Here’s the tea: Singapore Tea Festival 2019 is in its biggest run yet, and here’s the cheat sheet to navigate this fest!
Move over, coffee. Teapasar is bringing the heat with this year’s tea lovin’ blowout – expect over 50 brands to be gathered at Jewel Changi from 19 to 21 July for Singapore Tea Festival 2019. Let’s give you a rundown of the highlights.
Brews toward any crew
Too many teas, too little time? Tell us your tastes and we’ll tell which brands to go for…
For Japanese teas
Sip on creamy matcha and hojicha lattes from Craft Tea Fox and Matchaya (this matcha teahouse also has a festival exclusive lavender flavour!). Bag some home along with the green tea, sencha and other authentic Japanese brews from the likes of Roji and Arinobu Tea.
For Chinese teas
OVP Tea (which stands for Old Village Pu’Er) brings ancient Pu’Er blends alive with award-winning creations; Yixing Xuan Teahouse stocks a range of Chinese brews including the bittersweet house special, Beauty of the East; while Teaory supplies your favourite teas in capsule form for those busy mornings. Pu’er us a cup, we say.
For bubble tea
Check out Taiwanese bubble tea chain TenRen’s unique flavours like Pu’Er latte and Osmanthus oolong tea. Or, delve into the slightly divisive new trend of Pei Pa Kao milk tea, which you can get from homegrown brand Woobbee. ICYDK: Pei Pa Kao is a Chinese herbal remedy for cough and sore throat (and apparently also a pre-show drink for Jason Mraz, but we digress). The question is, can medicine and tea get oolong?
For chai
We love our chai around here (don’t miss our cafe-hopping guide to chai lattes!), so we’ll definitely wanna chai some spiced cuppas at this tea fest. Australian Tea Masters offers the Dragon Chai, consisting of Sri Lankan black tea steeped in honey and blended with spices and pink rock salt; while Prana Chai’s hand-roasted and blended version is a mix of lightly toasted whole spices, black Ceylon tea, diced ginger and coated with organic honey.
For wellness and health teas
Have your tea Parisian-style with hand-sewn floral teas from Petale Tea, a French-inspired local brand serving up organic blends that are said to have health and beau-tea benefits. Or, down a blue cuppa from Savis Tea that promises to boost your eyesight. Would it work? There’s only one way to find out…
For single origin teas
Local organic tea brand Brew-In Tea curates premium leaves from tea estates around the world, and you bet they’ll be showing off their best finds. We’re also looking forward to contemporary teahouse Antea Social’s oriental brews sourced straight from the tea makers.
For exclusive blends
Chariteas has multiple unique concoctions – most intriguing of all is the Road Less Travelled Tea Flight, featuring leaves obtained from some pretty obscure regions. Tea Depot is also being a teas with the mysterious blend named Eight Secrets from the Far East.
You’ve got to love Pin Tea’s collection of natural teas inspired by local culture (think Ooh La Orchid or Raffles Royale). More homegrown brands we’re keeping our eyes on are The Tea Crafters with their artisanal blends, and A.muse Projects with wine and coffee-inspired teas.
Want it ice-cold? Clipper Tea and Gryphon Tea’s cold brews might be your kinda thing (the latter makes it sparkling too!).
For caffeine-free selections
In this hectic city where procaffeinating is a very real thing, it can be tough to find a drink that isn’t going to get you on a caffeine-fuelled high. Thankfully, Juan Tea, Botana & Tea, and Pukka have herbal and organic options that’ll bring you tranquili-tea. Fizzicle has also created Singapore’s only caffeine-free kombucha (i.e. junkombucha) that swaps out the sugar for honey in the making process.
Load up on tea, and then some
And by some we mean food. Infused with tea, of course.
What can you put tea into? First of all, chocolates. The ones from Fossa Chocolate are made with Pekoe & Imp’s oolong, hongcha, and duckshit teas (yes, it exists). Plus, try The Dark Gallery’s teacakes, Kele’s rose-infused pineapple tarts, The Edible Co’s superfood matcha granolas, Ujong Gourmet’s butterfly pea kaya jam and more.
Can we bag them all, pre-tea please?
Tea aficionados have more than food and drinks to explore – we’re talking ceramic teaware from Oh!Leaf, reusable cups from Tea Depot, porcelain vacuum thermal flasks from Swanz Brand, illustrated cup holder bags from Troops on Print, and tea brewer bags from Gain Brands International. Beauty addicts, join the natural haircare par-tea with Oasis: Skin’s tea-infused vegan range.
But wait, there’s more!
Get competitive (or just be there for a good show) at the Tea Masters Cup by Australian Tea Masters, or Fizzcle’s Kombucha Brew-off.
Training to be a tea connoisseur? Explore the colours of tea, take a Tea 101 course, and learn all about Japanese, Korean, Nepalese, and Chinese Oolong teas at the masterclasses. DIY-ers, try your hand at tea cupping, cooking with tea, as well as making your own kombucha, herbal tisane, or blooming tea.
For chocolate fanatics: discover the origins of dark chocolate, or delve into single origin chocolate and tea pairings… chocola-tea!
Singapore Tea Festival
Dates: Friday, 19 July, 2-10pm; Saturday and Sunday, 20 & 21 July, 10am-10pm
Venue: Jewel Changi Airport, B1 Atrium, 78 Airport Blvd, Singapore 819666
Free admission except for workshops
