The best places to buy quality tea in Hong Kong

Basao’s chic and modern tea space, with in-house tea master on site, is a great spot for chilling and sipping on cha, but you can also buy them to take home. Purveyor of Asian teas, Basao’s collection comprises single-origin sourced and clean grown teas from around the region available as loose leaves or teabags. 

If TWG seem a bit pretentious for your liking but you don't want to walk away from the IFC empty handed, try this local mainstay. Fook Ming Tong has been around for nearly 30 years and the staff are amazingly knowledgeable. They also have a hand in every aspect of their products, from selection to packaging, with an operation that’s spread throughout China. As well as the usual suspects, Fook Ming Tong always specialises in some relatively esoteric categories of tea such as yellow and ba bao.

One of the most famous British brands in Hong Kong, Fortnum & Mason does England proud with a wide range of tea to buy and enjoy at home. Their loose leaf tea is recommended for what they call the ‘most superior cup’ but they also have teabags that are plastic-free and compostable. From historic house blends and single-origin caddies to herbal infusions and fruity blends, there’s plenty to try and sip here.

You may have heard of the term ‘gong fu tea’ – which refers to the art of the Chinese tea ceremony, rather than a specific type of tea. Gong Fu Teahouse, specializing in high-quality Chinese tea, has an enduring history in Hong Kong. The teahouse was founded in 1961 and has since expanded into Lee Tung Avenue and Airside in Kai Tak, so you know they must be doing something right. Here, they take the art of tea seriously – workshops and classes are led by Gong Fu’s tea master, initiating the tea apprentices through the detailed art of the gong fu tea ceremony. 

Green Ginkgo Tea (GGT) is a hand-brew tea bar founded with the vision of making tea as accessible and modern as coffee culture with a range of high-quality teas sourced from Japan, Taiwan, and China. Apart from unique hand-brewed tea drinks and tea products, including their exclusive craft fizzy tap tea, GGT also offers various artisanal seasonal treats. Products such as tea bags and loose leaf tea, premium tea sets, and special edition tea and teawares are available for purchase.

Another member of the old guard in Hong Kong, Ki Chan Tea Co has been delivering quality tea since the Second World War. If you’re looking to learn how to properly prepare and serve tea, this is the place to go. Ki Chan’s stunning selection runs the gamut from humble Longjing tea to Wuyi Da Hong Pao tea and beyond.

Although this spot is now arguably more famous for having a sit-down cuppa and some quality dim sum, it still offers some amazing brews to take home (be sure to try some of their speciality floral and osmanthus oolong teas). LockCha also sells stunning, ornate teaware which will undoubtedly take your next tea party to off-the-chains levels.

Established in 2012, local tea brand Mzk Life focuses on using dendrobium to produce natural teas that offer various health benefits. From cold brew tea packs that will help with bloating to tea-infused sugar bricks with skin-clarifying elements, there's a whole catalogue of teas to choose from. Best part? Their packaging all have adorable cat illustrations on them!

Available at mzklife.com

A pioneer of a worldwide growing movement for high-quality tea, P&T offer rare teas drawing on tradition and tea cultures from across the world, including China, Japan, India, South Africa, and many more. With eco-friendly packaging and biodegradable tea bags, each P&T tea product can be traced back to its place of origin and tea plantation, supporting local farmers and sustainable farming methods. 

Local tea brand Sage is dedicated to the delicate art of tea-making and tea-drinking, from working with expert producers around the world to partnering with artisan tea-makers and specialists to concoct creative blends for all to enjoy. The brand has even branched out into sparkling teas as well as cookies and snacks to pair with your tea. It doesn’t hurt that the packaging is seriously good looking too, which makes for good gifts and treats for yourself too. 

Available at bysage.co

Clever branding masks the fact that Tea WG is only 15-years-old, and despite bearing a turn-of-the-century English aesthetic, the brand is in fact from Singapore. Age and geography is no barrier, though, as the brand is a premium purveyor of tea with an outrageously thorough selection that definitely leans towards the top-end of the scale.