The humble brew is evolving, and proof can be found at teahouses and via tea-based concoctions popping up all over the capital. France’s oldest teahouse Mariage Frères (mariageferes.com) has arrived in Covent Garden, housing close to 1,000 varieties of the world’s most exclusive teas.
For something stronger, Teatulia (teatuliabar.com), is serving tea-based cocktails using Bangladeshi tealeaves. Alternatively, head to Shoreditch for a traditional Burmese tealeaf salad at Lahpet (lahpet.co.uk) – named after Burmese fermented tealeaves. Its umami-packed salad, which shares its name with the restaurant, is an authentic mix of pickled tea leaves, fried beans and dried shrimp.
See what we thought of Lahpet here