The Art of Tea in Beijing
13/08/2019
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With over five thousand years of wisdom, Beijingers sure know a thing or two about tea. Get to the heart of Chinese culture at one of the city’s tradition-steeped tea houses. Pinkies poised...
For all the tea in China! Maliandao Tea Market is undoubtedly Beijing’s centre of tea with most of the nation’s leaf pickings passing through. Wander this quaint 1.5km stretch to find streets lined with some 1,000 vendors and teahouses, selling everything from traddy ceramics and pretty porcelain sets to over 500 aromatic blends. And best of all it’s wholesale and horde-free, so adventurous tea drinkers can get lost in a charming maze of leaf-swilling shopkeepers.
Begin on the second floor at Tianhu Tea where everything from its prized, cure-all Yunnan Pu'er to delicate whites originate in the company‘s sprawling, 100-hectare organic plantation in southern Fujian. Cha Cheng, on the same floor, will welcome you into its fragrant fold with a delicious pick of Taiwanese Oolong, before you head up to level three for a cuppa and a chinwag with Mr Liu in Ji Shi Fang’s den of rare, smoky, black Lapsang Souchong. If you haven’t yet descended into a scent-induced slumber, make your way back down to ground level and slip into dainty Durdas next door for top Anhui brews.
For an altogether more sophisticated affair, slink over to health-centric tea house and spa concept, Green T. House Living, set over a sprawling 15000 sqm Tang dynasty-inspired complex of three cavernous buildings interlinked by courtyards. It’s a little outside Beijing, so make a day of it sampling the teas and tea-infused food, followed by a divine 10-handed full body massage and leisurely promenade around the white pebbled gardens. Save the gallery shop for last with its impressive cache of tea leaves, furniture, and artwork.
Still lost in the dark? Let the guiding lights at Stretch a Leg take you on an insightful historical walking tour, exploring off-the-beaten-path sights with their legion of local docents. Better yet, private tours are completely tailored to your tastes, be them near or cha.
Tianhu Tea, Ji Shi Fang & Cha Cheng / 11 Maliandao / Xicheng
Durdas / 10 Maliandao / Xicheng / +86 10 6334 4248
Green T. House Living / 318 Shun Bai Lu / Hegezhuang Village / Chaoyang / +86 10 6434 2519 / 11am-10.30pm daily / green-t-house.com Stretch a Leg / +86 10 6401 8933 / stretchalegtravel.com
For all the tea in China! Maliandao Tea Market is undoubtedly Beijing’s centre of tea with most of the nation’s leaf pickings passing through. Wander this quaint 1.5km stretch to find streets lined with some 1,000 vendors and teahouses, selling everything from traddy ceramics and pretty porcelain sets to over 500 aromatic blends. And best of all it’s wholesale and horde-free, so adventurous tea drinkers can get lost in a charming maze of leaf-swilling shopkeepers.
Begin on the second floor at Tianhu Tea where everything from its prized, cure-all Yunnan Pu'er to delicate whites originate in the company‘s sprawling, 100-hectare organic plantation in southern Fujian. Cha Cheng, on the same floor, will welcome you into its fragrant fold with a delicious pick of Taiwanese Oolong, before you head up to level three for a cuppa and a chinwag with Mr Liu in Ji Shi Fang’s den of rare, smoky, black Lapsang Souchong. If you haven’t yet descended into a scent-induced slumber, make your way back down to ground level and slip into dainty Durdas next door for top Anhui brews.
For an altogether more sophisticated affair, slink over to health-centric tea house and spa concept, Green T. House Living, set over a sprawling 15000 sqm Tang dynasty-inspired complex of three cavernous buildings interlinked by courtyards. It’s a little outside Beijing, so make a day of it sampling the teas and tea-infused food, followed by a divine 10-handed full body massage and leisurely promenade around the white pebbled gardens. Save the gallery shop for last with its impressive cache of tea leaves, furniture, and artwork.
Still lost in the dark? Let the guiding lights at Stretch a Leg take you on an insightful historical walking tour, exploring off-the-beaten-path sights with their legion of local docents. Better yet, private tours are completely tailored to your tastes, be them near or cha.
Tianhu Tea, Ji Shi Fang & Cha Cheng / 11 Maliandao / Xicheng
Durdas / 10 Maliandao / Xicheng / +86 10 6334 4248
Green T. House Living / 318 Shun Bai Lu / Hegezhuang Village / Chaoyang / +86 10 6434 2519 / 11am-10.30pm daily / green-t-house.com Stretch a Leg / +86 10 6401 8933 / stretchalegtravel.com