Finally! A wonderful teahouse has opened up in Hobart called "Chado: The Way of Tea". The owner, Varuni Kulasekera, is both immensely knowledgable on all things tea and wonderfully hospitable to boot. She and her husband (ex-Violent Femmes bassist and now shakuhachi player, Brian Ritchie) have made a sea-change from New York to Hobart Town. The teahouse stocks a wide selection of fantastic teas, with the dozens I've sampled thus far have been of exceptional quality. It also sells a great range of tea accessories, including numerous teapot styles, Japanese tea ceremony items (chasen, chawan, chashaku etc), gaiwan, gongfu service equipment, tea cannisters and much more. It is such a wonderful place to spend a good hour or so, enjoying multiple infusions of exceptional tea and chatting with Varuni or one of the staff on all things tea. They also prepare some tasty treats to accompany the tea, including onigiri (the bonito variety is my personal favourite)!
If you're ever in Hobart, get yourself along and enjoy a tea or two. The number of friends I've thus far dragged along have all been highly impressed with the service, the food and the tea.
Signing off to make myself one now... a Superior Tieguanyin methinks...
