Inside The Tea Bar on Long Street. Photo by Claire Gunn.

A bar solely dedicated to serving tea is now open on Long Street in Cape Town. The Tea Bar is brought to you by tea expert Jessica Bonin (aka Lady Bonin), and will serve and sell specialist leaves and brews as well as offer tastings and host traditional tea ceremonies.

Jessica started out selling tea from a charming caravan at markets and festivals, before opening Lady Bonin’s Tea Parlour in Woodstock. Her latest venture, The Tea Bar, will be located on 213 Long Street next door to Orchard on Long. Quaint and beautifully decorated, the space will be a haven where tea lovers can sip on a selection of over 50 different kinds of tea that are sourced locally and internationally from Japan, China, Korea and India.

Tea ceremony at The Tea Bar. Photo by Claire Gunn.

Lady Bonin’s teas and herbs are from sustainable farms that are community driven. The blends are wild, biodynamic or organic, with high quality that ensures their nutritive content and flavour density.

Exciting blends to try at the new bar might include cinnamon bun, buchu and red berry or Moroccan mint, Turkish apple and petal. The bar will also get a bit experimental with drinks like strawberrychinos, matcha lattes and iced-tea slushies. For those who are vegan or lactose intolerant, the shop will also offer milk alternatives like almond milk, coconut milk and coconut blossom sugar.

The teas will be available to enjoy in-store or as a takeaway cup for busy office workers. In a few month’s time there will also be a back tearoom where The Tea Bar will run courses for aficionados wanting to learn a bit more.

Loose-leaf teas at The Tea Bar. Photo by Claire Gunn.