[Hong Kong, 23 March 2023] Hong Kong has a singular new destination for tea drinkers, with the opening of Plantation Tea Bar in Sai Ying Pun. Founded by Nana Chan of iconic tea café teakha, her new venture invites the curious and connoisseurs alike to discover the rich and varied world of tea in all its forms.
[Hong Kong, 23 March 2023] Hong Kong has a singular new destination for tea drinkers, with the opening of Plantation Tea Bar in Sai Ying Pun. Founded by Nana Chan of iconic tea café teakha, her new venture invites the curious and connoisseurs alike to discover the rich and varied world of tea in all its forms.
Open to the public from 14 April 2023, guests will be transported to a relaxed haven dedicated to Camellia sinensis, the Asian plant from which all tea is made. The contemporary aesthetics are a study in raw elegance, designed by Nana Chan herself, inspired by the concept of wabi-sabi, which seeks to find beauty in the imperfect and transient.
Taking centre stage is the 12-seat stone counter, where a monthly-changing tea tasting menu will take guests on a four-course journey through the varied personas of the brewed beverage, led by tea masters who are on hand to break down the mystery and make it a fun occasion. Guests will be surprised to discover how flavours change by playing with various temperatures, forms and snack pairings.
The inaugural set tasting menu ‘Coming Home’ is an ode to founder Nana Chan’s roots, centred around three Taiwanese oolongs. Guests are acquainted with these teas first as a trio of cold-brew shots, then presented in different forms: a traditional hot-brewed Alishan High Mountain Oolong paired with almond cookies; a sparkling cold-brew Osmanthus Oolong poured over Taiwanese aiyu jelly with osmanthus honey and salted pear; and finally, a hot-brewed Red Oolong infused with cacao and toasted barley and paired with Taiwanese Fuwan Chocolate.
Plantation Tea Bar is an inviting space to catch up with friends and family, with a separate tatami seating area ideal for relaxed conversation. An a la carte menu is available with more than 20 teas to choose from, and guests are welcome to order tea by the pot. Also on offer is a selection of nostalgic snacks once popular in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, such as traditional date and walnut pastilles and savoury seaweed crackers.
Visitors can also peruse the extensive range of speciality teas available for purchase at the retail counter. These include Plantation by teakha’s signature teas such as Rice Scent Aged Puerh, a mellow fermented tea with a comforting congee aroma, and Wild Purple Tea Buds, made of buds from wild 300-year-old trees in Yunnan that exude a natural aroma of ginger and rose.
Also available are new-to-market teas, available for the first time in Hong Kong. These include Dancong Red, an experimental black tea made from a fragrant Honey Orchid Dancong cultivar that tastes as sweet as a drinkable dessert. The teas are packaged in a new range of airtight, recyclable canisters and tins made to keep leaves fresh for longer, featuring designs using natural tea dyes.
Plantation by teakha is committed to sustainable practices, sourcing only from small farms, using only loose leaf, bag-free tea and creating recyclable packaging for their retail products. The used tea leaves from Plantation Tea Bar are donated to The ISF Academy ‘Rocket’ composting scheme, that turns food waste into compost which is then used in the school gardens.
Founder Nana Chan was inspired to open Plantation Tea Bar because: “Tea is fascinating. The range of flavours you can get from one plant continues to amaze me. Tea is the world’s second-most consumed beverage after water, but the best teas remain unknown outside their origin countries. I want to make it easier for everyone to enjoy the best teas in modern, beautiful and unique ways.”
“Japanese tea ceremony has long been recognised for its elegance and beauty, but Chinese tea ceremony and its paraphernalia are, in fact, so much more varied and fluid. I wanted to create a space to showcase the beauty of that art to the fullest. So, although I am heavily inspired by the tea bars in Japan, my design aesthetic is nevertheless, definitely a touch more Chinese and modern European, as these are the places I spend a lot of time in,” says Nana.
Plantation Tea Bar is located at 18 Po Tuck Street, Sai Ying Pun (HKU MTR exit B2). Opening Hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 2-10pm.
Plantation Tea Bar will be open from 14 April 2023. Reservations are now open via WhatsApp +852 5596 6254.
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About Plantation Tea Bar
Plantation Tea Bar in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, invites the curious and connoisseurs alike to discover the rich and varied world of tea in all its forms. Taking centre stage is the 12-seat stone counter, where a tea master will take guests on a sensory journey through a monthly set tasting menu made up of four tea courses will take guests on a journey through different sides of the same tea: cold, hot, edible and herbal-infused, carefully paired with snacks to enhance the flavour experience, and led by tea masters who are on hand to break down the mystery and make it a fun occasion.
Plantation Tea Bar is located at 18 Po Tuck Street, Sai Ying Pun (HKU MTR exit B2). Opening Hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 2-10pm.