Our Five Favourite London Brew Stops
We’ve sipped our way around the capital to bring you five addresses that promise a great cuppa – from slurping bubble tea to making your own matcha
19 October, 2022
- Words by
- Georgina Groom
Read more delicious stories in Vol. 38: Flavour.
Every
Every
Brit will tell you that a good cup of tea will solve all your problems. Relationship
break-up? Pop the kettle on. Feeling under the weather? Ditto. It’s
not just the lows, however, that this treasured beverage is good
for – it’s the highs, too. From a shared moment with a loved one to
taking a break with a colleague, the universal beauty of a brew is
that it unites different cultures, ages, backgrounds and
ethnicities.
It’s 2022. And so tea goes far beyond Earl Grey. Keen to explore the new flavours of
the city, we took it upon ourselves to find the
addresses that are shaking up the cup. Tag along with us to find
the best bubble teas, where to make your own matcha and the
townhouse with the world’s largest tea collection.
Britain’s best-loved beverage: five top tea spots in the
capital
Xing Fu Tang, Soho
Best for: bubble tea
We’ll be the first to admit that when it came to the whole
bubble tea trend, we took some convincing, but after learning of
its immunity-boosting benefits we found ourselves at the front of
the line. The Asian beverage, which fuses flavoured Taiwanese milk
with tiny balls of tapioca, has become more popular than the famous
cream-topped Frappuccino was in 2015. Of over 50 different
specialist stores dotted across the capital, Soho’s Xing Fu Tang
remains our favourite. We love it partly for its no-fuss,
in-and-out ethos, but largely for its menu, which puts a
contemporary spin on cult classics. Think strawberries and cream,
scented jasmine with honeycomb, and matcha boba milk. Those who
like their bubbles at breakfast should note that this spot doesn’t
open till midday.
Lyaness, South Bank
Best for: spirited afternoon tea
Just when we thought we couldn’t get any more obsessed with
Lyaness, we stumbled across their Spirited Tea sessions. Situated
on the ground floor of the South Bank’s sleek Sea Containers
London, this seductive space benefits from an enormous marble bar
and electric-blue banquette seating. Served on weekends between
12pm and 5pm, the new offering includes the full tea selection,
three paired cocktails, cakes and savouries, for £55pp. Boozless
tea and champagne tea sessions are available, too. We’re yet to see
the addition of a tea-infused cocktail, but the rose-petal tea
alongside a classic mojito works a treat – trust us.
My Cup of Tea, Soho
Best for: herbal-blending workshops
Workshops that teach us how to make our own herbal blend? Sign
us up, pronto. Open since 2014, My Cup of Tea’s flagship store can
be found on Soho’s Denman Place. An airy space that pays homage to
the craft behind tea, highlights include a tasting counter,
handcrafted teaware and a vast selection of tea and tisanes. There
are five different class types on offer, ranging from Japanese
green tea tutorials to matcha workshops. We’re bookmarking the
herbal-blending option, during which participants learn about
sourcing, harvesting and processing herbs, before experimenting and
designing a blend to take home.
The Teahouse, Richmond
Best for: traditional afternoon tea
No tea round-up would be complete without tucking into a
traditional afternoon-tea menu, and we can think of no better place
to butter our scones than at Petersham Nurseries’ The Teahouse,
where homemade cakes, whole-leaf teas and freshly ground coffee are
served in a rustic greenhouse. Settle down at a copper-topped
table, surrounded by overgrown plants, on a chair draped in a cosy
blanket, to feast on delicacies such as mini beef bagels with
pickled cucumber, smoked trout and watercress crostini and wild
mushroom sandwiches. The sweet stuff doesn’t disappoint, either.
Standouts include the pecan and chocolate tarts, clementine and
pomegranate cake and rhubarb-ginger scones. There’s a vegetarian
menu, too.
Mariage Frères, Covent Garden
Best for: exotic flavours
Located in the heart of Covent Garden, this five-storey tea
emporium flaunts the world’s largest tea collection. With over
1,000 varieties from 36 different countries, Mariage Frères can
only be described as a tea-lover’s paradise. Inside the listed
Georgian townhouse, a tea room, restaurant, boutique and museum are
the backdrop to daily tasting tours. Floor-to-ceiling shelves
stacked with colourful teapots, lantern lights, all-wooden floors
and gold detailing make the interiors worth visiting for alone.
Struggling to settle on a flavour? Marco Polo, a rich blend of
berries fused with bold black tea, gets our vote.
Discover more stories from the Flavour issue here.