London tea must-sees
I’ll be headed to London in a couple weeks’ time and am wondering if Steepster can offer up any insider tips on what tea-related things I should definitely check out.
I’m planning on stopping by Postcard Teas, and maybe doing a Saturday tasting there if time allows. Unfortunately Jane Pettigrew doesn’t have any classes or events during my week there. I visited Twinings on a previous trip which was fun. I’m planning on stopping by Fortnum and Mason’s as well.
I’m looking for good-quality teas to bring home, and also great but inexpensive afternoon tea. I’ve found some leads, but the number of reviews turned up in a Google search is overwhelming!
I’ve searched the discussions and gained a few ideas. I also checked the places tab but that feature doesn’t really seem to be fleshed out, so any opinions would be most appreciated! I’ll also be spending an afternoon (unfortunately not longer) in Bath. I enjoyed Sally Lunn’s last time I was there, and would like to find somewhere else to visit briefly during my stay.
Oh, how wonderful. I want to go to London just to go to Postcard Teas. Have a great trip!
Thanks! I’ve been trying, unsuccessfully, to save my tea-buying budget for this trip because I imagine I’m going to be like a kid in a candy store at Postcard Teas.
I have been to TeaSmiths a few times, and they are excellent. Also I would recommend Chaya Tea House (they do tea tastings every week I think). I always enjoyed my visits to both these places. Hope you have a great trip!
For some basic but oh so good western style flavoured tea try Yumchaa. They sell mostly at markets (and it is cheaper there than in their shops, they do a 3 packs promotion), most markets will have a stall of theirs. And they have some very nice teashops, with some nice cakes and scones, reasonably (For London!) priced. They got a shop in Soho, very near Oxford Street ( near the Tottenham Court Road, maybe two blocks from Liberty), or even better their main shop at Camden Lock Market. I am rather envious because I really need to restock, a lot of the teas I picked there have become staples for me – I love Berry Berry Nice (Rooibos), Regents Park (green) and Caramel Sweethear and Into the Woods (these 2 are black).
Funny, I just came across their site last night and those teas are some of the ones that stood out for me! I’ll watch for them in the markets.
I really recommend having tea in one of their shops, it´s very nice and simple and the cakes delicious and tea just right and you can try before buying. Though the promos at markets are cheaper. And they also sell by e-mail if one is desperate (pretty soon I will be).
I have tried a few more of their blends than the ones I entered on steepster, but did not put tasting notes because I did not remember well enough. Soho Spice as a bit meh to me. Mango Sunrise (gren) was just lovely, but I only had it once. A friend of mine adores Lemon Sherbet rooibos (and I like it very much as well) but I adore Berry Berry Nice so much it overshadows how much I also like Adventure (Rooibos with hibiscus and a few other things) and Lemon Sherbet.
Their shops seem really well located, so I’ll definitely stop in. We are trying to keep costs down as much as possible so will be looking for cheap places to eat and snack. And it’s a perfect excuse to try more tea!
I think it is one of the cheapest place, at least that I have found, to have a pot of loose leaf tea and a scone in London. Maybe 3 pound something for it (2 for tea, 1 for scone or something) though do not quote me on it! Cakes are a bit pricier.
Not tea related, but a cheap (for London! 10 quid per person or a bit cheaper maybe) nice place to snack was Le Comptoir Lebanais.
I don’t know how much of a must-see it is for tea connoisseurs but there’s a little place called Tea Pod, one in London Bridge, one in Covent Garden that I like to drop into every now and then :) They have some lovely blends and the brownies are lush! There used to be a little place called Bou Tea (in exactly the same shop as the Covent Garden one) but it closed down :(
I’m definitely going to have a wander around the places you’ve all recommended above :) Hope you have a lovely trip!
Unfortunately I got back this week. I did have a lovely time!
I think I saw Tea Pod in Covent Garden but it was closed. We got there at the end of the day and half of the shops were closed up. I’m trying to tell myself that all the tea things I didn’t get to see are just the perfect excuse to go back.
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