Jun 24

Jun 24 theW+ Drink: Plantation by Teakha / Hong Kong

Speaking to those of us who are not as "woke" on tea, and are keen to bring themselves up to speed on general tea knowledge and palate (and yes we all have one for tea), why not try it in a casual and not-at-all intimidating setting. Nana Chan's Plantation by Teakha (@plantation_hk) just opened it's doors this month, and is here to bridge us non-tea oriented drinkers to the large and possibly more exciting world of tea that we didn't know existed (and no we are not talking about anything that comes in multi-coloured boxes from the grocery store).

Chan, who founded Hong Kong's casual tea shop, Teakha, curates at Plantation by Teakha, a selection of white, black, oolong, green, and floral loose-leaf tea leaves from around the world. There are teas for the morning (Plantation Breakfast), teas for mid-afternoon (Chinese Jasmine Pearls or the Masala Chai), teas for after supper (the Apple Blossom Verbena), and teas before bed (the Camomile Reverie, of course.) And choose by sampling them all and simply picking the flavour notes which suit you and your lifestyle.

The ground floor shop, located a 5-minute walk away from the HKU MTR Stop, is minimalist but tasteful, framing teas in tea-stained packaging and teaware gifts from Taiwan, China, Germany, India, and Sri Lanka- as an old-fashioned Hong Kong shop-house does, but with Earthy warm tones and materiality. On-site Workshops and events like tea blending and tea tastings are on offer occasionally and on request. Don't worry, it's not Grandma-style stuffiness - which is exactly the point- and first timers are always more than welcome to the experience.

For those who are seasoned tea drinkers- especially veterans on the art of Chinese tea ceremonies- everything at Teakha will be familiar, however there are still new teas to discover and enjoy.