Teatulia UK Teabar Duke's Diwan
On Monday, Teatulia United Kingdom opened a tea shop, cocktail bar and comfy literary salon on Neal St. in London’s Covent Garden. The venture is the first retail expansion since the company established Colorado-based Teatulia in 2005. The company plans to open several brick and mortar shops in the U.K.
The Teatulia Tea Bar operates conventionally during the day, serving six teas at $4 per cup or $6.50 per pot. In the evening the cocktail bar offers creations by mixologist Enrico Gonzato of Dandelyn, winner of the Class Bar Awards in 2017. Offerings include Builder’s Bourbon and a Lemongrass Mojito. The venue seats 16 with room for 40 standing.
"We are giddy with excitement about the opening of our Tea Bar v2 in Central London!” writes CEO Linda Appel-Lipsius, adding, “With a bold new style & branding, the introduction of extraordinary crafted tea cocktails and collaboration of the amazing Tilda Swinton, Teatulia continues to “wake tea up” by doing things differently.”
Teatulia, co-founded by Appel-Lipsius, sources its tea at a USDA organic certified tea garden in the Tetulia region of Bangladesh, located near the Himalaya Mountains, north of the Brahmaputra River valley. The garden was planted on virgin land in 2000. Tea is farmed on 3,000 acres by 600 full-time workers who make up the Teatulia Cooperative, the first large-scale enterprise to operate in the area.
The tea bar features a monthly Living Bookshelf, with a selection of books recommended by famous authors, actors, musicians, and filmmakers.
Teatulia UK Teabar
Actress Tilda Swinton will curate the first bookshelf. Swinton attended the launch party with author Ahsan Akbar, Teatulia Tea Directors Kazi Anis Ahmed, and Kazi Inam Ahmed who own the Teatulia estate.
“Reading and tea leaves go together like breathing in and breathing out. Go slow. Take time to brew yourself some harmony,” Swinton told Go London.
“We are very excited about the launch of Teatulia Tea Bar in London and our future expansion plans across the U.K.,” said Teatulia Director Kazi Anis Ahmed.
Teatulia operates a coffee and tea bar in Denver, Colo. The locally roasted coffee and handcrafted foods comingle with whole leaf tea, mainly from Bangladesh, but with matcha from Japan, rooibos from South Africa and mate from South America.
The U.K. tea market is experiencing increasing demand for herbal and organic teas and the rapid decline of traditional teas.
Source: Go London, Teatulia
