Tea houses

In the 80s, tea drinking was quite popular in Singapore. This was probably due to the influence from people who came back from Taiwan. As we know, Taiwanese drink tea daily and tea houses can be seen everywhere in Taiwan. Then tea houses began their business in Singapore. These tea houses were set up in shops in super-markets, some were set up in shop houses along streets in china town. Usually these tea houses would charge a fee per person for the type of tea you would like to drink. There were all sorts of Chinese tea for people to choose, from the green Dragon Well to black puerh . The tea houses would provide also all the utensils needed to enjoy your cups of tea. For beginners, there were workers to demonstrate to you the steps to brew Chinese tea, the reasons to perform these steps and the tea culture and ceremony. Tea houses created perfect ambiance (light music, etc) for people to relax and enjoy cups of Chinese tea. It was a way to relieve stress and soak in the environment to appreciate the fragrance and delight of tea drinking, if you don't like sauna and spa. To enhance business, the tea houses also sell a variety of Chinese tea, teapots and tea making utensils and accessories. There were also courses for customers to enrich their interest in other aspects of the Chinese culture. Tea houses were also an ideal place for people to engage in business dealings like negotiating for business contracts, etc.

The Queen visited a local tea house in Singapore

Today, there are not many tea houses still in operation in Singapore. It seems that the tea drinking business is hard to sustain in Singapore. Generally people here are quite busy in their daily chore and not many can find time to sip tea in tea houses. The revenue form tea drinking is not significant as the customers can stay for a long time to enjoy their tea and they don't vacate their seats. However, the main culprit is the rental of shops. As rental is high in land-scarce Singapore, the profit generated from tea drinking may not be sufficient to cover the costs. Shortage of labour is another factor as it is not easy to get dedicated people to work in this line of business. When business failes to generate enough returns, tea houses begin to close down one after another. Just like the Bubble Tea (a type of tea drinking introduced again from Taiwan) business that was once popular and many people jumped into this business. When the craze for bubble tea finally died down, the Bubble tea shops also started to close down quickly. Another reason why tea drinking cannot take off in Singapore is that most people here drink coffee. As a cup of coffee is easily available in most eateries at a very affordable price, people tend to go for coffee rather than spending hours in a tea house.

 

I had my first tea appreciation in Chinese Tea house some 25 years ago. The tea house operated in a unit in a downtown super-market. Beside tea drinking, the company is also a supplier of Chinese tea and tea ware in Singapore. I was introduced to the art of tea drinking by the proprietors. As I grew to know them more, they also introduced to me the tea sets and teapots that they commissioned potters from China to specially made for Chinese Tea House. As I had already started collecting teapots, I purchased a few set from them. I have since been using these teapots to brew my favourite puerh tea.

First generation Chinese Teahouse pots

Second generation Chinese Teahouse pots

Tea drinking utensils