One Leaf, Many Lives

Tea is a cup of life. ~anon

One of the things we love at ATTIC, is when people suddenly after years, decades even, of living in a world of standard teabags, get really excited about tea.

As if opening the pantry cupboard to suddenly discover a portal into a magical new world, where tea leaves come in various shades of green, black, brown and golden. Where they are not ground to dust, but are free to roam, unfurl and expand without the restraints of mesh bags and bits of string that keep falling into them, singing and dancing happily…

By setting up a tea business, it’s clear that tea is quite important to us, but it was special enough for us to want to allow it to shape our livelihood, and essentially, our lives.

Tea is a vast and exciting world, (even if the singing and dancing is only metaphorical), and that’s what we love about it at ATTIC. There’s always more to learn and discover, and we want to share this enthusiasm and excitement with the world!

Over the next few months, we’ll be publishing a series of blog posts called ‘One Leaf, Many Lives’, about what we feel makes tea so special, and how it forms an integral part of our lives in ways we may not have ever considered, or given credit to.

Look out for our first post at the beginning of June to coincide with our Newsletter, where we’ll be looking at the health benefits of tea, not just for the body, but also the mind and soul.

We hope you enjoy them!

Tea of the Week: Silver Needle

If you're ever up bright and early in ATTIC, you'll no doubt spot one of us with a big mug of Silver Needle on the go. For us, it's the perfect tea to start your day with. With a mild and delicate flavour  you can really appreciate whilst your tastebuds are still fresh, it is also packed with antioxidants which cleanse and refresh the body ready for you to face the day. Imagine waking up to a field fresh with dewdrops, glistening in the pale glow of the early morning sunshine - perhaps a little difficult when you're walking along a major commuter traffic road in Bristol -  but that's what we like to think is the essence of Silver Needle, in a cup! 

So if you ever see us at 8.30 in the morning, brushing off the pollutants and dust from our clothes, with a dreamy look and sigh of contentment, you know why!

'White Teas are famed for their high level of antioxidants and restorative properties, and were once hailed as the “pinnacle of refinement”.
White Teas are produced by only picking the youngest leaves and buds, which are then steamed and dried. The tea goes through no other process, such as rolling or firing, making it the purest form of tea available. 

Silver Needle is the purest of the White Teas, with the buds being picked within the first 48 hours of opening, which is what gives the leaves their silvery down. As there is no chlorophyll, it lacks the astringent, slightly ‘grassy’ taste of Green Tea, and therefore many people find it easier to drink.'

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Tea of the Week: Imperial Garden

The base tea in this blend is our Special Aged 15yr Pu-erh. Pu-erh tea has its own imperial background, with the Emperor of China exporting it for the first time as a gift to the King of England in 1806.

Since then, Pu-erh tea has gained popularity outside of China, and has become well known recently for its health benefits, including helping to lower cholesterol and as a digestive aid.

Pu-erh tea on its own has a very distinct, earthy flavour due to the fermentation process it goes through where it is buried underground. Needless to say, it’s quite an acquired taste!

We’ve added orange pieces and cornflower to help sweeten and soften this distinctive tea, and think it’s the perfect way of easing yourself into discovering one of China’s most unique teas!

So, pop in at 2.30 everyday this week to try our regal blend!

Come & say hello

Our Tea House in Bristol is the home of the ATTIC business, serving as a shop with all our teas ready to buy in attractive foil pouches as well as a selection of tea-wares, and also as a café where we serve all our teas for you to try, with a friendly and enthusiastic team on hand to help and chat about tea!   Our bright, airy and contemporary café may not look like a traditional tea-house, but our aim at ATTIC is to make tea as easily accessible to as many people as possible, and wanted to create a friendly, familiar and welcoming space to reflect this.   Once you’ve stepped into the world of ATTIC, take your pick from our extensive tea menu, feeling free to ask to look and smell the teas before you make your choice – we love answering questions and talking about tea, so don’t be shy! We also have a selection of books about tea for you to browse, and offer free daily tastings of our “Tea of the Week” at 2.30pm with a traditional Chinese tea set. We look forward to seeing you!