It's tea-time!

The Hubs and I decided to take a breather once every weekend to enjoy some date-day. We have made a pact to try out something new during this day as though pre-baby time. So last weekend, we decided to take the opportunity to appreciate our Chinese culture and went for a tea making experience at the latest teahouse - Royal Teahouse in town. 

As you can see from the pictures, this is no traditional teahouse. Royal Teahouse is very posh and modern. It is not just a place to yum-cha; they also have a few rooms which you can book to host intimate functions. It is quite the perfect place for solemisation, small business meetings or even corporate events!

For now, at $28 only, you can get to experience tea-making. I went in half anticipating to make my own tea. To be quite honest, I was nervous because although I had some brief exposure to 茶道 (the art of making tea) by my uncle, I don't really know what come first or next. I was quite afraid of making a fool of myself. 

Novices like me would be heartened to know that there would be a "tea-lady" to prepare the tea. You might think that it would be awkward but we actually quite enjoyed the chit-chat with her. We learnt a lot more about tea and that how I have been drinking it wrong which probably explains why I have a weak tummy. (Note: You shouldn't take tea the first thing in the morning.)

More pictures on this gorgoeous find and also some fun facts I have learnt there. My favourite knowledge was actually on the 茶道四君子. The tools used for tea appreciation has such a cute name - 4 gentlemen of tea appreciation. 

This included the 茶則 (a platform to showcase the tea leaves)、茶匙 (a scoop to transfer the tea leaves needed from its container to the teapot)、茶針 (a needle like devise to loosen the leaves and to unclog the stout of the teapot if the tea leaves are stuck there) and 茶夾 (a tong to pick the cups)

The whole experience is about 4-5 servings per packet of tea. The duration really depends on how long you take to finish it. Tip: Go during the afternoon for to enjoy the optimum benefits of drinking tea. Don't rush it to enjoy a relaxing experience. You get to pick your own tea to try too!