Funnel Mill: Rare Coffee and Tea, Chinese-style

This isn’t the place to grab a latte on the go. The rare coffee and tea blends here at Funnel Mill in Santa Monica are meant to be savored. Green tea? Black tea? Smoky or grassy? Tell them your likes and they’ll find the right hot beverage to match.



At more than $5 a pop for a pot of tea, prices seem high. But this isn’t the type of place that just hands you a teabag and a cup of hot water. Instead, the ritual of the tea service is as enjoyable as the tea itself.

The friendly staff scoops fresh leaf tea into a glass container, lets you smell it, adds hot water, and then strains it into a dainty glass cup, all the while explaining the origins and history of the leaves in front of you.

They’ll keep bringing you hot water to your heart’s content and one pot’s enough for a group of four to enjoy. Added bonus, the teas come with pumpkin and watermelon seeds - salty accompaniments to bring out the teas’ flavor.

As for the coffee, baristas prepare it using glass siphons, making it look like an artistic chemistry lab. The result is a non-acidic, flavorful brew.



But does the café have atmosphere, you ask? Outside, not so much. Inside, however, relaxing music tinkles in the background as customers lounge in chairs and warm brown couches amidst wooden tables and minimalist décor. Did I mention the free wifi?!?



And for true aficionados, Funnel Mill offers tea ceremony classes. For about $10-$15 per person (depending on the size of your group), you and your buds can get personal instruction on proper Chinese tea ceremony etiquette.

Funnel Mill
930 Broadway (Cross Street: 10th Street)
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310)597-4395