Did you know that the Lipton tea brand has its own Tea House in Kyoto? Lipton Tea House opened in 1930 to promote Lipton tea along with delicious cakes and pastries, as they had a long history of introducing quality black tea to the Japanese market. Located in a busy gallery in the Sanjo area, it's a relaxing place to take a break from shopping or have some cake before heading out for a big night out.
From the gallery, you can take a look at some of the pastries and milkshakes on the menu. Their selection varies with the season and it's always nice to check out their newest offerings. This time, we spotted a huge and shiny cherry pie as well as a mouth-watering strawberry shortcake that drew us in.
Inside the Tea House, the atmosphere is warm and cosy. The waiter seated us at the back of the room, on a comfortable bench next to a wall of mirrors. The place has a nice upscale, chic feeling to it and you can see that most of the visitors seem to be middle-aged couples that are looking to have a romantic tea experience.
Their menu offers a scrumptious selection of excellent teas, both iced and hot. What is interesting about the Lipton tea house is that if you want to have a break from traditional japanese tea, you can taste high quality international tea such as Ceylon or Darjeeling. But you may also find special matcha milkshakes if you want to stick with local tastes! As for the cakes, most of their names are written in Japanese, so I recommend that you spot the cake that you want from the storefront, where they are displayed.
We ordered a slice of the cherry pie, with lemon Ceylon tea. The price was reasonable as the cakes and tea range from 500 ¥ to 600 ¥ each. We were served really quickly and weren't disappointed by what we saw! The cake was delicately served inside a small paper layer wrapping to keep the cherries from falling. The tea came with a small slice of lemon to enhance its taste. Both tasted great together. The cherries were fresh and the tea was intense. The cake had a small layer of what tasted like cheesecake between the cherries and a cherry flavored biscuit.
Overall, we had a great experience in this tea house. It would be a pleasant experience for tea connosieurs that wants to experience a Lipton tea store, which is only available in Japan!
