Loulou's Tealuxe

Total teatime

First-time visitors to this charming tea bar might find themselves torn between euphoria and panic. Why? Because, as the menu will indicate, there are 138 kinds of tea here, and they come not just from good old Japan, China, and India, but Tanzania, Taiwan, and Sikkim. Among the choices: four chais, nine darjeelings, and 21 caffeine-free brews. (There's also an array of quality baked goodies.) Customers wanting to sample the different aromas should park themselves at the tea-sample rack on the counter and sniff away. The teas -- whether by to-go cup, to-stay pot, or dry weight -- are priced according to four degrees of rarity, from "premium" (such as the Nakuru Golden Peak GBOB), at eight cents a gram, to "exotic" (Formosan Jade Oolong Tung Ting), at 50 cents a gram.

Loulou's Tealuxe, located at 0 Brattle Street, in Harvard Square, is open Sunday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to midnight. Call 859-9696.

-- Elizabeth Manus

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