Marumoto Japán Teaház

1051 Budapest, Hercegprímás str. 9.
Facebook / Foursquare / website
Open: Mon-Sun 10-22
Phone: +36 1 269 2849

If you don't like green tea, you better avoid this place like the plague, because apart from a few sweets, salad, and mineral water, everything is green tea flavored. I mean it, everything. Even I was a bit sceptic when I first laid eyed on the menu, since green tea was not one of my favorites until now.

Marumoto is close to Szent István square and the subway's Arany János street stop.

Darjeeling Teaház

1077 Budapest, Wesselényi u. 47.
Facebook / Foursquare / website
Open: Mon-Fri 8-24; Sat 9-24; Sun 9-23
Phone: +36 1 342 21 40

First of all, I'm sorry for the lack of review last week (or actually, the week before last week). I have a lot of responsibilities with the end of the semester approaching, which means that I don't have enough time for anything. I also blame the good weather.

The teahouse I visited recently is Darjeeling: a sweet, cozy place near Wesselényi street. Taking the 4/6 trams is the easiest way to get there. Just hop off on Wesselényi street's stop - or Blaha Lujza square's, if you'd prefer a walk before sitting down to sip some tea. 

iTee Café

1114 Budapest, Villányi út 12.
Facebook / Foursquare
Open: Mon-Fri 13-23h; Sat-Sun 15-23h
Phone: +36 1 279 1133

First of all, sorry for being a bit late with this post, and having no photo of the entrance of this place to top. I am sick, and when I was at iTee, I had other things to pay attention to than to take a picture of the entrance.

You might assume that iTee is a café - because, well, it's called one -, but it really isn't. It's a mixture of a romantic café and a ridiculously comfortable teahouse. It's a perfect date spot or just a place to meet up with friends and chat over a tea (or coffee, or whatever you may crave).

Buubbles Tea Company

1053 Budapest, Veres Pálné u. 33.
Facebook / Foursquare
Open: Mon-Sat 10-19pm
Phone: +36 30 389 1964

This week, I decided to break a few rules and review a special "teahouse". You cannot sit in Buubbles, but can mix your take-away tea the way you want. Not just any kind of tea, either! Buubbles Tea Company sells bubble or boba tea; a Taiwanese tea-based drink which became extremely popular in western countries in the last few years.

This shop is rather close to Big Ben Teahouse, since they are in the same street. You can approach Buubbles from Kálvin or Fővám square.

Tea for thought

These awesome illustrations were made by graphic designer and illustrator Vincent Jonathan Gabriel for a school project, featuring Tazo teas.

Direct source: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Tazo-Tea-Illustrations/1979959

Vörös Oroszlán Teaház

1061 Budapest, Jókai tér 8.
Facebook / Foursquare / webpage
Open: Mon-Sun 10-22pm
Phone: 06 1 269 0579

Those cars ruined the photo... :(

There are a lot of teahouses in the VI. district, dear readers, so do not blame me for writing reviews mostly from this area. I live close, too, yes, but that is only a secondary aspect! (Not.)

This week, I visited Red Lion Teahouse, one of my favorites. This teahouse actually has two parts with different entrances; however, I went into only one of them. The waiters gave me weird looks for taking photos to begin with, so I did not want any more trouble.

You can approach Red Lion easily, either by tram (4/6) or metro (1). Jókai tér is just an extension to Jókai street, and all you have to do to get there is to walk one or two minutes from Oktogon. Easy peasy!

Sirius Teaház

1088 Budapest, Bródy Sándor u. 13.
Facebook / Foursquare / website
Open: Mon-Sun 12-22h
Phone: +36 1 266 1708

I did not have much time this week for the blog or for teahouses; it was not until Thursday that I could take off to explore a new place. The wind was blowing furiously, and it was raining and snowing at the same time, but I had to visit a teahouse for this blog no matter what. So feel honored, dear readers, for I nearly got sick again because of my trip to the following place.

Oh hey, I did not see you there! Damn this door.

The teahouses I have visited so far were easy to locate. Sirius is the first exception; I passed the entrance two times before I realized that I have arrived. This time it was not my fault, either: there is not banner above the entrance, not even a small one. Thus I recommend you to search for this teahouse by paying great attention to the street numbers. As for public transport, you can get off of metro 2 at Astoria, or of metro 3 at Kálvin tér; if you want a bit of a walk, you can also approach Sirius from Rákóczi tér, where you can get by tram 4 or 6.

Tea for thought

Allow me to present you this glorious illustration by illustrator Migy Ornia-Blanco. You can buy this picture as a print on this site, or here if you live in Europe.

Direct source: http://www.migy.com/2012/03/im-off-to-merry-old-england.html

Zöld Teknős Barlangja Teaház

1066 Budapest, Jókai street 14.
Facebook / Foursquare / website
Open: Mon-Thu 11-23h; Fri-Sat 11-24h; Sun 13-23h
Phone: +36 1 302 0024

Originally, I planned to blog about this teahouse later, but I like it so much that I simply couldn’t resist! Zöld Teknős Barlangja means Green Turtle’s Cave, by the way. This place is among the best when we’re talking about teahouses in Budapest; even the European Tea Association chose it to be the best European teahouse in 2008.

Zöld Teknős is ridiculously close to a teahouse I reviewed earlier, 1001 Éjszaka. Jókai street is packed with great places to enjoy tea in; later, we will visit here again to take a look at a teahouse called Potala a Palotához, a Tibetan place.

But on to approaching. Zöld Teknős is between Nyugati railway station and Oktogon, so you better set off from one of these squares. You can get to both either by tram (4/6) or by metro (3 if going to Nyugati railway station, 1 if going to Oktogon).

Types of tea: YELLOW & WHITE

Yellow tea is very similar to green tea; the difference is that producers dry the leaves more slowly, so that the damp leaves can sit and yellow. The finished product smells similar to black, rather than green or white tea if it is flavored with other herbs. It is low in caffeine and high in antioxidants, from which one has been linked to inhibiting cancer and heart disease.

The term "yellow tea" can also be applied to imperially-served teas.

Picture from Chinese Teas 101. 

Big Ben Teaház

Budapest, Veres Pálné u. 10.
Facebook / Foursquare / webpage
Open: Mon-Sun, 10-22h

This week, I visited the Big Ben Teahouse. There are several of this place in Budapest, so please refer to the location I added at the beginning of the post to avoid confusion. This place can be approached in 10 minutes of walk from Ferenciek tere, as well as from Astoria.

Types of tea: GREEN

Green tea, unlike black tea, is not oxidized (fermented) at all, which makes it extremely healthy. This tea is made by quick drying, and so has little tannin. Tannin is usually mentioned in connection with wine, since it's the compound that can be found in grape skin, seed, and stem, and is responsible for the wine's complexity and aging time.

Picture from Health Beyond Hype.

How to brew a perfect cup of tea

Ever wondered how long and at what temperature you should steep your tea? This little chart I found on Teavana.com will help you at that!

Source: http://www.teavana.com/tea-info/how-to-make-tea

1001 Éjszaka Teaház

1001 Nights Teahouse

Budapest, Dessewffy u. 53.
Facebook / Foursquare
Open: Mon-Sun, 10-22h

The entrance of the shop through which you can get to the teahouse.

If you're a fan of romantic, relaxed places, this teahouse will be your cup of tea. 1001 Nights is not an independent teahouse, and is hard to find, since it's located in the gallery of an esoterical shop, called Soter Club. As you enter, the shop's clerk will tell you how to get to the teahouse. The entrance is right ahead, on the right side. One has to go up on some stairs to get to your destination.

Tea for thought

Types of tea: BLACK

For a better understanding of the beverage we all love so much, one should be well informed about all the different types of teas. Let's start with one of the most common one, the black tea.

Black tea is more rich in flavor than oolong, green, and white teas, because it is more oxidized (fermented). This means that the leaves are left in in a climate-controlled room where they turn darker over time from the heat and humidity. Oxidation is highly responsible for the final taste of the tea, so it is important for the producer to stop it at the right time. Black tea is usually 100% fermented, meaning that the leaves will end up completely black by the end of the process.

Picture from NaturesTeaLeaf.com's catalogue.

Mozaik Teaház

Mozaik Teahouse

Budapest, Király str. 18.
Facebook / Foursquare
Wi-Fi code: kiraly18

Have you ever walked near Deák Ferenc square, wishing you could sit down somewhere and drink something that will warm you up while admiring the eye-catching decorations and overall calming atmosphere? Don't go any farther then, because I know just the place that will suit your expectations.

Even though Mozaik's full name is "Mozaik Teház és Kávézó" (Mosaik Teahouse and Café), there's only one page for coffee in the menu, while for tea, there are eight, listing a great variety.