Tantalizing tea spot

As much as I love tea, it remains one of those things I never order when eating out. Most casual dining restaurants will serve lower grade tea made from a single weak bag in water that is hastily poured into a mug ensuring spillage so when it is finally presented, it is covered in stains. It’s all very depressing.

My curiosity was however piqued when I heard a while back from my food blogger cousin that there was a new tea and coffee house in town. Never daring to venture into the Parklands area for fear of being caught in the dreadful traffic jams it is famous for, it took me ages before I finally mustered the resolve to check it out.

The cleverly named Leaf and Bean Cafe is nothing grand at first sight. Squeezed into the canopied ground floor terrace of a residential building along Limuru Road with another restaurant on the opposite end, the configuration is a little bizarre. A few tables and chairs are spread across the narrow space. The magic happens behind a small counter with display windows bearing teas, coffee and desserts.

Looking at the menu, I realised that Leaf and Bean is not just another eatery merely getting by where their non-alcoholic beverages are concerned. Close to 100 listings of milkshakes, coffees, juices, estate teas, kiddy teas, fusion teas, iced teas and more leapt out at me, leaving me in a state of utter confusion.

WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE

The tea list alone features well over 70 different teas from everywhere in the world including the Kenyan highlands, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Japan and beyond. There was no way I could have made a decision without asking for help from one of the staffers who was more than happy to come to my rescue.

We agreed that I would start with the apple and cinnamon black infusion before moving on to the Kenya Milima variety. To accompany this I asked for brown bread cheese tosti.

I quickly learned that the seriousness of their trade did not end at just variety but carried on to presentation and traditional tea drinking rituals. A cute little tray set on a platform was brought out with a stirring stick, ramekin of honey, hourglass tea timer, cup, pot and infuser. The timer had four bulbs, each with more sand than the last for varied desired tea strengths.

The copper coloured Sri Lankan tea was fragrant and tasted just as good as it smelled; a welcome characteristic as the flavoured teas in stores these days hardly ever meet my expectations. My sandwich was light and delightful, grilled with cheese, seasoned tomato and lettuce. The combined warmth of the tea and tosti made me think of being at home.

My second choice: Kenya Milima is a luxury, orange-coloured black tea grown in Kericho and exported to the rest of the world at no small expense. I let my loose tea leaves contained in the infuser steep in the hot water for a bit longer than I did with my first to get a stronger taste but it was still a bit too light for me.

The barista explained to me that Milima is a very delicate and elegant tea, and next time I should try the Kenya Kosabei tea which is a little more flavourful.

I had a wonderful experience not just sampling the offerings but also learning things I had never known about tea!