Macau Tea Culture House

In the Lou Lim Ieoc Garden, Macau

After recently visiting Hong Kong, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Macau.  I seek out tea experiences wherever I go, and was delighted to learn of the Macau Tea Culture House.  This museum opened in 2005 and is a project of the Cultural Affairs Bureau. Macau was the earliest port from which tea was traded to Europe. Super cool for we tea geeks!  Below are some of the things one will see here.  If you manage to be in Macau, most definitely visit!  The adjoining Lou Lim Ieoc Garden is also a must-see. 

The building is in Portuguese style, showing the connection between Macau and Portugal

Inside, one finds the smell of roasting tea, and a collection of tea utensils - tracing the development from handleless cups

To handles

A replica of a table at the famous Kun Nam tea house, in operation from 1953 - 1996

Upstairs, a replica of a tea house

And a very fine collection of clay teapots

Yum Cha in Hong Kong, Lock Cha Tea House

Yum Cha is a practice, associated with Hong Kong and Cantonese-speaking parts of China, of having tea and dim sum (a variety of small dishes).  It's like brunch. I was recently in Hong Kong and had a chance to visit the Lock Cha tea house to enjoy this custom.

See the tea kettle to the side?  It's cleverly built into the table. 

We enjoyed a yellow tea (top) and a Phoenix oolong (bottom). 
The oolong was called "greenish" tea in English. 

Veggie dumplings

Cakes of pu-erh and other tea