TeaSmith is the brainchild of the husband and wife team of John Kennedy and Tomoko Kawase.

They spent years researching the correct way to store, brew, and serve tea in order to bring out the most subtle and delicious flavours from every tea.

It is a tea house and a tea shop, as everything that they serve can also be purchased and taken home. Tea comes in sturdy metal tins with turquoise and white labels that spell out the exact brewing instructions for the contents.

You won’t find any mass produced or industrialized tea on these shelves, here they seek out teas produced on a small scale and carefully harvested as they believe that these conditions make the difference between a so-so cuppa and a truly extraordinary tea experience.

Different teas have different needs, and they are so adamant about brewing the perfect tea that they have specific types and shapes of pots and cups that correspond to the special teas.

They have special events throughout the year such as Tea Tastings where rare and unusual teas can be sampled and they run a Tea Maker’s Master Class as well.

Afternoon tea at this tea house is an interesting affair. Of course, you can get tea and a cake of chocolate accompaniment from the Tea Bar at any time, but on weekends they have an Afternoon TeaSmith Ceremony with a tasting menu of chocolates and pastries by the famed William Curley.

You can enjoy Cinnamon Palmier and Miso and Walnut Biscuit with Matcha and Honey Dip that is paired with a refreshing Green Tea like Sencha or Bi Luo Chun.

This is followed by Mouse Framboise and Tropical or Chocolate Orange Dome served with an aromatic floral Oolong Tea like Shan Lin Shi or Baozhong Winter Harvest.

The last course is a Couverture Chocolate 70% with Matcha, Juniper Ganache, Rosemary and Olive Oil Ganache, and Scottish Heather Honey and an aromatic digestive Oolong Tea such as Oriental Beauty or Baozhong Light Roast.

This tea shop turns the idea of traditional afternoon tea on its ear and has fun doing it.

Address: 6 Lamb Street, E1 6EA

Phone: 020 7247 1333

Timing: Daily 11am-6pm | Master class - most Thursdays, 7pm-9.30pm

Pricing: £25 (Afternoon Ceremony with Tasting Menu), £18 (Patisserie with Single Tea) | £35 (Masterclass - most Thursdays, 7pm-9.30pm)

Nearest Station: Aldgate East Tube

Photo courtesy: Ewan-M

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