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Readers are invited to submit their favourite places to drink tea to camelliacha@camelliacha.com.
If an establishment only sells tea made from teabags, they are NOT listed here. And if they think that 'green tea' is the name of a specific tea, and do not recognise the difference between, say, sencha and bancha, or Longjing and AnjiBaicha, they are NOT listed here. This is a listing of places where you know you can have a good cup of well-prepared tea. Not a cup of bitter 'green tea' in scorching hot water with teabag label dangling.  Criteria for ranking or reviewing tearooms
(ALL languages accepted):
- country/city/address/website
- types of tea
- fair trade tea available
- only dry tea sold, no place to taste test or sit and relax with a cuppa
- service
- accompanying food
- do they cater for food allergies or intolerances?
- BGM (background music), general ambience (noisy/ peaceful)
- internet facilities
- taste/quality
- nearest place of interest
- reading material supplied
- repeat clientele/ regulars
- comments
England
Taiwan
Hong Kong
- Luk Yu in Stanley st is an upscale teahouse with wooden booths and fittings from the 1930s. The walls are decorated with stained glass murals and massive framed scroll paintings.
- The Man Wah Restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental has an extensive tea menu featuring 15 of China's best teas.
- Kowloon Shangri-la's Shang Palace Chinese Restaurant
- The Lobby Lounge of JW Marriott Hotel
- Hotel Nikko offers afternoon Tea Buffet with an extensive menu often changed.
- There are still a lot of Chinese teahouses along Des Voeux Rd in Central Hong Kong, and Hankow Rd in Kowloon.
Scotland : Glasgow
- Tearooms in Scotland
- The Buchanan Street Tearoom, 97 Buchanan Street; 44 0141 204 5242
Opened by Catherine Cranston in the 1870s and decorated by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
- Willow Tea Rooms 217 Sauchiehall Street; 44 0141 332 0521
m.daly@willowtearooms.co.uk
USA
- Tearooms in the USA
- Tearooms in the USA
- Tea Cellar, Park Hyatt Washington. Teas from 50 single-estate tea gardens in Asia.
- the Imperial Tea Court, San Francisco
- Literati Café Brentwood, California
- New York tearooms
- NY Times
- The Tea Gallery, New York
- Then there are the special-event teas like the annual Valentine Tea at the NEW CANAAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY in New Canaan (13 Oenoke Ridge; 203-966-1776). On Thursday of this week, from 2 to 4 p.m., assorted tea sandwiches, home-made cookies and brewed loose tea will be offered guests at a $5 charge for non-members. Reservations are recommended.
- Art Teas, at $10 each, have been a draw at the BRUCE MUSEUM in Greenwich (1 Museum Drive; 203-869-6786). The series includes lecture, tea and gallery tour. Each art tea begins at 1:30 p.m. with the lecture; then at 2:30 there is tea and at 3 the gallery tour. Reservations are recommended.
- Sundial Gardens in Higganum (59 Hidden Lake Road; 860-345-4290), all kinds of rare loose teas are available in the shop.
- Exhibition Cafe at the MATTATUCK MUSEUM in Waterbury (144 West Main Street; 203-7532452) serves excellent tea in a 16-ounce steeping pot (at $3.50) from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday. To nibble with your tea, try one of the sweets made on the cafe's premises, such as a chocolate truffle kiss, almond pate, meringue, biscotti or lemon-scented bread pudding. The cafe also serves lunch. The tea selection, from Serendipitea in Ridgefield, ranges from Earl Grey and Darjeeling to Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls from China, black Colonille from Vietnam, pan-fired green Dragon's Well and a nutty green tea from Japan called Bancha Hojicha.
- Mrs. White's Tearoom in Woodbury (308 Sherman Hill Road; 203-263-6022) epitomizes a Victorian cottage, where one can indulge in a traditional tea with scones, butter and jam, tea sandwiches, carrot salad, fresh fruit and pastries (which usually include lemon curd) as well as a choice of 25 varieties of teas, brewed in an individual English porcelain teapot. The cost: $15.95 a person. Reservations 24 hours ahead are essential as there are just 10 tables in the quaint place. It is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Breakfast and lunch are also served by reservation.
- One of our favorite afternoon tearooms is Chaiwalla in Salisbury (1 Main Street; 860-435-9758), but it is closed for repairs, to re-open April 1. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A wide selection of aromatic teas, imported directly by Chaiwalla from all over the world, is served all day, accompanied by some truly delectable house-made desserts, such as whisky cake, chocolate devil's food cake or fresh berry cobblers. There are also lunch entrees, like the melt-in-mouth tomato-cheese-basil pie. The setting in an old house is casual and pleasant, with window seat, cozy corner tables and the flavor of a tearoom of yesteryear. Tea prices run from $1.50 a cup to $6.75 for a pot of the most expensive Indian scented chai. (No credit cards accepted.)
- Caprilands Herb Farm in Coventry (534 Silver Street; 860-742-7244), long noted for its teas, herb lunches and lectures, restricts its serving activities from May through Christmas week (though its gardens and shop are open year-round). A tea is held every Sunday in season at 2 p.m. For $12, one is served herbal breads, tea sandwiches, canapes, soup, salad, cakes and Caprilands blend of herb tea. Lunches are offered Friday and Saturday. Reservations for both tea and lunch are essential.
- The Palm Court at the NORWICH INN in Norwich (Route 32; 860-886-2401) is a serene setting for a formal English tea at $15.95, replete with canapes and pastries, served daily except Sunday, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Alas, in such a handsome locale, we expected more than tea bags.
- The comfortable library of the Mayflower Inn in Washington Depot (Route 47; 860-868-9466) is a welcome backdrop, complete with toasty wood-burning fireplace, for an order of tea and plate of house-made cookies, not a formal afternoon tea. But again, for purists, the tea bags are inappropriate.
- Tea and exquisite pastries, signatures of VERSAILLES in Greenwich (315 Greenwich Avenue; 203-661-6634) are available all day. But be forewarned, the tea is the bag variety.
- Saint's Alp Teahouse: Manhattan/East Village, 39 3rd Ave (between 10th St & 2nd Ave) New York, NY 10003, (212) 598-1890 Saint Alps is a popular Teahouse chain in Hong Kong and Southern China and two in the United States (NY and Chicago). Selling Taiwanese bubble tea.
- Beverly Hills, Sona pastry chef Michelle Myers recently opened Boule, her version of a Parisian tea salon and patisserie.
- Alhambra, we study the tea menu at the newest branch of the Tea Station, a modern Chinese tea house chain that started eight years ago in San Gabriel and may expand to 15 locations in California this year.
- Teamap
SOUTH AFRICA
AUSTRALIA
ACT Australian Capital Territory
NSW
QLD
- Nucifora Tea Sybbie & Paula Nucifora, M.S. 216 East Palmerston, Innisfail QLD 4860, 07-4064 5109, nuci@znet.net.au tea free from pesticides and herbicides.
- Ipswich: DeLamanta Coffee and Tea Specialists, run by a friendly proprietor Jenny McLean, who will happily discuss any dietary needs you may have when you call to book your High Tea. Will take bookings from 2 to 26 people for High Tea to be served at a time chosen by the customer. Gluten free, dairy free, etc folk rest assured, you will be catered for and made to feel very welcome. They serve loose-leaf teas in a pot (only camomile and peppermint come in teabags). And they also specialise in Coffee. 95 Brisbane Rd Ipswich QLD 4305, 07 3812 2031, Ipswich@dlcoffee.com.au They sell dry tea or serve a pot of tea, as well as hosting High Teas and private Tea Parties.
- Cairns: Specialteas of Cairns, 46 Spence st, 07 4052 1313. They sell over 70 loose leaf teas from China, Japan, India, Ceylon as well as Australian grown blends, plus many many herbal teas. You cannot drink the tea on the premises. The Proprietor, Nickie Thiedecke will bring High Tea to YOUR place, supplying all the crockery and table cloths etc as well as cucumber sandwiches and cakes, but no catering for food allergies.
- Daintree Tea, PMB 15 Mossman QLD 4873, 07-4098-9139
VIC
TAS
- Chado: The Way of Tea: 134 Elizabeth st, Hobart TAS 7000, +61-3-6232-6411, proprietor: Varuni Kulasekera wayoftea@bigpond.com An excellent high quality tea shop selling teas from .. You can eat and drink, and buy dry tea.
- Dry Ideas a small company producing Tasmanian grown, Japanese-style green tea in the cool temperate Huon region of southern Tasmania. Run by Gordon and Jane Brown, 3 Kadina Close Allens Rivulet TAS 7150. www.scientifichorticulture.com.au Ph: 61 (0)3 6239 6411; Fax: 61 (0)3 6239 6711 email: DryIdeas@ScientificHorticulture.com.au
WA
ITALY
PORTUGAL
PATAGONIA: Welsh Tea Rooms in Gaiman
- Plas y Coed, Gaiman - M. D. Jones 123-9105 Tel: 49-1133
- Ty Te Caerdydd, Finca 202 - Gaiman Tel: 49-1510 Fax: 49-1053
- Ty Nain casa de Te y Museo, H. Yrigoyen 283 - Gaiman Tel: 49-1126
- Ty Gwyn, 9 de Julio 111- Gaiman Tel: 49-1009
- Ty Cymraeg, Abraham Mathews 74 - Gaiman Tel: 49-1010
Gaiman, H. Yrigoyen 738 - Gaiman Cel: 02965-15-686268
THAILAND, BANGKOK
- Hemlock tearoom, 56 Phra Athit Rd (02) 2827 507.
A huge range of leaf teas for sale and to be drunk in the shop, including many teas from Nepal, masala teas, Bhutan butter tea and several fruit tea blends, served in beautiful teapots and china cups and saucers. A piano is there for any guests to play. Open from 4pm.
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