of strawberry to add that sour taste and even out the sweetness. It has a good consistency as it is creamy but doesn't mush up since it didn't melt like other creme brulees. But for me, the highlight of the dessert was the cinnamon stick that came with it...it was the best one I've eaten so far. They did it so light and flaky and crispy and tasty that it was an elysian delight bite after bite--not to mention that they sprinkled it with their magical tea dust. Love. Love. Love. 

I didn't know how big 16oz was until I saw my glass.

They brew their tea, so they make you wait for it. I waited quite a while before it arrived on my table. The Aphriki Masala (P200.00) is a premium blend, so it's really premium as per my server. It tasted more on the cloves side as the initial kicker. The spice spreads in your mouth like warm fire just until your throat, then it evens out into its traditional black tea goodness as an aftertaste. Your tongue will linger with the spice you'll get from the pepper and cloves (I think), but will feel warm with a slight tingle, not the painful kind that makes you teary-eyed. 

The froth in the tea appears only when the tea is mixed through an acrobatic technique of pouring the tea back and forth at a formidable height. Didn't see the exhibition from where I sat though. Now, if only they placed the tea in a more elegant cup and had that corrugated board designed with some pretty tea-related doodles the experience could have been much fancier.




G/F Net Lima Bldg., 
4th Ave cor 26th St
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City