Best tea houses in Melbourne

Sick of third wave coffee chat? Have a whinge about it over a lovely cup of tea

First published on 27 Jul 2012. Updated on 8 May 2013.

Hot on the heels of the third wave of coffee movement comes the tea revolution. Cafés are reading the leaves and starting to pay attention to the provenance and proper preparation of their leafy brews. Here are our favourite places to get a cuppa.

Storm in a Teacup
Collingwood	Part retail shop, part café and part bar, you get a whole lot more than English Breakfast in your teacup here. Like gin. Yep, these guys not only offer leaves from Japan and Hawaii to take home along with brew-ware, they also serve jaffles, charcuterie and West Winds gin spiked black chai. Tally ho!
Reverence Speciality Coffee and Tea
Ascot Vale	Serve an oolong whose sweetness relies on the leaves being nibbled by an insect called a tea hopper. What a nifty little guy. As well as specialist oolongs and jasmine teas, Reverence offer up these handy facts, cold drip coffees and quite the corned beef sandwich, if you’re peckish.
The Tea Room
Melbourne	The Tea Room is part of the NGV serving a dozen kinds of cuppa including Chinese white peony, which arrives blossoming in a clear pot, and their house blend of chai. Pair your brew with dainties and scones as part of high tea, or stick to lamington macarons.
Maison Ama Lurra
North Melbourne	Maison Ama Lurra stock ten teas from Mariage Frères – a company that has been trading leaf since 1660. The Maison guys monitor brewing times and water temperatures like demons, serving your tea in a properly warmed cast iron pot. Just like nanna would insist upon.
The Oriental Teahouse
South Yarra	The Oriental Teahouse is a stalwart of Melbourne’s tea scene. Buy beautiful pots and boxes of healing leaves; settle in for yum cha matched with black, white, green, oolong, fruit and herbal brews, all served in clear pots over candles, or recharge with a free sample as part of your Chapel Street shopping odyssey.