Teasure a Treasure Trove of Teas and Relaxation at U-Town

You may have sensed our excitement when we found the simple tea shop Kraftea at Vantone Center in CBD, and that excitement isn't dead yet. We obviously love our coffee here at the Beijinger, but where coffee can energize us on those workdays following a night of drinking and dancing, a delicate and fragrant cup of tea can soothe us and help us relax on days off – say, during the National Day vacation.

Taking over the spacious Caffe Bene on the second floor of U-Town Shopping Mall, Teasure renovated this venue with well-designed Muji-style wooden tables for two, four, and also half-private rooms. The walls are lined with jars of different varieties of tea. Just like the tea version of Starbucks, Teasure is a clean and commercial kind of tea house, with a counter and a tea-making table that you can order from, before taking your seat and being served your freshly prepared cup by the staff. Don’t be embarrassed if you don’t know much about tea: take the advantage of the knowledgeable and professional staff, ask questions, and consider their guidance.

It seems a shop for every taste. If you are a serious tea drinker, try a single tea (RMB 30-42), with white tea, pu’er, oolong, green tea, jasmine tea, and black tea. If you want to mix it up, they have several blends on hand, such as the boiled western blend (RMB 38-45), including the Moroccan green tea, a blend of Turkish flowers and fruit, Indian spicy ginger tea, and English orange and black tea; or the boiled Chinese-style blended tea, which contains rose and lychee oolong tea, salted plum and pu’er tea, or seven flowers. Non-tea drinkers can try a tea latte, tea smoothie, or iced tea (RMB 35-40).

The beautiful little pot of rose and lychee oolong tea (RMB 42) has lovely floral and fruity flavors from the rose and lychee, while the oolong tea provides some depth and bitterness. It was relaxing to watch the rosebuds unfold in the hot water while swimming among the oolong leaves in the transparent glass pot. They also provide creative Chinese desserts: The White Mountain (RMB 28) is a sweet and buttery cookie topped with a little "mountain" of cream and with chopped almonds. We preferred Aged Bergamot Cookies (RMB 18 for three pieces), don’t be misled by the name – they are not actually aged, but made with orange peels and covered with a layer of sugar, served in a dainty little cookie jar.

Let’s put it this way: It’s like working and drinking tea in a Muji store. It seems many people feel the same way, and take it as a shared working space. It’s crowded, but not noisy. Especially if you sit at the long table for 16 people, you will feel like you're sitting in a library. Unlike a library, though, it seems to be busiest on Fridays and during the weekend. It's a good alternative for non-coffee-drinkers and a relaxing stop for tired shoppers. We're inclined to agree with their slogan: “Good days start with tea and you.” 

Teasure
Daily 10am-10pm. 2/F. 201, U-Town Shopping Mall, 2 Sanfeng Beili, Chaoyang District (8563 6116)
煮葉：朝阳区三丰北里2号悠唐购物中心二期2层201号

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Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: Tracy Wang