I had to travel to Bristol a week ago and so took the opportunity of visiting some of the new tea stores and tea rooms that are attracting a good deal of attention there.  Bristol is a vibrant, lively town with a colourful mix of all different ages and types of people – perhaps a bit like a smaller version of London and, just as in the metropolis, tea is making an impact in the city.  There are too many new companies to write about in one blog so next time I’ll write about more in Bristol and about two other new businesses further south in Dorchester and Poole.

Up in the Redland neighbourhood of Bristol, I came across the delightful ‘Attic’ Tea -  their name cleverly stands for ALL THE TEA IN CHINA since all the teas on their menu come from the birthplace of tea.   The owners Anne Sheekey and her partner Richard Vaughan-Davies (with me on the left) have created a wonderful little tea room that’s bright, colourful, modern and fun and is regularly packed with young children.  It seems to have become a trend in this part of town for parents and children to stop by after school for a big cup of tea (or hot choc or coffee) and a scrumptious muffin or cup cake.  When I arrived at about 3.45pm, every table was occupied by mums with young children under 10 - all having the most marvellous time.  The shop’s most loyal and regular customer - who comes almost every day and over the past year has worked his way through the entire tea list - is  9 year old Ethan (that’s him at the top of the page and here he is on the right with his mum).  He’s tried all the green teas - the Long Jing, the Sencha, the Gunpowder and the Mao Feng  - but he told me his favourite is the Jasmine Phoenix Pearls and he had a big cup of it in front of him while we chatted.

All the teas (they include Yin Zhen and Pai Mu Tan,  Tie Kuan Yin, Yunnan, Keemun, Lapsang - which Ethan really doesn’t like at all - loose Puerh and little Tuo Cha as well as all the greens and a variety of flavoured blends) are brewed in a very clever and fun-to-use tea maker  - like the one Ethan’s jasmine tea is in (and in the photo on the left).  It allows the tea to brew in its large chamber and when that’s placed on top of the matching cup, a clever mechanism releases the liquor and allows it to pour down into the cup.  Customers time their tea with colourful sand-filled egg timers to make sure the brew is perfect every time and I noticed that Ethan kept a very thoughtful eye on both his and his mum’s timers while talking to me.  The future of tea is certainly bright with such selective, aware young tea drinkers as Ethan and the other children here at Attic.  And how could they not want to come here every day - the shop manages beautifully to combine real style with its Oriental influences and a sense of easy enjoyment, good manners and fun.

Anne is half Chinese and buys her teas through a Chinese friend in Shanghai.  The packaging designs are Richard’s responsibility and

 he has recently come up with a very innovative tobacco-pouch concept for the loose teas (see right).  They each hold 50 grams of tea and they’re soft, resealable, fit easily into your bag or packet - and look gorgeous.  Inside each are five make-your-own tea bags so that you can enjoy your favourite tea wherever you happen to be.  A great idea!

Find out more at www.attictea.co.uk    

Attic Tea House is at 115 Coldharbour Road, Redland, Bristol BS6 7SD 

Down on Bristol’s Whiteladies Road, I visited Papaji’s House of Teas - opened just 7 weeks ago.  Owner Andy Dodd came to one of my tea classes earlier this year and has now opened this unusual twist on the traditional tea room.  In a former life, Andy spent 14 years as a cocktail bartender but has switched his energy and passion to tea and has created a tea venue that specialises in tea cocktails and tea-based dishes that are served right through the day from breakfast to dinner in the evening.

To publicise the new venue, Andy has been hosting tea tasting events  and also offers customers the opportunity of holding a tea cocktail and canape event at home, coordinated by himself and his team.  Cocktails include amazing gin martinis blended with Earl Grey, a Sri Lankan Iced Tea with Bacardi, Bombay Gin and Triple Sec, and Mumbai Chai Rum punch!

With its eclectic fusion of Indian, cocktail and relaxed tearoom comfort, the style of Papajis really suits Bristol’s young clientele. The classy music from the 40s and 50s, the unfussy furniture, the Indian silk cushions and the traditional tea-time treats (such as yummy cakes and chocolate flavoured scones served with clotted cream and fruit jams and jellys) add up to a great experience - it’s an easy-going, friendly, comfortable, something-for-everyone sort of a place.

  The classy music from the 40s and 50s, the unfussy furniture, the Indian silk cushions and the traditional tea-time treats (such as yummy cakes and chocolate flavoured scones served with clotted cream and fruit jams and jellys) add up to a great experience - it’s an easy-going, friendly, comfortable, something-for-everyone sort of a place.

And the tea list is very impressive too.  Earlier this year, Andy went off to Darjeeling to lean more about tea production and spent several weeks at Glenburn Estate.  The bond formed between the two businesses is continuing and a donation from the profits of sales of Papaji’s teas are going to Glenburn to help fund the Glenburn Welfare Trust that sponsors three primary schools, one secondary school, a  hospital and several medical centres on the tea estates.

Find out more at http://www.papajis.co.uk/  

Papaji’s House of Teas is at 109 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2PB

While at Papaji’s, I also met Kate Gover (in the photo below) who has set up a tea company called Lahloo Tea, named after one of the old clipper ships on which her great-great grandfather sailed.  Kate had no idea of her ancestor’s history until recently and when she traced the story back, she discovered that he had settled in London after his clipper days and had worked there for a tea company.

   With a background in catering and food service, when Kate discovered tea she decided that she wanted to explore the ‘journey through the senses that tea offers’.  So, 18 months ago she established her on-line business selling excellent black,  green, white, oolong, flavoured teas and herbals and she stresses the benefits of the different categories.  Restore and revive, invigorate and uplift, relax and unwind are just some of the options offered in her webpage tea list.  She’s already also managed to get her teas into Harvey Nichols and Liberty’s Tea Room in London and her web sales are going well.

Her packaging is neat, easy to reseal and colourful and her tins are really innovative and very attractive with their map of the clipper route that the Lahloo used to sail to bring teas from China back to the London docks.

Find out more at www.lahlootea.co.uk 

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