In celebration of the first ever international tea day, we round up the best spots for a quality brew
As Hong Kong moves into its annual wet season, I’m reminded of one of my favourite things: namely, the feeling as you slowly sip on a cup of hot tea indoors, warm and dry, while the rain and wind lashes against your window. The rising aromatic steam soothes, particularly when paired with the ASMR quality of the epic rainfalls that we’re accustomed to experiencing at this time of year. As it happens, May 21 is newly crowned as International Tea Day by the United Nations, giving this age-old drink the recognition it deserves. In celebration, we’re spotlighting some of our favourite venues for a lovely cuppa—whether it’s a rich masala chai or a delicate silver needle tea you like, take a leaf out of our books with this brief guide to top tea parlours around Hong Kong.
1. Teakha & Plantation
Nana Chan’s unwavering dedication to all things tea has gifted Hong Kong with two very distinctive offerings: Teakha, her cosy cafe in Sheung Wan is where you can enjoy wonderful cakes and pastries (many incorporating tea themselves) as well as sip drinks as varied as burnt lemon iced tea and fragrant osmanthus oolong. Second, Plantation is the Mecca for tea obsessives and situated in a quiet side street near HKU station where you can truly appreciate the high-quality brews that Chan has sourced from Taiwan, India and more. There, in zen-like surroundings, you might contemplate a first flush Darjeeling tea (the “champagne of teas”) before moving onto something like a High Mountain oolong from the Taiwan autumn harvest. Beautiful teaware is also on show and available for purchase.
Teakha, Shop B, 18 Tai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Plantation, 18 Po Tuck Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong