Traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony by Thames Riverside near Cutty Sark Station, Greenwich, London.
A minimum fee of £125 applies for up to two participants.
Authentic guided tea ceremony in Greenwich - by the River Thames at Amitabha Garden
If you’re searching for a tea ceremony in London, this is a traditional Chinese tea ceremony (gongfu style) in Greenwich - calm, guided, and genuinely educational. In 90 minutes, you’ll taste 3 premium Chinese teas, learn how to taste properly (aroma, texture, aftertaste), and leave with brewing cues you can actually repeat at home. Two traditional pastries per guest are included.
Tea ceremony London - Chinese gongfu vs Japanese matcha
“Tea ceremony” in London can mean a few different things. Japanese tea ceremony is usually matcha-based and highly formalised. A Chinese tea ceremony (gongfu tea) is centred on multiple short infusions of the same leaves, so flavour unfolds gradually - sweetness, florals, roasted notes, and aftertaste can change from round to round.

If you want a tea ceremony in London that’s hands-on, flavour-led, and easy to replicate at home, this Chinese gongfu ceremony is the best fit.

What happens in this Chinese Tea Ceremony
1) A guided tasting journey (3 teas, chosen for contrast)
You’ll taste three premium Chinese teas chosen to show clear differences in style and character - so you learn how to tell teas apart, not just “what it tastes like today”.

2) Gongfu brewing - made practical
Gongfu brewing uses small teaware and repeated short infusions. You’ll learn the simple cues that actually matter: leaf-to-water ratio, temperature, timing, and how to adjust if your tea tastes too bitter, too light, or too flat.

3) Traditional pastry pairing
The tea tasting during the ceremony is accompanied by 2 different traditional Chinese pastries chosen to complement the teas of the session. This adds another dimension to the experience, allowing you to explore how tea and food interact while enjoying a more complete introduction to Chinese tea culture.

Why this is more than a “tea tasting”
A lot of tastings give you one steep and a few notes. A traditional Chinese tea ceremony teaches a method: how the leaves open up across infusions, why flavour changes, and how to brew with intention.

Tea is widely believed to have originated in China and evolved over centuries into a refined cultural practice. By the time of the Tang dynasty, tea culture had become a serious art, later captured in The Classic of Tea (Cha Jing) by Lu Yu - a foundational text on growing, preparing, and appreciating tea.

Tea Host
With over 30 years of experience in Chinese tea, Yang and Yiqing bring both depth of knowledge and lived connection to every ceremony. This husband-and-wife team also owns a tea farm in Yunnan, China, where the relationship between land, seasonality, and flavour is understood first-hand.