Yumchaa

One of my favourite places to go out for tea. Lovely atmosphere and helpful staff. I’d recommend the Caramel Sweetheart. The gluten free brownies are amazing too. Plus you can buy their main blends of tea to take home, if you can’t get enough of it.

I can’t think of a better place to go for tea in central London, all the tea is loose leaf and they they have many varieties including ones I haven’t seen anywhere else. I like the blueberry and the spiced tea.
You can smell the leaves before you order as they’re all arranged on a sample «smelling» tray, so you get an idea of what the tea will taste like, but I still like the randomness of trying the different varieties and the fun of the surprise of how the taste comes out once brewed.
The décor is very simple, with wooden tables and chairs, and staff are always friendly. It all creates a very relaxing place, a hideaway from the hustle and bustle of central London.

This is my favorite Yunchaa location, with the friendliest staff and a large bright interior that;s great for a quick lunch or an afternoon of work, especially since it’s so close to UCL and other Bloomsbury colleges. They offer offer a free wifi password, which is great if you are planning on spending the better part of the day working. Even though the space is large, it fills up fast with students, freelancers, and even job interviews, so stopping in outside the usual breakfast or lunch rush is best.
The spiced teas are all very nicely balanced and the variety of teas on offer is impressive. though I felt multiple times that there were not enough leaves in my pot.
All the food items displayed on the counter looked great, but after ordering the olive and feta scone once, it became an instant favorite, and I ordered it repeatedly.

Et encore un adorable coffee shop du nom de Yumchaa. Je né savais pas qu’ils avaient plusieurs adresses mais c’est pour notre plus grand bonheur.
Celui est immense, lumineux grace à une magnifique verière et rempli de petites et grandes tables, fauteuils, canapés, chaises… bref, de tout pour tous les style de clients. Vous pouvez venir bosser tranquillement (wifi, prises), juste prendre un thé rapide ou rester des heures à manger des gateaux dans un canapé.
J’aime énormément leurs choix de thés. Ils sont tous présentés dans des petites tasses pour que vous puissiez les sentir et choisir celui qui vous fait envie (thés blancs, verts, noirs). Cette fois-​çi j’ai tenté le Om Tea, mélange de thé blanc, mûre, cannelle, qui sent divinement bon, pas trop fort. Et je l’ai accompagné d’une belle part de brownie ! Tellement moelleux et chocolaté et ohlala. Tout ce dont j’avais besoin.

I came here due to the good reviews. There is a huge selection of teas, which overwhelmed me so I opted for an English breakfast. I also tried the vanilla scone with Jam and cream which was to die for. The service however could have been better. I feel the lady who served me was particularly rude and abrupt other than this the scone and tea were great.

MY FAVORITE PLACE IN LONDON. The staff are very friendly and I spent much of my time as a study abroad student here working on papers and studying for finals. The vibe is great, the pastries are yum, and the place is so cute. The wifi can get pretty slow, but that made me a lot more productive, and there is only one bathroom. Other than that yumchaa has great simple tea, and would definitely recommend as a place to work or chat with friends.

The Yumchaas I’ve been to are all similar and all great. The recipe is simple: great tea and hot drinks, great food and a slightly ‘distressed’ décor (way before it was cool). As with the other shops, you do get a lot of people who are there for the long-​haul, with laptops or similar — and this is particularly the case here, being so close to UCL and the other Bloomsbury universities (I was guilty of similar at other cafes, back in the day, but it’s still slightly frustrating).
Come for the tea, stay for the slice of cake when you get your tea refilled.

This is a great place to grab a cup of tea or coffee with a friend or to work. My friend suggested meeting up here and I’ve never been. I was pleasantly surprised — the café is quite spacious, warm and friendly. There’s exposed brick and it brings a very «home» feeling to it, which is really nice, especially when it’s a cold and rainy day. The staff is very helpful and the prices are reasonable. Additionally, it wasn’t hard to find a spot to sit, which can quite often pose a problem. I would absolutely come back!

As a lover of London food markets (and particularly the Camden Lock Market) I have seen Yumchaa teas sold all over the city and have often smelled them and thought they were very lovely.
As it turns out, Yumchaa’s brick and mortar tea room spaces give you a chance to enjoy that lovely tea in a lovely setting.
On the whole, I am a big fan of this branch of Yumchaa. It is just off of Tottenham Court Road and is quite close to Goodge Street station. For me, it is very close to my yoga studio and I have been coming here frequently before/​after classes.
The thing is that coming to this branch can be a bit hit or miss. I love their matcha latte for a highly caffeinated, non coffee treat. I’ve been here several times when it was made well and was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, on other visits it has been nothing more than a pale green cup of milk.
On other visits, at particularly busy times, I have had to wait for a tea pot to free up (they only serve loose leaf teas and have a limited number of pots necessary for service). While having my own pot of tea was absolutely lovely, I was sort of forgotten about and had to go back twice to remind them I was waiting.
Their scones are lovely and served with jam and cream. I have, however, gotten them when they have been on the grill for too long and end up burned. In this situation, the staff was very courteous and griddled me up a new one.
The occasional slow-​ness and inconsistency are not deal breakers for me, as this is generally a lovely and sunny space with good wifi.

I was actually trying to go to their store on Berwick but Google Maps took me to this one instead — no idea why since it was actually further, but hey I still loved the tea so who cares?
Upon walking in I was a little confused because I couldn’t find the menu. And then I realized the «menu» consisted of all their teas laid out in cups on the front counter! I loved this because it meant I could smell all of them (somewhat crazily — imagine a girl sniffing a bunch of cups) and use that to decide which one I wanted, which I think is SO much better than trying to guess what the tea is like from just reading a regular menu. The guy working there recommended the Mango Sunrise, which smelled pretty good, but I ultimately went for the Enchanted Forest because — oh my god — it smelled like heaven.
For 2.55 pounds (sit in), I got a full teapot and cup, along with a filter to keep the leaves from entering the cup when pouring. After getting settled in a cozy corner table, I tried my first sip. It was MAGICAL. I honestly can’t think of any other way to describe it. The Enchanted Forest tasted like an enchanted forest — one of the few times a name actually perfectly fits the thing it identifies. Anyway, I was in a rush so I had to drink the tea fairly quickly, but I still enjoyed every bit of it. My only complaint is not really a complaint — it’s more like a desire/​suggestion. I just wish that they served the tea with a decanter as well, so you could control precisely the strength of the flavor. Otherwise, I’m definitely a fan!

If you love tea then this place is perfect for you. If you want coffee, go to a coffee shop 50 yards away!
You can smell all the different teas whilst you’re in the queue and admire the lovely cakes and savouries. The red chai latte and savoury scones are my favourite.
With friends we usually get a different cake or scone each and share as they’re big and rich.
The shop is nice and has lots of tables of different sizes, bright an airy upstairs and more cosy downstairs. It’s big enough that you don’t feel you’re hogging a table if you spend half hour or so escaping oxford St or the office.
I can’t help but buy a bag of their loose leaf tea most times when I go in. They’re unusual and delicious and brighten up my tea breaks at work. Mango sunrise is my favourite and their seasonal Christmassy teas are great too.

Firstly, the interior instantly made me happy with its messy but oh so stylish look. Secondly, as I am a massive tea lover, it took me quite a while to choose between the extensive and surprising variety of teas. When I finally made my choice, the name of the tea that I wanted was so difficult to pronounce that the barman didn’t understand me and ended up serving me the wrong — but maybe even more delicious — tea. And to make my first London discovery as British as possible, the additional scone was a must! They make very nice scones with feta and olives or cheddar and chive and the sandwiches and cakes looked mouthwatering too.
The staff was having a quarrel, which was a pity as it made the atmosphere seem a bit less friendly. But besides that, I really enjoyed the food, the tea and the feel. The prices seemed quite high to me but I guess they are quite reasonable for London standards (to which I think I’ll never get used!). You can also buy their teas online or attend their «tea school».

I loved the vibe of this trendy tea room.
Think exposed brickwork, lots of laptops and people working, tea tea and more tea.
They have an amazing range of teas to choose from — take a sniff before picking yours.
I went for the name — wanderlust — a lovely fruity green tea.
They were out of teapots when I ordered so I had to wait for about ten mins before being served my tea. I even had to suggest to them that they bring it to our table so I could at least sit with my friends and not stand at the till. Silly them.
My tea, accompanied by a feta and olive scone, was very nice.
It’s a fun place to pop in to for an afternoon, alcohol free catch up with friends… Or if you need a plug point and free wifi!

It’s a cool concept, but a bit pricey for what it delivers. The space is big and (when I visited) a bit grungy, with communal tables and mismatched furniture — hipsters abound! I enjoyed the cool vibe of the shop, being able to smell little pots of their loose tea, and the staff was pretty friendly. I ordered the white tea and a vanilla scone, toasted. The white tea was delicious and I enjoyed the variety of teas to choose from, but the scone was only alright. I wish they served clotted cream instead of a pre-​packaged pat of butter and jam. Overall, I enjoyed my experience, but maybe I will come back again.

From wonderful stall roots in Camden market to a cute little branch in Soho, Yumchaa is an increasing institution in tea bars. They have always offered a large selection of interesting loose leafs teas with great cake served by those that clearly loved their tea.
It is a pity then that they seemed to have lost their way so greatly. Their new store is a hipster hell of smaller portions, long waits, smelly toilets and poor service.
While looking like the classical Yumchaa this branch appears to have only succeeded in being hipster in only the worst of ways. You are left with a long wait for a small tea to be had in cramped surroundings surrounded by bare walls and moustachioed jumpered clientele. The trip was made even worse by a pungent toilet that was labelled ‘bathroom’.
Awful, get back to your roots please…

So. Full. Of. Hipsters.
I live in San Francisco so my hipster bearing threshold is quite high, but the crowd here have taken it to a new level.
It’s located at a quiet street but it was very busy when we walked in. In a sea of layered plaided shirts, carefully groomed beards, fake vintage hairdos (ok that’s actually quite lovely), mustard crew sweaters and oversized plastic framed glasses, we finally found a table. Many people had their macbooks opened in front of them but most were just chatting merrily with others anyway, maybe those are just there to complete the look.
So far, not my kind of place but not bad enough to deserve a 2 star yet.
My friend Samir S went to queue up for tea while I guarded our table. Nicely decorated in rustic country style, some portraits of Edwardian girls in ink on the wall… Wait, what does that sign say? «Staff Room, not Bath Room». Why «Bath Room»? As a Chinese Canadian living in America I felt outraged no matter how I interpret it ;) .
12 minutes later poor Samir was still in queue, and the queue has barely moved. This is a spacious shop but there are only two people working: one behind the counter while the other busy cleaning tables.
Finally we got the tea. The pot poured out to exactly one cup. It tasted quite good, but not worth the wait. I can understand that maybe they want to take the time to prepare things properly — but since you have to order from the counter and not from table, a few more staff would be helpful.
We finished the tea in 5 minutes and escaped as quickly as we could…

Very Nice place for afternoon tea. You can smell the different teas before ordering (black, green and white).
However, only half the seats are very comfortable, the other half are tables with normal chairs.
Otherwise very nice place to work or chat with friends.

I love Yumchaa so much. I come here regularly to study because it’s so awesome. The matcha green tea latte is probably one of the best things I’ve discovered in London.
The wifi is good, the décor is perfect, and the tea is amazing! Only down sides are that it’s a bit pricey and can get pretty loud midday. But totally worth it!

I’m constantly on the hunt for warm, inviting spaces in which to spend a day working on my laptop. Yumchaa’s Fitzrovia location definitely ticks that box.
It’s a large, light-​filled space with shabby chic décor, plenty of tables and a ton of power outlets. The WiFi can be a bit shaky at times, but usually decent. I usually go for one of Yumchaa’s amazing loose leaf teas when I’m there, as the coffee is only alright. The nutella cake is delicious.
Definitely a great place to have a meeting or a cuppa if you’re on Goodge Street!

I’m in love with this café. They have a huge selection of teas, they give free refills on hot water, there’s wifi for studying, the cakes are all healthy, and they even give out tasters sometimes!
If you like herbal teas like me, I recommend the Egyptian Nights for a minty tea or the Courtesan for a fruity, but not too fruity, blend.
One caveat: if it’s your first time here, don’t be embarrassed to ask how you are supposed to serve yourself… otherwise you will end up drinking a bunch of flowers!

Wifi: check!
Table to myself: check!
Yummy pastries: check!
Hot tea: check!
I was looking for a place to study, and Unilocal led me here! It had everything I needed for a study spot. I got an Earl Grey and blueberry muffin and it cost me £5.25. Which is alrightttt. I got there at 10AMish and right as I sat down at my table, it started getting busy. I would recommend coming here earlier if you want a quiet place to do your work.
Otherwise, a great place to catch up with a friend or to get some work done!

A warm, spacious place that just about begs you to curl up in a corner with a book. The little cups of dry tea which they set out for you to smell before ordering are very helpful and indicate a very large range. I had the Chai the other day and it was good — not amazing, or particularly memorable, but certainly palatable.
Unfortunately the actual service/​product itself is lacking — the cakes are tasteless, or simply inedible as my friend discovered the other day with the unbelievably stodgy lemon drizzle cake, there’s only one bathroom (which, for quite a large café, doesn’t seem to make much sense), the service is slow and the tea itself is served sparingly.
It’s a lovely venue but would be better if it was owned by a different business.