Tearoom review: Camellia Sinensis 
Address: 2nd floor, Kingly Court Shopping Centre, Kingly Street, London, W1B 5PW – map
Telephone number: 020 7734 9939
Opening hours: Mon-Fri, Sun – 12pm-7pm, Sat – 11am-7pm
Overall rating: ***** (out of 5)
Atmosphere: ***** (out of 5)
Teas and coffee menu: ***** (out of 5)
Food menu: **** (out of 5)
Service: ***** (out of 5)
Review by: Alexa Williamson
If you’re a tea – or coffee – fan based in London or visiting London, then the Camellia Sinensis tearoom, located on the second floor of the Kingly Court Shopping Centre is a must visit.
From my very first visit, I was so impressed by their massive, extremely fresh, variety of 70 blends of teas – including black, green and herbal (with many of the herbal teas being organic), which are also served in a wonderfully quaint and light and airy environment, at reasonable prices, that I couldn’t help but become a regular there.
Camellia Sinensis’ atmosphere
If you love eclectic and original hideaways, then you can’t help but love this place. With its name meaning ‘tea plant’, this place impresses with its…
- broad-beamed wooden floors
- five tiny marble and wood-topped tables (which seat about 20), encircled by walls lined with coffees, teas and the appropriate wares and sets to go with them
- 1920s and 30s music (including Louis Jordan) that wafts through the room
- big picture window and sunny outlook onto the courtyard of the Kingly Court Shopping Centre
How Camellia Sinensis got started
Owner Lubna Madan knows her teas – as well as natural medicine. Having qualified as a homeopath in 2003, then practising for several years, she has a grounding in how to make people feel better. Also working with Chinese medicine practitioners, and learning about the different teas and herbs they use, she also knows her green and white teas inside and out – as well as her tea gardens in China, Japan, Taiwan, India and Sri Lanka (the latter two due to her Indian heritage).
Having opened the shop on 29 November 2007, Lubna states that she wants to keep the tearoom for tea lovers and hasn’t had to do any publicity as custom has grown fantastically well through word of mouth. In fact, Camellia Sinensis has become so popular that a new stall, selling their products, was opened recently in the Cabbages and Frocks market area, on Marylebone High Street (opposite the Joseph Conran Shop).
Having had time to sit down and chat with Lubna, Camellia Sinensis’ success, in my opinion, stem from several things. First and most important, Lubna, from all of her years of experience knows how to choose good teas and make excellent blends – which are always done by hand and in small batches so that they are always (and I say this after tasting half a dozen teas) fresh. (And even better, all the herb teas are organic.) Second, she is a kind person with a lovely personality who knows how to treat her customers well.
Seeing herself as sort of “The Mistress of Spices” – similar to the film – she always tries to make tea blends that will suit her customers’ needs and moods (eg herbal tea blends to help promote relaxation or sleep, happiness, relieve stress, fatigue or pms, improve concentration, etc).
Overall, it’s obvious that Camellia Sinensis, an idea that was supported by her family from the start (her mother even did the designs on some lovely Morrocan tea glasses), is a labour of love.
Tea reviews
About a week ago, Lubna was kind enough to host myself and a journalist friend named Ragnar (who is also a green tea fan) as her guests for this review. She dazzled us with the following teas in many different types of pots (another of the perks of coming here) – from glass to art deco, to different styles of plated silver to flowery Victorian ones.
Dancing Rose and Violet
Ingredients: rose petals, rose hips, oatstraw and violet
Cost if you take it home: 50 grams for £3.95.
My rating: **** (out of 5)
Ragnar’s rating: **** (out of 5)
My comments: a wonderful light tea, that, as Lubna says, “gives you vitality without the caffeine”. Tasting mainly of the oatstraw (which is very herbal), the rosey flavour floats on top of this.
Ragnar’s comments: Nice. Would make a good and original gift.
White Tea with Apricot
Cost to take it home: 50g for £4.50
My rating: ***** (out of 5)
Ragnar’s rating: *** (out of 5)
Ingredients: white tea, apricot, rose and marigold
My comments: amazing taste with all the fantastic anti-oxidants of a white tea yet with a delicious, lingering fruity taste of apricot and an ever so subtle hint of roses and and marigolds.
Ragnar’s comments: Very nice. Not too fruity. Just right.
Gyokuro Asahi (a Japanese green tea)
Cost to take it home: 125g for £21.95
My rating: *** (out of 5)
Ragnar’s rating: **** (out of 5)
My comments: a nice green tea. Interestingly Lubna noted that this tea is one of the best green teas out there and is known as ‘noble dewdrop’ and ‘emperor’s tea’ (as it was so fine and expensive that it was only drunk by them). Has a malty leafy taste to it.
Ragnar’s comment: Really enjoyable. And as a drinker of the average green teas available from supermarkets, I can tell Lubna’s right – it’s better than what I can pick up at the shop.
Chocolate Brown Tea
Ingredients: brown tea and cocoa nibs
Cost to take it home: 125g for £4.50
My rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)
Ragnar’s rating: ****** (out of 5)
My comments: The best of both worlds – cocoa meets tea in a blend that is not too overbearing but mixed perfectly. An ambrosia for chocolate lovers. The chocolatey taste, with the caffeine kick from the brown tea, is divine. Even better, this can be appreciated with or without milk. (With milk, it’s more like chocolate milk.)
Ragnar’s comments: Delicious. A good alternative to hot chocolate.
And two other teas I’ve had on visits to Camellia Sinensis…
Darjeeling Goomtee
My rating: **** (out of 5)
My comments: a delicious brown tea. Lubna recommended this because I like Assam tea and I’m very glad that she did. Has a delightful aftertaste as well and is much better than the stale Darjeelings one finds in the supermarket.
Ceylon Kenilworth
My rating: **** (out of 5)
My comments: again, a gorgeous and light brown tea with a great taste that is very similar to Assam (I guess what I find to be the definitive brown tea as it has a powerful flavour for those who like brown tea. Ironically, it’s much better than English Breakfast Tea in the sense that if you were to have whiskey, English Breakfast Tea would be the cheap whiskey and Assam would be one of the special connoisseur ones.)
The menu – food, drinks and prices
The tearoom has a delicious light menu on offer that includes healthy options and also has snacks for people who can’t eat wheat or gluten.
Camellia Sinensis’ specialties:
Afternoon tea – £14.50/person
2 huge pieces of cake (your choice which type)
6 scones
huge pot of tea (your choice which)
clotted cream for scones
or
Cream tea – £5.95/person
Freshly baked scones with jam, clotted cream and a pot of tea
Sandwiches on offer include – Cheese and pickle or Tuna salad – £2.95, Mozzarella and basil or Chicken and avacado – £3.50.
Cakes on offer include – chocolate fudge or Victorian sponge – £3.50/slice.
Tarts on offer include – cherry and camembert w/salad – £6.50, caramalised onion and goat’s cheese w/salad – £5.95
Toasted crumpets – £3.95
World teas – £1.80/mug, £3.50/pot for one, £4.95/pot for two
Health teas – £5.50/pot
Chai latte- £2.25
Chamomile latte - £2.30
Latte - £2.25
Cappuccino - £2.25
Espresso - £1.50
Macchiato - £1.50
Americano - £1.80
Mocha - £2.50
Hot chocolate – £2.50
Other things on sale at Camellia Sinensis
Because the tearoom is so exciting, I’ve included a lot of detail in this information. The last thing to highlight is the beautiful teasets on sale in many styles from a Royal Winton type set to Moroccan sets to a lovely, lead-free stoneware set including a kettle and two cups for £28.
Summary
Camellia Sinensis is a special, out of the way place in the heart of Soho. With its endearing period ingenue with roses in kettles and the tables dotted with fresh flowers and the smell of tea and baked good filling the air, it’s worth a visit for those who are serious about tea or want a nice place to meet up with friends or read a book off of the beaten track. Lubna will make you feel at home and like the Mistress of Spices, recommend just the right tea for you.
Further information:
Photos by and copyright Camellia Sinensis
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