Tea shops · San Diego, United States
Tea shops · San Diego, United StatesPARU
A La Jolla shop that dropped its drinks menu in 2024 to sell single-origin leaf, matcha milled in house and classes.
The matcha is milled on the premises on a Kyoto stone mill, and the leaf behind it is bought from the farms in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and China.
PARU sells tea at 7441 Girard Ave, in La Jolla. Its co-founders, Amy Truong and Lani Gobaleza, met in 2010 on a study-abroad trip to Japan, went back to travel through the country's tea regions, and started the business in 2017 with pop-ups around San Diego and a monthly subscription. San Diego Magazine named it Best Tea in 2018 and again in 2019. In 2024 the shop stopped serving drinks over the counter and gave the room over to retail leaf, matcha and teaching.
Most of the collection comes from family-run gardens in East and Southeast Asia, bought direct in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and China, and Amy is the shop's buyer and blender. The format follows the tea: 85 g of Mainichi sencha for everyday drinking, 56 g of the Dong Ding 12 reserve or of a blend such as Earl Grey Lavender or Coconut Chai, 28 g of the Misty Shou ripe pu-erh, and a 30 g tin for the ceremonial matcha, which is stone-milled in house on a mill from Kyoto.
Next to the leaf there is gongfu teaware, tea pets, filter bags and a small pantry shelf, plus tea subscriptions and a calendar of sit-down experiences: a tea tasting, a traditional bowl of matcha, a Japanese tea ceremony and a tour the shop itself runs to Suruga, in Japan. The room opens Wednesday to Sunday, ten to five. On Sundays a farmers' market takes over the street outside, so parking on Girard is harder than on any other day.
- verified prices
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- tea types
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- US$ 18
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Where it is
La Jolla (Girard Ave)
7441 Girard Ave, Suite B, San Diego, CA 92037
On Girard Ave in La Jolla; on Sunday the street holds a farmers' market and parking gets harder.
Hours: Wed–Sun 10:00–17:00
What to buy here
Sencha
Mainichi (Everyday) Sencha
from US$ 24 · 85 g
The everyday Japanese green of the shelf, and the largest bag PARU sells here: 85 g instead of the usual 56.
See our page on this tea →Dong Ding
Dong Ding 12, PARU Reserve
US$ 24 · 56 g
The house reserve lot and the one oolong in this selection: a Taiwanese Dong Ding sold in 56 g at a fixed price rather than as a range.
See our page on this tea →Shou Pu-erh
Misty Shou
from US$ 18 · 28 g
A ripe pu-erh in the smallest bag the shop uses, 28 g, which is the low-commitment way into a fermented tea.
See our page on this tea →
The one worth the trip
10K Ceremonial Matcha
from US$ 45 · 30 g
This is the tin that comes off the shop's own stone mill from Kyoto: PARU grinds its matcha in house instead of buying it already ground. It is the ceremonial grade, in a 30 g tin, and the most expensive item the shop lists with us.
See our page on this tea →Every price we read, one by one
List prices read on the shop's own product pages. Open a tea to see who else sells it.
| Tea | Type | Price | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earl Grey Lavender | Black tea | from US$ 18 | 56 g |
| Misty Shou | Pu-erh tea | from US$ 18 | 28 g |
| Coconut Chai | Chai | from US$ 18 | 56 g |
| Mainichi (Everyday) Sencha | Green tea | from US$ 24 | 85 g |
| Dong Ding 12, PARU Reserve | Oolong tea | US$ 24 | 56 g |
| 10K Ceremonial Matcha | Matcha | from US$ 45 | 30 g |
Teas you can find here
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Prices checked by us on Sep 11, 2026; they may change. No shop pays to appear here.