Eteaket Edit

A nice place for tea and a snack. At my first visit here, I tried the afternoon tea but I discovered that the scones are absolutely terrible. Maybe it was just a bad batch but they were very cakey and crumbly in texture- disappointing enough not to try ordering them again. On my second visit I ordered a soup and sandwich with my tea; both of which were okay albeit overpriced. The shining quality of this tea shop is that they have a good selection of tea and they prepare the tea properly (correct temperature and infusion time), which is a rarity in Edinburgh. I was disappointed that my tea leaves were taken away after my first infusion but my pot of Keemun was quite tasty. This is the only place in Edinburgh that I know of where you can get decent meal food (not just cakes and pastries) alongside good, properly prepared tea.

Nestled in a basement on Frederick Street, Eteaket attracts shoppers, students, tourists and locals alike to its unprepossessing white doors. Inside there’s a bright, bold colour scheme of white, teal and hot pink (it sounds worse than it is, really), ruined only by the phrase “Keep Calm And Have A Cup Of Tea” stuck to one wall. If you can avoid looking at it – harder than it sounds, since the opposite wall is mirrored – then the rest of the decor won’t raise your blood pressure too much. A nod to vintage of course, but done in a modern enough way not to come over as too mimsy.

The tea at Eteaket is consistently excellent with a simple system in place; you order your tea and they bring it to your table with a sand-timer – when the sand runs out, it’s ready to drink. (I honestly have no idea why other tea shops don’t do this, preferring to make you play some kind of tea-based cross between a game of chicken and Russian Roulette just to find out whether it’s brewed enough). There are some rare and interesting varieties on offer as well as well-chosen classics. The Royal Earl Gray in particular is light and fresh, with tiny blue cornflowers strewn throughout the leaves.

There’s a good selection of cakes and for a real treat, afternoon tea; served on a three-tiered stand with sandwiches, scones, miniature patisserie desserts and the palpable envy of everyone in the café who isn’t having it too.

What’s great about Eteaket is not only do they seem to really care about tea, even creating their own special blends (I’d recommend the Rooibos Creme Caramel in particular), but they’re also passionate about making it interesting and accessible to everyone. I might take issue with the number of times the word “lovely” appears on the signs in their shop, but the effervescent passion it shows is contagious and when it’s paired with attention to detail, attentive staff and a sense of wanting to be part of the community, it becomes hard to fault.