Theic Tea Bar – Welcome to the World of Tea

Theic Tea Bar

Theic Tea Bar

Theic Tea Bar

For Sale at Theic Tea Bar

Tea for sale

The Work Area

The Work Area

Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea

Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea

Tea and Dessert

Pouring the Tea

Pana Chocolate Raw Passionfruit Cheesecake

Himalayan Spring White Tea

Tea Cards – front

Tea Cards – back

Menu:
      

I love tea as much as people love coffee, but it has been a more recent love – I would say in the last 4-5 years. Theic Tea Bar is a pop up store which is located inside the INSITU Furniture Gallery in Collingwood and serves a variety – 24 in fact – of specialty teas and is owned and run by Nathan Wakeford (Somage Fine Foods) from their Chamellia range.

You can literally spend hours if not the whole day here at this pop-up sipping on different cups of tea, trying out the colourful and intriguing furniture that is around and eating the delicious delicacies in the form of sweets. There is a small range of vegan and mostly raw bites, as well as some pieces being gluten free  – which range from small treats to medium eats – and from reading the descriptions they all sound delicious and serve as a the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea. There are sweets such as Pana Chocolate Raw Passionfruit Cheesecake to the Raw Chocolate Donut and Snickers Ball. These are created thanks to the working combination of Chinta Desserts, Loafer Bakery and Botanical Cuisine. If you wanted “A little bit more” – there is a selection of a Raw Vegan Salad and a Theic Tasting Plate which consists of raw linseed crackers, dried fruits nuts and 2 dips of your choice from the 4 on offer all for $10. Dips include Carrot & Fennel Pate, Victorian Olive Pate, Lemon & Dill “Cheese” and Mushroom &Truffle Pate.

The name itself means is quite interesting and means ‘‘a tea drunkard, one prone to the immoderate consumption of tea’ – and it really does represent what Nathan is about. He is all about the tea and brewing it with love using the utmost care and perfect temperature. If that is not enough he drives almost two hours up Mount Donna Buang to collect fresh spring water and fills massive jugs to bring them back to Melbourne. This is the ensure Theic Tea Bar is brewing their Chamellia tea with the best of waters to further enhance the tea flavour.

Now to the teas – there are pages and pages to choose from and the specialty brews come from Korea, Sri Lanka, Nepal and China and include white teas, green teas, blooming teas, oolongs, black teas, tisane, puerhs, herbals, iced teas, a rooibos from South Africa and tea lattes. The Benifuuki Green Tea Latte sounded simply magnificient but after my third cup of tea (and unfortunately I couldn’t stay for much longer at the Tea Bar) – I was too full to try it out. This green tea comes with raw panella sugar and served with either soy or rice milk.

The tea is brewed using the spring water from Mount Donna Buang in boilers which are adjusted to the specific temperature that is required of each tea. The tea leaves are then placed in handmade teapots and pre-rinsed and served. The serving presentation is fantastic – there is a wooden tray as a base together with the teapot which was used to brew the tea, another vessel where the tea has been poured out into, as well as a cup which you use to drink the splendid tea and sometimes a square dish which shows you the brewed leaves. It really is a cute and great style.

Each tea that is served to you comes with an information card – which is another great little idea – and provides you with a background and description of the tea on one side, and facts such as water temperature, amount of tea to use, number of infusions and the grading on the other side.

The first tea that I tried was he Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea. This tea had a great floral aroma and had a great sweet taste to it. This tea is from Taiwan in the Miaoli Country region and had two infusions. The second infusion was just as nice as the first infusion – it enhanced the floral and sweet flavours of the tea. To go with tea I ordered the Pana Chocolate Raw Passionfruit Cheesecake – which was a bite sized piece of deliciousness. The passionfruit cheesecake was a great flavour combination – sour and sweet perfection with the chocolate base and topped with coconut.

I was tossing up between getting another tea and getting the Benifuuki Green Tea Latte. I settled for the Himalayan Spring White Tea which comes from Nepal in the Maipokhari, Ilam region. This tea was more crisp and flowery at the same time. I did enjoy this second tea a fraction more than the first one – but having said that both of the teas were fantastic.

Theic Tea Bar is such a fantastic concept and the staff really do have a passion and love for tea and are super friendly. There was another staff member who was infusing her first teas and I got to watch as Nathan taught her how to perfect the process. It is such a great place to come on the weekend to sit back, relax, unwind and drink some really delicious teas and eat some great tasting sweets.

Theic Tea Bar
https://www.facebook.com/theicspecialtyteabar
Tel No: 0438 770 087

NOTE: They were located at 77 Cromwell St, Collingwood – however are no longer there. Please visit their Facebook page to see where they will “pop-up” next.

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Shebeen – It’s All About The Give Back

Shebeen!

How the funding works

Shebeen Interior

Chai Latte @ Shebeen

Banh Mi’s all freshly made!

Mexican chipotle pulled pork with crack sauce

Vietnamese crispy pork belly

Vietnamese lime marinated tofu with crispy noodles

Shebeen is located in Manchester Lane in the Melbourne CBD, and has an interesting concept behind it. Shebeen is a bar that serves good honest, tasty and fresh food during lunchtimes, with 100% profits from every drink (beer or wine) all of which are sourced from developing nations – go back to a charity in that drink’s country of origin. This is the first of its kind in Australia.

A Shebeen is usually four walls made of corrugated iron with someone’s mama inside brewing her own beer and were illegal during apartheid in South African cities – such as Zimbabwe and were designed to be shutdown hastily. This is where this not-for-profit bar gets it name from. Here in Melbourne, the fit out is of corrugated iron as well and you step inside to a lively and friendly environment that is reminiscent of a shack. There are mismatched tables and chairs covered in hoodies and jumpers, stools are covered in printed fabrics from Kenya and staff uniforms have been designed from Melbourne fashion house Alpha 60. The atmosphere is electric (even when I go at lunch time) – and is quirky, fun, different and colourful.

Shebeen is the brainchild of co-founders Simon Griffiths and Zanna McCormish and was inspired by time the duo spent working in the developing world and realising the lack of funding. The South African roots continue with venue manager Sharon Custers.

Its great to know  beverage companies like Schweppes and Brown-Forman and interior architects Foolscap either donated products or gave their time and services for cost price or pro bono. All the food and cocktails on the menu are inspired by the 11 developing countries being supported through the initiative. Bar manager Sam Francis has tested several different recipes and all the ingredients are fresh and sauces and pickling of everything is done in house.

The menu consists of Banh Mi’s – there are four different types to choose from including one vegetarian option, as well as sliders and cheeses. Since they are made fresh as you order them, you can tell them if you want certain things taken out or added to your Banh Mi’s. There is also hand-made ice cream which comprises of four very different flavours that you will not find anywhere else guaranteed. Flavours include – Thai chilli lime sorbet, cayenne cantaloupe sorbet – both of which are vegan option (yep they have thought about everything!), choc coconut rocky road and Jesus juice (Pepsi and pinotagel). Doesn’t that just make you want to go try it out right away?

The Banh Mi’s was fresh and authentic. I got the Vietnamese Lime Marinated Tofu with Crispy Noodles. The flavours worked well together and the sauce and chilli combined made for a great Banh Mi. I enjoyed the addition of the crispy noodles – I haven’t had that in a Banh Mi before.

The menu is like a book, as it describes some of the charities that Shebeen has already helped out and I think this is a great way to tell the customer where the money is going and what exactly the money will improve and how. The drinks list is extensive and as said previously comes from varying countries. They also have a range of cocktails to choose from as well each with an interesting name such as First World Problems, Lychee Longtime and Earl Grey Tini to name a few. Coffee and Tea is also available – and is not what you would usually find at your everyday café. The Coffee is Ethiopian single origin or Vietnamese style, the Chai is handmade with Rooibos tea. I had their Chai and it was delicious and creamy – definitely one of the better chai’s I have tasted.

The staff are knowledgeable and passionate about the charity organisations. There is also a cinema space and a band room and Shebeen hopes to be hosting parties soon enough, to keep with their lively and entertaining vibe. On most evenings there will be entertainment and live music.

After years of being pop up stores, I am glad Shebeen has found a new permanent home to stay. The concept is great and what’s better than eating and drinking at a place where you know the money you spend is going to a great cause. A good time as well as feeling great! Awesome!

From the Shebeen Website: We donate 100% of our profits, and your choice at the bar determines where they end up. Here’s how it works… Every beer, wine, cider and margarita sale sends funds back to that drink’s country of origin. We’ve made sure your money ends up in the right pockets by scouring the globe to find some of the smartest organisations tackling poverty in the developing world. So sit back and leave us to do the hard work while you feel good—even tomorrow morning.

Rating : 4.5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Can be found at www.shebeen.com.au/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTMvMDUvMTAvMDdfNThfMjdfODI0X1NoZWJlZW5fbWVudS5wZGYiXV0/Shebeen+menu.pdf
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Fun, Entertaining and Lively atmosphere – great place to go for after work drinks.
Standout Dish: Any of the Banh Mi’s
Service: Super friendly and enthusiastic!
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://www.shebeen.com.au/
36 Manchester Lane, Melbourne
Tel No: 9650 6931

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday: 11am – Late