Specialty Teahouses

Qingtian Tea House

A former professor's dormitory turned premium oolong sanctuary.

Tea house in a 1930s Japanese-era professor’s residence, restored by Caves Gallery in a quiet Da’an lane. Primary focus on Yunnan raw (sheng) puer, with Taiwanese teas as a secondary offering. Gallery-meets-teahouse atmosphere that works as both a tasting venue and an exhibition space.

4.5Da'an$$

Photo: Lo Robert

Lin Hua Tai Tea

Taipei's Baozhong specialist, family-run since 1883.

Family-run since 1883 in the historic Dadaocheng tea district. Baozhong specialist with deep roots in Taiwans tea trade history. Tea shop selling loose leaves by weight rather than a sit-down teahouse — visit to source quality leaves, not for gongfu service. Suppliers to Taipeis serious tea venues including South Street Delight.

4.4Dadaocheng$

Photo: 貓空茶屋

Maokong Tea House 貓空茶屋

A specific Maokong hillside operator with views of Taipei.

Specific Maokong hillside teahouse on Lane 38 of Zhinan Road. Local Baozhong, Tieguanyin and Taiwanese oolongs grown in the surrounding tea plantations, with views over Taipei.

Maokong$$

Photo: C

CHENGPION Tea House 埕畔茶坊

Appointment-only Dadaocheng shophouse for high-mountain oolong.

Appointment-only specialty tea house in the historic Dadaocheng tea district. Serious gongfu service of Taiwanese high-mountain oolong and aged teas in a quiet restored shophouse.

Dadaocheng$$$

Photo: 南街得意

Photo: 柳隅茶舍 LiuYu Teahouse （Located…

South Street Delight 南街得意

Sunlit Dihua Street tea room with traditional desserts.

Charming tea room above the Dadaocheng historic district serving Taiwanese teas with traditional desserts. Sunlit space with views of Dihua Street and rotating seasonal sweets.

Dadaocheng$$

Liuyu Teahouse 柳隅茶舍

Slow contemporary gongfu in a wood-and-stone Da'an room.

Quiet contemporary teahouse in Wanhua, in the underground arcade near Longshan Temple MRT. Focus on Taiwanese single-origin oolong, aged teas, and small-farmer puer sourced via organic contract farming. Owner provides slow gongfu service with personal teaware sets and speaks five languages.

Wanhua$$

Photo: 貓空找茶屋 found

Morning Tea House 早晨茶坊

A family Maokong hillside teahouse over the tea fields.

Family-run hillside teahouse in Maokong serving Taiwanese oolongs from the surrounding plantations. Quiet, casual, with views over the tea fields.

Maokong$$

Photo: 阿東彭

Photo: Wangtea Lab ｜當代茶吧 Modern Te…

Jassid Tea House

Single-estate high-mountain oolongs from named growers.

Specialty Taiwanese tea house with a focus on single-estate high-mountain oolongs from named growers. Gongfu service, careful water, small tasting room.

Da'an$$$

Wangtea Lab 王有記

The contemporary bar of Datong's 1890 charcoal-roasting tea house.

The contemporary tasting room of Wang Tea 有記名茶, established 2020 as the modern arm of the 1890 family tea house. Innovative drinks: sparkling tea, tea beer, tea cocktails, alongside traditional Pouchong, Tieguanyin, and roasted oolongs. The historic refinery factory and museum sit next door at #26 of the same lane. Stylish, walk-in-friendly, contemporary register.

Datong (Dadaocheng)$$$

Photo: Sylvia Yang

Xiaoyin Tea Temple 小隱茶庵 Dongmen

A tucked-away Dongmen room for curated Taiwanese oolong.

Tucked-away Dongmen teahouse with a quiet contemplative mood. Curated Taiwanese oolongs and aged teas served gongfu-style in a small tatami-influenced room.

Zhongzheng (Dongmen)$$$

Photo: yanshi moo

老茶罐 Old Tea Jar

Aged oolongs and traditional teaware on Yongkang Street.

Small specialty Taiwanese tea shop on Yongkang Street in Da'an, in the heart of Taipei's old-soul food and tea quarter. Aged oolongs and traditional teaware.

Yongkang$$

Photo: atsuhiro shima

Photo: 邀月茶坊Yaoyue Teahouse24H

Xiaoman Tea Experience 小慢

A pilgrimage stop. Tea master Hsieh Hsiao-Man's antique room.

Beloved appointment-only teahouse run by tea master Hsieh Hsiao-Man. Slow ceremonial tastings of carefully chosen Taiwanese, Chinese and Japanese teas in an antique-filled room. A pilgrimage spot for serious tea drinkers.

Da'an$$$

Yaoyue Teahouse 邀月茶坊

Maokongs 24-hour landmark — tea on the hill, since the 1980s.

Iconic 24-hour teahouse in Maokong, on the hillside above Taipei. Established in the 1980s, family-run, with terraced outdoor seating overlooking the tea plantations and city below. Local Baozhong, Tieguanyin and Taiwanese oolongs grown on the surrounding hills. Maokong has 40+ teahouses and trends touristy on weekends and during the lantern season. Yaoyue is one of the more substantial gongfu-friendly venues in the area.

4.3Maokong$$

Photo: Yoyo Yu

Wang Tea 有記名茶

1890 charcoal-roasting refinery, the original of the Wang Tea family.

Historic Wang Tea factory and museum, founded 1890 in Dadaocheng. Five generations of charcoal-roasting heritage. Specialty: Wenshan Pouchong (light oxidation, light roast), traditional Tieguanyin, roasted oolongs from the on-site refinery. The original of the family — sit alongside the working factory and learn how charcoal roast actually works. Sibling to the contemporary Wangtea Lab next door at #24.

4.5Datong (Dadaocheng)$$

Photo: 福大同茶莊

Fu Da Tong 福大同

180 years of charcoal-roasting craft, six generations in old Wanhua.

Six-generation tea family established 1845 in old Wanhua (Bangka). Founder Cai Han was a Qing-era court physician who turned to tea farming in Anxi and brought the craft to Taiwan. Specialty: traditional charcoal-basket roasting (焙籠), aged Wuyi rock tea, Anxi Tieguanyin, aged Taiwanese oolong, and Yunnan ancient-tree puer cellared in their own dry storage. Tea shop in heritage register — visit to source aged and well-roasted leaves rather than for sit-down service.

4.6Wanhua$$

Photo: 冶堂

Yetang 冶堂

He Jian’s tea-culture workshop, four decades of pottery and puer.

Tea-culture workshop run by He Jian 何健, the 1985 Chinese Tea Art Champion. Not a typical teahouse but a small museum-like room of antique teaware, Yixing pottery, and Yunnan puer leaves. He Jian researched Yixing pottery (1985-1994), then Yunnan raw puer (1994-2002), then opened on Yongkang Street to share. A pilgrimage venue parallel to Xiaoman, oriented toward pottery and puer rather than gongfu instruction. Open Tue-Sun, afternoons only.

4.7Yongkang (Da’an)$$

Photo: joy chien

Photo: Zensation Tea House

88 Tea Rinbansyo 八拾捌茶輪番所

Tatami, Taiwanese tea, and a 1924 Buddhist abbot’s residence.

Specialty teahouse in a 1924 Japanese-era rinban (abbot’s) residence next to the historic Nishi Honganji temple grounds. Restored by Taipei City Cultural Affairs in 2011, operated by 八拾捌茶 since 2014. Tea master Zhou Jieling 周潔鈴, a respected charcoal-roaster, oversees the tea selection. Tatami seating, Taiwanese teas (often with the venue’s own roasting), and high-grade Japanese tea sweets (上生和菓子). Combines the historic-architecture significance of Wistaria with the specialty-roasting credentials of CHENGPION.

4.4Wanhua$$

Sydney

Photo: Australian Wanderer

Zensation Tea House

Two decades of Chinese tea, the Sydney anchor.

Sydney's longest-running Chinese teahouse, opened in Surry Hills/Redfern around 2004 and moved to the larger Waterloo premises in 2018. Full-service gongfu room with Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese teas, an Asian food menu, and an extensive teaware selection. Hosts regular tea-culture events and degustations.

Waterloo$$

TopoTea

From market stall to Chinatown teaware destination.

Founded by Shane Shu and evolved from a market stall to a Chinatown institution in the Sussex Centre. Carries popular Chinese and Taiwanese teas alongside rarer estate teas, with an unrivalled range of traditional teaware in Sydney. Impromptu tastings when the shop is quiet. Also hosts guqin music and calligraphy workshops.

Haymarket$$

Photo: Tea Journal

Tea Journal

Family-sourced tea, modern gongfu, an interchange away.

Modern Chinese tea house in Chatswood Interchange, founded by Sunny who sources some teas from his family's plantation. Range covers pu'er (with a flagship 16-year-old AUD 600 cake), oolong, white and herbal. Flexible teaware on the table: traditional ceramic gongfu or modern glass for newcomers.

Chatswood$$

Photo: P G

MY Tea House

The largest tea range in the city, curated by Raymond.

Possibly the largest range of teas in Sydney, curated by proprietor Raymond. No formal sit-down room, but Raymond runs paid specialty tasting sessions (tea journeys) that can stretch several hours, balancing brews carefully to avoid tea intoxication. Book ahead for tastings.

Neutral Bay$$

Photo: Ms

Photo: Australian Wanderer

Ms.Cattea Tea Bar

Tea science meets tea bar, in Potts Point.

Modern tea bar in Potts Point run by Cathy Zhang, who holds a degree in tea science and a master of tea ceremony certification. Around 100 teas including rare niche varieties, matcha, and tea-based cocktails. Began as an online retailer in 2019 before opening the physical bar. Tea classes and seasonal features rotate.

Potts Point$$

Photo: Australian Wanderer

Rushi Tea House 如是茶舍

A gongfu room beside the sutra-writing tables.

Buddhist-oriented gongfu tea house relocated to Rosebery in August 2025 from its earlier Chatswood premises. Traditional service in a large open space with private rooms, complementing on-site sutra-writing activities. Selection runs to songzhong dancong and Wuyi dahongpao yancha among others.

Rosebery$$

China Tea

A 1938 Yunnan house, with an Australian outpost.

Outpost of one of China's largest tea companies (founded 1938), now selling in Australia for the first time. Pu'er specialists representing reputable Yunnan factories, with complimentary tea tastings on the shop floor. Inside the Mandarin Centre on Albert Avenue.

Chatswood$$

Photo: Tea Craft

Photo: Long's Tea - Tea Shop

Tea Craft

A wholesale tea operation, by appointment.

Wholesale and retail tea operation in Lidcombe run by Arthur Tong. Fully hosted tastings by appointment only, weekdays only. The buying side matters here more than the sit-down experience: a serious wholesale operation that opens its tasting room when you book ahead.

Lidcombe$$

Photo: Altitude Tea - Mindful Tea C…

Long's Tea House

Hurstville's puer specialist, retail-only after COVID.

High-end pu'er specialist in Hurstville with an extensive retail selection of traditional Chinese teas. Originally a sit-down gongfu room. Sit-down service was discontinued after COVID and the space now focuses on the retail and tea events side. Worth a visit for the pu'er stock.

Hurstville$$

Altitude Tea Room

A high-altitude tea practice, with a room in Waterloo.

Run by Cara Chen, a gongfu cha practitioner who started the Altitude Tea brand in 2014 and opened the physical room in 2021. Single-origin premium loose-leaf tea with a focus on high-altitude grown varieties, served in traditional gongfu sessions paired with sound meditation. Book ahead for ceremonies.

Waterloo$$

Photo: Andre Braun

Taka Tea Garden

The first specialty Japanese tea house in Australia, since 1999.

Opened in 1999 by Taka Pan and Helen Kwok, the first specialty Japanese tea establishment in Australia. Premium Japanese green and white tea anchors the selection, alongside Taiwanese and Chinese green and white teas, German herbal, Ceylon black, and Japanese traditional teaware. Taka was born in Sydney and raised in Japan.

Double Bay$$

Photo: Cafe Cre Asion

Cre Asion

Sydney's matcha cafe pioneer, since 2011.

Tiny Japanese cafe in Pyrmont opened by owner-chef Yu Sasaki in 2011, well before matcha became fashionable. Sasaki's fine-dining background (Marque, Universal, French Laundry) shows in the matcha lattes, roll cakes, macarons, and pastries in yuzu, soybean, matcha, and hojicha flavours. A North Sydney sibling came later.

Pyrmont$

Photo: Simply Native

Photo: Ambi's Chai Bar Sydney

Simply Native

A Goulburn Street chanoyu room, Urasenke-trained.

Small Japanese homewares and tea shop on Goulburn Street, run by Yukino, an Urasenke tea practitioner. Stocks Marukyu Koyamaen matcha (a historic Uji producer), herbal teas, condiments, and Japanese sweets alongside ceramics and tea tools. Runs Chakabuki blind-tasting workshops and a Yobanashi candlelit night tea ceremony.

Surry Hills$$

Ambi's Chai Bar

Sydney's specialty chai bar, powerful and spicy.

Specialty masala chai bar that opened in Pennant Hills in 2019, grew to North Sydney in 2022, and added a Kent Street CBD location in 2024. Powerful, spicy brews in an Afro-Punjabi style. Sydney's only dedicated chai specialist. The CBD outlet is the city-centre canonical for short visits.

Sydney CBD$

Hong Kong

Photo: LockCha (Central)

Photo: LockCha (Admiralty)

Lock Cha Tea House (Tai Kwun)

Hong Kong's most beloved tea house, inside Tai Kwun.

Beloved Hong Kong tea institution inside Tai Kwun, the restored Central Police Station heritage compound. Traditional gongfu service of Chinese teas with vegetarian dim sum and frequent guqin and tea ceremony events.

Central$$

Lock Cha Tea House (Hong Kong Park)

The original Lock Cha, beside the city's tea ware museum.

Original Lock Cha branch inside the K.S. Lo Gallery in Hong Kong Park, beside the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware. Traditional gongfu tea and vegetarian dim sum in a colonial-era pavilion.

Admiralty$$

Photo: Hannah Leonczek

Yú Teahouse

A tenth-floor hideaway above Wan Chai, for slow gongfu.

Modern teahouse with sweeping urban views from the upper floors of a Wan Chai building. Curated Chinese and Taiwanese teas, contemporary ceramics, and a quiet space designed for slow gongfu sessions.

Wan Chai$$$

Photo: Vincent Choi

Ming Heung Tea 茗香茶莊

Old-school Sheung Wan merchant for aged puer and oolong.

Old-school Hong Kong tea merchant in Sheung Wan's tea trade district. Family-run shop selling aged puer, oolong and traditional Chinese teas with tasting at the counter.

Kowloon City$$

Photo: 福建茶行

Fukien Tea Co

A Bonham Strand veteran specialising in Wuyi rock tea.

Historic Fujianese tea merchant on Bonham Strand specialising in Wuyi yancha, Anxi Tieguanyin and aged oolong. One of the long-standing names in Hong Kong's traditional tea trade.

Sheung Wan$$

Photo: andrew mcmillan

Chas by the Time

A design-led specialty tea bar in Sheung Wan.

Contemporary specialty tea bar in Sheung Wan with a curated list of single-origin Chinese and Taiwanese teas. Quiet, design-led, with hand-brewed gongfu service.

Sheung Wan$$

Photo: Qoo

Photo: Yuan Yuan Tang 緣緣堂

Cheung Hing Tea Hong 祥興茶行

A collector's destination for vintage puer and Liu Bao.

Veteran Hong Kong tea merchant in Sheung Wan known for aged puer and Liu Bao. The kind of shop where serious collectors come to taste vintage cakes at the counter.

Sheung Wan$$$

Yuan Yuan Tang 源源堂

Curated Chinese tea house on historic Tai Ping Shan Street.

Quiet specialty Chinese tea house in the Tai Cheung Building on historic Tai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan. Curated Chinese teas with gongfu service.

Sheung Wan$$

Photo: Gaga Bichon

Photo: Plantation Tea Bar

Yee On Tea 義安茶莊

A long-established merchant with deep aged puer and white.

Long-established Hong Kong tea merchant carrying a deep range of Chinese teas including aged puer, oolong and white tea. Traditional shopfront with on-site tasting.

Sai Ying Pun$$

Plantation Tea Bar

A Mallory Street tea bar in the restored Blue House.

Modern specialty tea bar on Mallory Street in the restored Blue House cluster. Carefully sourced single-origin Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese teas served with simple sweets in a calm interior.

Wan Chai$$

Photo: loris francoletti

雲茶境 Yun Cha Jing

A tenth-floor hideaway off Causeway Bay's Paterson Street.

Hidden tenth-floor tea room in Vienna Mansion off Paterson Street, Causeway Bay. Curated specialty Chinese teas served in a quiet residential setting away from the shopping crowds.

Causeway Bay$$

Berlin

Photo: Thomas G

Photo: Green Tea Café MAMECHA

Berliner Teesalon

Over 300 unaromatised Asian teas in Charlottenburg.

Over 300 unflavoured Asian teas. Known for Wu Yi Shan rock oolongs and traditional Ti Kuan Yin. In-house tastings and tea seminars.

Charlottenburg$$

Photo: P&T - Berlin Mitte

Mamecha

Matcha done right since 2010.

Japanese-run tea cafe since 2010. High-quality matcha, sencha, hojicha, genmaicha, and kukicha alongside Japanese food.

Mitte$$

Paper & Tea

Berlin's design-forward tea: whole leaf, wall to wall.

Berlin-born specialty tea brand since 2011. Whole-leaf hand-processed teas from sustainable cultivation. Design-forward retail with tastings.

Mitte$$$

Photo: Patrick Albertini

Photo: make tea not war - Teehandel…

BOHEA Teehandlung

Friedrichshain's tea sommelier shop: from gyokuro to aged puer.

Specialist tea shop with knowledgeable sommeliers. Deep selection of Japanese green teas, Chinese puer, and rarities.

Friedrichshain$$

make tea not war

Direct-import Taiwanese oolong and Japanese sencha, brewed the right way.

Direct tea importer since 2013, shop since 2018. Organic teas from Japan and Taiwan. Gongfu cha oolong and Japanese sencha brewed properly.

Prenzlauer Berg$$

Photo: Nan Yi Tee

Photo: The Feuerle Collection

Nan Yi Tee

Four decades of Chinese tea and ceramics in Wilmersdorf.

Family-run Chinese tea specialist since 1982. Fine Chinese teas and tea ceramics. Sampling before buying, Chinese tea workshops.

Wilmersdorf$$

The Feuerle Collection Tea Ceremony, Berlin

Photo: Tungtwister21 LGXYZ

The Feuerle Collection Tea Ceremony

Gongfu cha with gushu puer inside a WWII bunker: tea as art.

Chaozhou Gongfu Cha ceremonies inside a converted WWII bunker housing a world-class art collection. Gushu puer, dancong, aged Taiwanese oolong. Booking required.

Kreuzberg$$$

Chen Che Teehaus

A slice of Hoi An in Mitte: Vietnamese tea in a stunning setting.

Vietnamese-inspired tea house on Rosenthaler Strasse with fine Asian teas and Vietnamese cuisine. Beautiful Hoi An-inspired interior.

Mitte$$

Photo: Jan Siefke

C*SPACE Berlin

Coworking by day, Pop-Up Teahouse by season.

Creative coworking and event loft in a former Weissensee furniture factory. Hosts the Pop-Up Teahouse Berlin program with gongfu cha sessions, transcultural tea encounters, and AsiaBerlin community gatherings.

Weissensee$$

Photo: Alissa G

Dot Tea Bar 一点茶寮

Chinese tea by day, wine by night. Multiple brewing styles under one roof.

Chinese tea bar with gongfu cha, Chengdu gaiwan-style, and ceramic cauldron brewing alongside tea-infused cuisine. Berlin Tea Week participant.

Prenzlauer Berg$$

Kyoto

Photo: 冬夏 / 日日

Tearoom Toka / Gallery Nichinichi

Quiet ceramics gallery and tatami tea room near Karasuma.

Quiet teahouse and ceramics gallery hybrid run by tea master Nichinichi. Seasonal Japanese tea pairings served on antique and contemporary teaware in a tatami room near Karasuma Oike.

Kamigyo$$$

Photo: Hiro Ogawa

Ryuoen Tea Store

On Teramachi Street since 1875, five generations of tea.

Tiny historic tea shop on Teramachi street since 1875. Family-run by the same household for five generations, selling premium Uji matcha, gyokuro and sencha milled to order.

Teramachi$$

Photo: Shen Vincent

Horaido Tea Stall

A Teramachi tea stall since 1803, famous for serious matcha.

Tiny family tea stall on Teramachi-dori since 1803. Specialises in shaded Uji teas, particularly gyokuro and tencha. The shopfront is unchanged for decades and the matcha is famously serious.

Teramachi$$

Photo: MANDARACHA - 曼荼羅茶

Mandaracha

Slow contemporary tea sessions in Higashiyama.

Quiet contemporary tea room in Higashiyama focused on rare Japanese single-origin teas with extended hand-brewed service. Minimal seating, slow tasting menus, very personal.

Higashiyama$$$

Photo: 美好園

Bikouen 美好園

A central Kyoto family merchant for daily Uji sencha.

Long-running family tea merchant in central Kyoto carrying carefully chosen Uji teas. Quiet shop with a small in-store tasting counter, beloved by Kyoto locals for daily-drinking sencha.

Shimogyo$$

Photo: 茶ノ路 Road of Tea

茶ノ路 Road of Tea

A neighbourhood tea shop near the Philosopher's Path.

Quiet specialty tea shop in the Jodoji area of Sakyo-ku, near the Philosopher's Path. Carefully sourced Japanese teas in a small neighbourhood setting.

Sakyo (Jodoji)$$

Photo: Hiro tan

Tsuen Tea Main Branch

Founded 1160. Japan's oldest tea shop, by the Uji bridge.

Located in Uji (listed under Kyoto). Founded 1160, considered the oldest tea shop in Japan and run by the same Tsuen family for 24 generations. Beside the Uji bridge with traditional tea service and Uji matcha sweets.

Photo: Toru Aoyama (pi_pun)

Yamamoto Jinjiro 山本甚次郎

Stone-milled Uji matcha and shaded gyokuro near Byodoin.

Located in Uji (listed under Kyoto). Historic Uji tea merchant specialising in stone-milled matcha and shaded gyokuro. Quiet shop a short walk from Byodoin temple, with on-site tasting.

Photo: 売茶中村

Baisa Nakamura 売茶中村

Named for Baisao, the wandering monk who taught Japan sencha.

Located in Uji (listed under Kyoto). Specialist Uji tea house named after Baisao, the wandering monk who popularised sencha in 18th-century Japan. Carefully chosen Uji teas served with quiet attention.

Photo: 荒井充興

Matsusakaya 松阪屋

A long-running Uji merchant for matcha, gyokuro and sencha.

Located in Uji (listed under Kyoto). Long-running Uji tea merchant offering carefully sourced matcha, gyokuro and sencha from local producers.

Photo: FLOATING MOUNTAIN Tea House

New York

Floating Mountain Tea House

A hidden tea sanctuary above the Upper West Side.

Serene second-floor sanctuary with over 90 single-origin Chinese teas brewed in traditional Chaozhou Gongfu Cha style. Ring the doorbell to enter.

Upper West Side$$

Photo: James Delaney

Photo: Kettl Tea - Greenpoint

Te Company

Taiwan in a teacup, tucked into a West Village brownstone.

Tiny salon devoted to Taiwanese teas, pairing single-origin oolongs with handmade tea snacks. Run by Elena Liao and former Per Se chef.

West Village$$

Kettl

Japan's finest teas, one cup at a time in Greenpoint.

Brooklyn's premier Japanese tea destination, sourcing directly from farms across Japan. Six-seat tasting counter alongside curated ceramics.

Greenpoint$$

Photo: Geoff Kleinman

T Shop

Brew your own gongfu in a NoLita rear-store retreat.

Minimalist tasting room run by Theresa Wong. Pick a tea and brew it yourself gongfu-style with proper teaware provided.

NoLita$$

Photo: Matt B

Photo: Puerh Brooklyn teashop

Tea Dealers & Ceramics

Sixty single-cultivar teas and the ceramics to match.

Refined tea shop and ceramics gallery with 60+ unblended single-cultivar teas from small farms across Asia. Formerly the 29B Teahouse team.

Tribeca$$$

Puerh Brooklyn

New York's puer headquarters, hidden on Grand Street.

Dedicated puer specialist with 30+ varieties of sheng and shou. Basement gallery doubles as a gongfu tasting room with teas from China and Taiwan.

Williamsburg$$

Photo: Chris Zhu

Photo: Jin Yun Fu Tea Shop

Cha-An 茶菴

Twenty years of Japanese tea and quiet hospitality above 9th Street.

Second-floor Japanese teahouse since 2004. Serious tea menu paired with seasonal wagashi and mochi in a calm space.

East Village$$

Photo: Setsugekka East Village

Jin Yun Fu Tea Shop 锦云福

Song Dynasty tea rituals in the heart of Manhattan.

Gongfu tastings with Yixing teapots and Song Dynasty whisked tea since 1995. Curated antique and artisan teaware. Reservations via Tock.

NoMad$$

Setsugekka 雪月花

Hand-ground, hand-whisked matcha from a true tea master.

Tea Master Souheki Mori grinds matcha in-house and hand-whisks every bowl to order. Sources from heritage family farms in Japan.

East Village$$

Photo: Yat Sang Yan

Sorate Teahouse

One farm in Uji, one beautiful room in SoHo.

All teas from a single family-owned farm in Ujitawara-cho, Uji. Architect-designed space under original tin ceilings.

SoHo$$

Tokyo

Photo: 櫻井焙茶研究所

Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience

An Omotesando counter where Japanese tea becomes a meditation.

Elevated tea counter in Omotesando. Single-origin Japanese teas served with seasonal wagashi in a modern, meditative setting.

4.5Omotesando$$$

Photo: cola seran

Nakajima-no-ochaya

A floating teahouse on a Hamarikyu pond, since 1707.

Historic floating teahouse from 1707 set on a pond inside Hamarikyu Gardens. Freshly whisked matcha with seasonal wagashi.

4.6Hamarikyu Gardens$

Photo: Yanyong Yamasaki

Saten Japanese Tea

Sakurai's casual Koenji little brother.

Modern Japanese tea bar in Koenji from the team behind Sakurai Tea Experience. Single-origin sencha, matcha and hojicha served with seasonal sweets in a minimalist neighbourhood setting.

Koenji$$

Photo: ナベック

A Drop Kuramae

A tiny Kuramae stand for hand-brewed sencha and matcha.

Tiny modern Japanese tea stand in the Kuramae craft district. Carefully sourced single-origin sencha and matcha brewed by hand, paired with seasonal Japanese sweets.

Kuramae$$

Photo: ナベック

Senchado Tokyo Ginza

Senchado, the slow art of leaf sencha, in central Ginza.

Senchado-focused tea salon in Ginza dedicated to the art of brewing leaf sencha. Curated single-origin Japanese teas served gongfu-style with attention to water and temperature.

Ginza$$$

Photo: 東京茶寮

Tokyo Saryo

The world's first hand-drip Japanese green tea bar.

World's first hand-drip Japanese green tea stand. Side-by-side comparison flights of single-origin sencha brewed in custom drippers, served in a minimalist white space in Sangenjaya.

Sangenjaya$$

Photo: t

Jugetsudo Tea Shop & Cafe

Premium Japanese teas in a Kengo Kuma-designed bamboo room.

Maruyama Nori's tea brand in Tsukiji with a Kengo Kuma-designed bamboo interior. Premium Japanese teas including aged matcha and rare gyokuro served with wagashi.

Tsukiji$$

Photo: Ok Tom

Thés du Japon

Cultivar-specific Japanese teas from Uji's smallest growers.

Florent Weugue's specialist source for cultivar-specific Japanese teas, focused on small Uji and Wazuka producers. Appointment-based tastings of single-cultivar sencha, kamairicha and tamaryokucha.

Yanaka$$$

London

Photo: Mei Leaf Teahouse

Mei Leaf

Camden's quiet temple to gongfu, run by London's tea evangelists.

Intimate gongfu sessions in a calm, sun-lit space with curated rare teas from small farms across China and Taiwan

4.7Camden$$

Photo: Steve Hammond

Postcard Teas

Single-origin teas from farms under fifteen acres.

Tiny Mayfair shop sourcing single-origin teas from small farms under 15 acres worldwide. Every tea traceable to its maker.

4.8Mayfair$$

Photo: Kate Healy

Teanamu Chaya Teahouse

A plant-filled hideaway for slow seasonal tea flights.

Cozy, plant-filled hideaway for mindful sipping and seasonal tea flights. Regular workshops and tea ceremonies.

4.8Shepherd's Bush$$

Photo: Amitabha Garden

Amitabha Garden

Ninety-minute guided gongfu in a Greenwich garden hush.

Guided 90-minute gongfu tea sessions in a peaceful garden setting with traditional pastries and rare Chinese teas

4.7Greenwich$$$

Photo: Yushu Tea Gallery

Yushu Tea Gallery

Owner-led Chinese and Taiwanese tea sessions in Soho.

Specialty Chinese and Taiwanese tea gallery in Soho. Gongfu tea service, curated teaware, and tastings led by the owner in a small, design-led room.

Soho$$$

Photo: Ed Ives

Photo: Dobrá čajovna Praha-Václavsk…

The Chinese Tea Company

A little corner of China tucked under Portobello's Westway.

Specialist Chinese tea shop tucked inside Portobello Green Arcade under the Westway. Loose-leaf teas spanning green, white, oolong, red, puer and dark, plus handcrafted teaware including Yixing and Chaozhou pots. Private tasting sessions and tea classes available.

Notting Hill$$

Prague

Dobrá Čajovna

Czech Republic's first tea room, hidden off Wenceslas Square.

Czech Republic's first tea room, opened 1993 in a hidden courtyard off Wenceslas Square. Huge selection brewed authentically per origin.

4.5Nové Město$$

Photo: 石橋雄一郎

Tea Mountain

Direct-trade single origins, including rare Nepalese teas.

Minimalist direct-trade specialist in the hip Karlín district. Indian, Japanese, Chinese and rare Nepalese single-origin teas.

4.7Karlín$$$

Photo: Orijin Tea

Photo: Banna House - Čajová komnata…

Orijin Tea

Twenty years of luxury Chinese oolong and aged puer.

Twenty years of Chinese tea culture expertise. Luxury loose-leaf oolong and puer imported directly from China with traditional teaware.

4.8Nové Město$$$

Banna House Čajová Komnata 茶室

A quiet Chinese tea chamber in residential Prague.

Quiet Chinese-style tea chamber in a residential corner of Prague. Gongfu service of Chinese oolong, sheng and shou puer, and aged white tea in a calm tatami-and-wood interior.

Nové Město$$

Photo: Jiřina Kavanová

Photo: Klasek Tea - obchod s čajem…

Tea Studio Meetea

Prague tea studio with annual sourcing trips to producers.

Small Prague tea studio devoted to Chinese and Taiwanese specialty teas. Regular gongfu tastings, tea workshops and sourcing trips, run by owners who travel to producers each year.

Nové Město$$

Klasek Tea

Three decades of specialty Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese tea.

Long-running Prague tea merchant founded by tea traveller Jiří Klásek. Wide selection of Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese specialty teas with regular tastings and ceramics.

Holešovice$$

Los Angeles

Photo: Tea Habitat

Tea Habitat

The dancong destination serious tea drinkers cross the country for.

Appointment-only tasting room and the definitive dancong oolong destination in North America. Run by Imen Shan with direct Guangdong Province sourcing.

Alhambra$$$

Photo: Steep LA

Steep 漫

Modern gongfu in the heart of Chinatown, sourced the old-fashioned way.

Modern minimalist Chinatown teahouse with DIY and guided gongfu sessions. Personally sourced from China and Taiwan across five major tea categories.

Chinatown$$

Photo: Ariela HvM

Photo: Tea Master Matcha Cafe and G…

Chado Tea Room

Four hundred teas deep, three decades strong.

LA's longest-running specialty tea spot, 30+ years with over 400 varieties. Downtown location inside the Japanese American National Museum.

Little Tokyo$$

Photo: Wing Hop Fung(永合豐)Monterey P…

Tea Master Matcha Cafe

First-harvest matcha and real Japanese tea culture in Little Tokyo.

Run by Daigoro, trained in Edosenke tea ceremony. All matcha is first-harvest. Staff walk you through grades and origins with genuine expertise.

Little Tokyo$$

Wing Hop Fung 永合豐

The puer cave and bulk tea paradise of the San Gabriel Valley.

Sprawling emporium since 1985. Hundreds of loose-leaf jars, stacks of puer cakes, and multiple grades of everything from Longjing to Tie Guan Yin.

Monterey Park$

Portland

Photo: J C

The Tao of Tea 茶之道

Portland's tea OG, sourcing directly from origin since 1997.

Portland's original specialty teahouse since 1997. Owner travels to Asia to source directly. All teas in their original form, no artificial flavours.

Belmont$$

Photo: Enthea Teahouse

Enthea Teahouse

A house full of 200 farm-direct Chinese teas, poured in handmade cups.

Cozy house-turned-teahouse with over 200 small-batch Chinese teas from decade-long farming family relationships. Gongfu service in handmade teaware.

Brooklyn$$

Photo: Aidan Moran

Fly Awake Tea House

Fifteen steeps deep in a North Portland secret.

Quietly beloved North Portland spot with high-quality Chinese teas served gongfu-style. Ancient grove teas, up to 15 steeps per session.

Boise$

Qi Fine Teas 七茶

Two tea masters, 400 villages, one impeccable selection.

Two China-certified Senior Tea Masters who spent 17 years exploring 400+ villages. Small, exceptional selection of first-spring harvest teas.

Pearl District$$$

Photo: Yuna S

Smith Teamaker

The man who built Stash and Tazo saved his best work for last.

Founded by Steven Smith (Stash Tea, Tazo). Small-batch full-leaf teas blended and packed by hand in Portland. Tasting room with flights.

Central Eastside$$

San Francisco

Photo: Julien

Red Blossom Tea Company 紅花茶莊

Three generations of direct-sourced Chinese tea from Chinatown.

Third-generation family-owned Chinatown institution sourcing artisanal teas directly from producers in China and Taiwan. Expert-guided tastings.

Chinatown$$

Photo: R “RR”

Song Tea & Ceramics

Where rare teas meet handcrafted ceramics in a gallery you can drink from.

Gallery-like space pairing rare single-origin teas from Taiwan and China with handcrafted ceramics sourced directly from artisan producers.

Lower Pacific Heights$$$

Photo: Lawrence Marcus

Imperial Tea Court 龍鳳茶廰

The godfather of American gongfu, pouring since 1993.

Founded 1993 by Roy Fong, one of the first Americans to import premium Chinese loose-leaf tea. Traditional gongfu service inside the Ferry Building.

Embarcadero$$

Photo: Shruti K

Vital Tea Leaf

Chinatown's most theatrical tea education, free of charge.

Chinatown institution known for theatrical free tastings where passionate staff guide you through a wide range of Chinese teas.

Chinatown$

Photo: Christian Lee

Aroma Tea Shop

Free tastings, zero pretension, serious tea.

Free daily tastings and education on high-grade Chinese and Taiwanese teas since 2005. Two San Francisco locations.

Inner Richmond$

Shanghai

Xuhui (former French Concession)$$$

Dake Tang Pu'er Club 大可堂普洱会所

Three storeys of aged puer inside a 1933 Shanghai villa.

Three-storey 1933 French-style garden villa devoted entirely to aged puer. Founded by collector Zhang Qiming. Private rooms named after puer origins, library of vintage cakes, considered one of Shanghai's most serious puer destinations.

Chan Bian Tea Room 禅边茶室

A three-floor wall of aged tea, devoted to Tibetan dark.

Converted factory across three floors (Water Zen / Earth Zen / Heaven Zen) with a three-storey wall of aged tea. Specialises in Tibetan dark tea (zang cha), an intangible-cultural-heritage hei cha rarely served in city teahouses. Private rooms named Chu Chan, Fu Sheng, Ru Meng, Bo Re, Wang Yue.

Xuhui (Huaihai Road)$$

Jing'an (Changle Road)$$$

Bannong 半濃

Hidden Changle Road lane house. Appointment only.

Hidden lane-house tea room on Changle Road combining tea, vegetarian food, teaware, traditional snacks and curios. Appointment-only, intimate, the kind of place where one sitting easily becomes an afternoon. Founded by a tea-and-craft community, low-key and rarely promoted online.

Xuhui (former French Concession)$$$

Canghai Wenhui 沧海文会

A 1940s villa devoted to Wuyi rock tea, white and puer.

Tucked inside Yi Yuan, a 1940s legacy villa compound in the former French Concession. Focused on Min and Tai oolong (Wuyi yancha, Tieguanyin), aged white tea, and puer. Quiet, scholarly atmosphere with an emphasis on serious tasting rather than passing trade.

Xuhui (Hengshan Road area)$$

Zhiliao Tea House 知了茶馆

An unsigned gallery-teahouse hybrid near Hengshan Road.

Discreet teahouse and gallery hybrid near Hengshan Road. No prominent signage, winding entrance through a planted courtyard. Inside it opens into a series of small tasting rooms with rotating contemporary art. Loved by locals for its quiet and its uncommercial mood.

Bangkok

Photo: Chaidim Tea House

Photo: Araksa Tea Room Bangkok

ChaiDim Tea House

Premium Chinese and Thai loose leaf in Yaowarat Chinatown.

Premium loose-leaf teas in Bangkok's Chinatown. Chinese and Thai teas sourced from local plantations and renowned tea regions.

4.7Yaowarat$$

Araksa Tea Room

Farm-to-cup teas from Chiang Mai's hill-tribe gardens.

Farm-to-table tea experience sourced from organic gardens in Chiang Mai tended by Akha, Hmong and Lisu hill tribes. Tea-forward cuisine.

4.5Bang Rak$$$

Photo: Kazuhiko Umeda