My friend Alice, who manages a tea house, is so picky, that some years she simply does not import some types of tea. Her disdain is not reserved just for low quality teas, but extends even to famous teas from ï¼·uyi, like Old Thicket Narcissus (è€�å�¢æ°´ä»™ lÇŽocóng shuÇ�xiÄ�n) and Iron Arhat (é�µç¾…æ¼¢ tiÄ›luóhàn). White Cockscomb (ç™½é·„å† báijÄ«uàn) she regards so poorly that she has never imported it the whole time she has been manager of the tea house. Her stock of High Mountain Tea (高山茶) has run out (it is January, now) and she refuses to get anymore in until the spring tea becomes available in April (winter tea is available to buy now, but it is not as fragrant as spring tea).Most other tea houses in Singapore are not as picky. They will have a fixed range of teas that they bring in come hell or high water. What I cannot get from Alice, I get from one of the other tea houses and am almost invariably disappointed (Alice's judgement is seldom wrong).
I walked into Teajoy (茶樂 Chá lè) today to try a pot of the elusive White Cockscomb tea that Alice never imports. It is a dark oolong, like all Wuyi teas, and with the same unmistakeable dark, smokey Wuyi flavour; but in a blind tasting, I doubt I could recognise the tea again—it was that nondescript.The shop itself is nondescript. The window displays a number of attractive pieces of porcelain (expensive and of good quality). The tea is sold in canisters of 100g with handwritten labels (a nice touch). There is some seating at the back (five tables), but only three of the tables seem to accommodate a Chinese tea ceremony. There is some food available (dim sum and the like), but I did not try it. The shop is dimly lit, but the temperature is comfortable and the shop is quiet. There is some simple calligraphy on the walls and on the lamps. Perhaps after some hours walking the streets, some people may find that this is probably a good place to rest the feet.
Teajoy,420, North Bridge Road,
#01-05,
North Bridge Centre,
Singapore, 188727.
Tel: +65 6339 3739
E-mail: [email protected]