My chillout experience at a teahouse.
Nice quiet place, abit cold. Patrons are required to leave their shoes at the entrance. Inside, the tables are below knee level with cushions at the side. I sat down on the wooden floor as the server boiled water and guided me through the process of tea brewing.
Rinse the teapots and cups with hot water.
Fill the teapot with tea leaves up to 1/3 full.
Pour hot water into the teapot to rinse the tea leaves and drain immediately.
Fill the teapot with hot water, close the lid and pour hot water over the teapot.
Wait for 30 secs, pour the tea into a second teapot.
Serve tea into the 1st cup, for savouring the fragrance of the tea. Then pour contents into the second cup for drinking.
Each pot of tea can be refilled with hot water for 3-4 servings before losing favour, just extend the brewing time by around 5 seconds with each serving.
There are shelves in the corner carrying board games, books and magazines. Poker cards are explicitly prohibited, a smart rule IMO as big2 and heart attack games does not make for a quiet and serene environment. I took some National Geographic magazines. 30 mins later, I was fidgeting about. I am of the opinion the layout is such that customers won't get too comfortable hanging around... Sitting down on the floor, one hour later the butt aches and its getting real chilly so the customer is compelled to leave. I stretched out a little and carry on reading, leaving when the place is closing 3 hours later.
Nice experience overall, I was able to put aside my troubles and just relax for a while. The fragrance of the Longjing tea cleared my senses and the delicate process of tea brewing has a calming effect. Nice place to revisit.
On the way back, I past by this joint called Eskibar. There were people in winter clothing standing outside the entrance, taking a smoke. Talk about wierd.
