TRAVEL INSIGHTS from American Express Centurion

TRAVEL INSIGHTS from American Express Centurion

TEA TIME

China has a legend that speaks of the discovery of tea some 4,700 years ago by the Emperor Shen Nung. As he boiled water one morning, the legend goes, a breeze carried leaves into his kettle, creating an irresistible aroma. He not only found the taste of the resulting brew enchanting, but he felt invigorated and energised as well. And so began tea’s journey to becoming the nation’s chief beverage.

Several noteworthy retailers and teashops carry on the ancient traditions of Chinese tea. Lock Cha Tea deals in high-quality Chinese blends—more than 100 varieties—in its two locations. A selection of vegetarian dim sum is made fresh daily at the Admiralty shop, which hosts a Sunday programme featuring Chinese woodwind and string performances, along with a tea discussion led by the proprietor.

At Fook Ming Tong, don’t let the modern facade fool you. Staffers here are skilled in the traditional methods of making tea and offer a lovely selection of teapots, cups, and related accessories for purchase. They have five locations throughout the city.

Placing emphasis on the teahouse as a gathering place, the Green T. House modernizes the tradition by combining contemporary artistic, culinary, and musical elements to create an energetic and evolutionary experience for its patrons.

Another side of Hong Kong’s tea culture is closely associated with the British presence, and celebrates the delicate chinaware in which a proper high tea is served. The high tea tradition lives on in places like the locally-lauded Clipper Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, where guests sip and socialize in the late afternoon six days a week, and the fashionable Portal Bar at the Langham Place Hotel, where afternoon tea comes in two varieties: traditional (meaning British) or Oriental.

But if you ask Hong Kong locals which tea a visitor should sample, many will suggest not traditional Chinese or English tea, but Hong Kong’s own milk tea. Creamy and sweet, served hot or cold at many bistros and at the ubiquitous dai pai dong (authentic street stalls), milk tea melds a carefully selected variety of black teas with evaporated milk and sugar. It is nearly as staple a beverage here as coffee in the West, with locals often debating the proper way to brew the perfect cup.

And if you are a fan of tea’s accoutrements, consider a visit to the Flagstaff Museum of Tea Ware, a branch museum of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Housed in the former office and residence of the commander of the British forces in Hong Kong, the museum holds regular demonstrations and lectures in addition to housing a collection of tea artifacts.

Lock Cha Tea Shop (Admiralty)
Ground Floor
K.S. Lo Gallery
Hong Kong Park
Admiralty
+852 28017177

Fook Ming Tong (IFC Mall location)
IFC Mall
8 Finance St.
Central
+852 22950368

Green T. House
Shop 208, The Arcade
100 Cyberport Road
Central
+852 29896040

Clipper Lounge
Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong
5 Connaught Road
Central
+852 2522 0111

Portal Bar
Langham Place Hotel
555 Shanghai Street
Mongkok, Kowloon
+852 3552 3388

Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware
10 Cotton Tree Drive
Central
+1 852 28690690