Tea Tree Tea

Unfortunately out of business as of April 2012.

A fantastic little tea shop situated just off Lothian Road, with a wide variety of teas, cakes, sandwiches and cold drinks; there’s plenty of space upstairs and a very cosy snug downstairs too (although on the first Saturday of the month it’s usually occupied by us Edinburgh Furmeet folks, thanks for having us TTT!)
Top Tip: Try the lapsang souchong, it’s fantastic.

I walked in here because of the free WiFi sign, and I am so glad that I did!
A thousand times better than the Starbucks right next to it, both in terms of product and atmosphere!
The sitting space is cozy and bohemian; lots of little flyers for local events are around and art hangs on the walls. Two obvious regulars were knitting in the corner.
And yes the owners were very entertaining!
If I lived close to it, I would become a regulara community gem!

Despite Kay L tentatively sharing her love of Tea Tree Tea on Unilocal,in fear that her little secret would become too well known, in a way I’m glad it’s still a bit of a hidden gem. Although a busy one full of people ‘in-​the-​know’.
Tollcross is a funny area, and not one people normally stroll or amble around casually waiting until they stumble upon a place to rest their feet or feast their tums. Its a business district, it has a busy main road, and it’s a little worn.
Tucked up a side-​street, you might not wander past Tea Tree Tea every day but its certainly worth coming out of your way for. It’s not really on my way to anywhere but I would gladly make the 25 minute walk from home to here for an iced green tea with lemon and a bit of their honey moon slice.
They do tea, and they do good tea. I asked how they made their iced tea and received a strange look. I explained that when I had once asked for iced tea, I saw them making it up with syrup. «No no no» I was reassured, their iced tea is made with real tea, cold. Obviously.
There’s many different teas to choose from but in quite a straight forward way. There isn’t a 10-​page menu but there are some exciting smoky lapsang souchongs. There are delicious, homely, hearty paninis and very more-​ish cakes. You could be sinful or saintly here, depending on what you choose.
The staff really make the place what it is. Super friendly, a cheeky smile and quirky comments as you’re ordering. I like the whole feel of the place.
When I stopped in one summer’s eve half the café had been taken over by a knitting group. That’s cool. They’re the sort of place sociable groups gather to do sociable things. Nice.
Tea is quite fashionable just now, and there are many tea houses doing so many teas it boggles my mind. Tea Tree Tea hit the mark nicely offering way more than S’Bucks or C’tas, and offer good tea at that, but aren’t up their own bags about it.

A refreshing change from the plethora of coffee bars in the area. Tasty and exotic teas, delicious cakes and nice service. Some of the seats are a bit shabby but if anything that adds to the non-​chain atmosphere. Oh they sometimes have nice art for sale also. They need to get some Chinese white tea again though.

You know those places that you’re not sure you want to share? This is one of those.
We happened upon Tea Tree by happy accident. We ordered, were served by staff able to hide efficiency with cheery chat, and took a seat, noticing the blackboard congratulating someone on their new baby.
An older lady came in, slowly making her way toward the service area. The bearded guy behind the counter asked how she was, to just take a seat and he would come and take her order — without a hint of patronising ‘customer service’. He seemed genuinely happy to see a regular and saw it as his business to come to her for her ease and comfort. Y’know, *actual* customer service.
This care for customers and genuinely happy attitude is one of the reasons we have become huge fans of Tea Tree — Jamie and Trey (the bearded guy!) have managed to get it just right. Good food (my husband loves the haggis panninis and the bacon sandwhiches), happy banter with customers that’s never too intrusive, a light atmospere and surroundings. Plus, they do amazing coffee and tea, even though tea is their main reason for being. Apparently, they had the good sense to realise someone needed to do for tea what Starbucks had done for coffee.
And I think that that is what the friendliness hides — that these guys know what they’re doing when it comes to a good brew. They love what they do and that really comes across. They even had this particular coffee addict drinking tea which, for the first time in my life, I liked!
I’d rather support a local company than a generic franchise — so I won’t be keeping Tea Tree to myself but will be recommending it (and their Honeymoon Slice) to everyone I can — it’s worth making it a point to go in and try it out!

I am a self confessed coffee snob, and I’d much rather drink a great tea, than suffer through a bad coffee, so, in an area devoid of good places to drink coffee, why not drink tea?
The staff here are very friendly and definitely know their stuff. They blend their own teas and brew it just the way it is meant to be brewed. Some may even think it is a bit obsessive the way they weigh the leaves and time the brewing process, but if you want the perfect tea, its how it should be. They have everything on the menu from a Scottish Breakfast (tea that is) to Rooibos, Oolong, and my personal favourite the green Qing Ta – or something along those lines. To be honest I can never remember the name, but the staff know its my favourite, so I don’t need to know!
There are plenty of tables and comfy couches to curl up into while you enjoy your cuppa, maybe while checking your email with the free wifi. The walls are decorated with some striking photos, and if you like what you see and your wallet allows, you can take them home. I haven’t tasted the coffee, so for once I can’t pass comment on that, and while the food cabinet looks well stocked, I haven’t had any of that either…
Tea Tree Tea is easily missed as its located off Lothian Road 10 or so metres down Bread Street… but next time you crave caffeine, why not try some tea?!

This place is the more sophisticated Edinburgh version of Glasgow’s Tchai-​Ovna.
I love tea. Tea makes me happy. Tea starts my day off and ends it most days. So when I seen a tea shop in Edinburgh I had to get fired in there.
After tentatively going into Tchai Ovna where it was filled with art school or philosophy student types and loving it, I wandered in here with much more confidence and I wasn’t disappointed.
I settled down into my chair and sat my cup of Funky Oolong onto one of the thick wooden tables and waited for it to cool to a temperature that I could enjoy it whilst casting my gaze at the artworks on the walls.
There’s loads of different types of tea you can try in this place, so you’ll never be short of something new to try. You can buy sandwiches and the like too which I’ll definitely try next time I’m in.
I can’t wait!

We all like a cuppa, but let’s be honest here. When it comes to this new wave of egalitarian, hippy-​inspired tea joints, 90% of the offerings taste like warm dishwater, be it an Oolong, a Nettle, or a Yogi Chai. With the exception of Tchai-​Ovna, where I’ve savoured Apple Strudel Tea and the all-​conquering Spice Master’s Special (the official greatest thing in the world), I’ve not yet found a tea shop that bucks this trend, including Tea Tree Tea.
It’s still quite nice to sit, but a bit lacking in atmosphere. If I’m going to be hanging around in a counterculture, anti-​capitalist (£3.99 a pot) tea house I want dreadlocks, beards and people with rich parents egging me on to set fire to a bank. Tea Tree doesn’t seem to quite have that yet. Give it time.

If you can get past the pillar box red exterior, Tea Tree Tea is a homely café that serves tasty sandwiches, toasties, scones, shortbread and cakes. The décor is a comfy mix of leather arm chairs and wooden tables and chairs and there’s usually a bustling mix of students, mums and toddlers and small groups of friends.
As the name implies, Tea Tree Tea also serves a staggering selection of different teas from scented teas, smoked teas, fruit teas, green teas and spiced teas to tea infusions and tea lattes. All the drinks are brewed with leaves rather than tea-​bags and for those with a simpler tea palette, they sell Scottish Breakfast tea.
Whilst I enjoyed my cuppa, I have to be honest: I’m a coffee lover!

My friend who came to visit was so excited about this place, I feel she’d researched it before she even landed in Edinburgh! We eventually made it over there one rainy day, and stayed in there for a while trying to wait the weather out (fyi we failed!)
We were cosy enough in some leather chairs by the window, and the staff was extremely friendly; I had to be reminded I’d payed as I eagerly waited by the counter for more conversation! I was pleased to try Oolong tea for the first time, whose flavour is so complex I’d sound a bit like a pretentious wine conoisseur trying to explain it… so go there and try it! Their chai was also quite good, but I feel people go there for the relaxed atmosphere as much as the tea!

If you want an experience akin to sipping on a caramel macchiato or English Breakfast tea in Starbucks, then go to Starbucks, because Tea Tree Tea is aiming to be something different, and is part of the new wave of independent tea and coffee shops doing their own thing and forming their own character and beverage sipping vibe, which I opine is actually cooler these days, because, after all, what can be more important than the old «just be yourself» motto, churned out by your parents or anybody else that knew better, every time you felt you had to conform to some ridiculous trend that you weren’t really keen on in the first place.
The staff here are super friendly and accommodating, and it’s always bustling and busy, due to its convenient location just off Lothian Road. Lunch hours attract a mix of local office workers, students and individuals of a generally hip nature, and the atmosphere is chilled and laid back. There is a plethora (I’m enjoying this word this week) of speciality teas on offer here, but there’s coffee too if you’re a dedicated espresso drinker. There are also sandwiches, cakes and snacks to accompany your tea imbibing.

A super little tea shop just off Lothian road is Tea Tree Tea.
Rough wooden tables, leather armchairs and an overall cool, clean and crisp interior equate to a comfortable place to grab a mug of the hot stuff. There’s usually a local artist’s work on the walls too for you to gaze at while sipping your finely crafted tea (of which the owners slave over). The teas here are measured to ensure an exact and tasty ratio of tea to water, producing a fine cuppa indeed.
Sandwiches and other well made snacks are available all at a reasonable price.

Tea Tree Tea’s signage strongly resembles the Chicken Cottage, which unfortunately turned me off at first. I thought, like Emma, that it was going to be slightly downtrodden if not functional enough.
If I hadn’t been absolutely gasping for a brew, I wouldn’t have discovered how marvellous this miniature tea emporium was. But such as it happened, I hurried my friend in here promptly when I needed tea revival and had some serious cake cravings.
Tea Tree Tea is very laid back and low key, with ample space for buggies and wheelchairs since its tables are big and well spaced out. There was a hint of kitschy hippy styles in parts and the low playing music was to my liking.
They had a lot of Fairtrade tea and a good variety of flavoured teas to pep you up. They had a nice selection of cakes and the staff were friendly. So don’t be fooled by the uninspiring fronting, because when inside you will find a relaxed wee café with healthy offerings that will give you a boost to see you through the rest of the day.

Tea Tree Tea is a place that I walk by all the time, but have never thought to go into — it always seems to be full of art school types and, to be honest, I thought the shop frontage looked a little tatty. I am a bit of a sucker when it comes to nice fonts and well designed logos and Tea Tree fails on both counts (superficial, I know…).
However, I friend at work swears that it’s amazing and the only place to get a decent chai this side of India, so we skived off from the office for half an hour to have a cuppa. I ordered a Chai Latte and a piece of homemade Millionaire’s Shortbread and I was more than impressed. The Millionaire’s Shortbread was amazing, perhaps even the best I’ve ever had — a slab of crumbly, buttery biscuit base with caramel a centimetre thick, topped off with milk chocolate. The Chai was subtly flavoured with just the right balance of sweetness and spice. Delectable.
I have a feeling that a lot more of my cash will be going into their coffers.

I don’t like tea. In fact I hate it. But after stumbling upon this place, I almost on my way to changing my mind. Almost.
We randomly went in here after the place we were originally going to go for lunch was closed. A nice, modern café, it is easily missed especially as it is only a few doors down from Starbucks. But the tea here is so much better than Starbucks could ever be, and the great choice on offer is fantastic. I had some sort of ice tea fruit drink. So I suppose I didn’t go all the way and have proper tea, but it did taste a little like tea and I enjoyed it. There is a good selection of rolls on offer too. I had a nice feta and houmous roll which was in an olive type bread. The friend had a cheese, ham and jalapeño toasted sandwich which was equally as nice. Both were around £3, which is reasonable enough.
I have plenty of tea loving friends (you know the type who are obsessed by it and drink it by the gallon) who I will probably take here as it is worth a visit.

Tucked away in the side streets of Edinburgh, its a wonder that Tea Tree Tea survives with the numerous chain coffee/​tea places around the city.
However, Tea Tree Tea is not just another café among the millions of others out there. A huge range of teas awaits you, from classics such as Assum to rarer types of Chinese teas — all of which are proudly fairtrade. Tea Tree Tea also serves a few small snacks and sandwiches for lunch time.
And of course, if you enjoy your tea so much that you must take some away with you, Tea Tree Tea sells its teas — although dont expect it to be in cup friendly tea-​bags. If you do get stuck however, staff are more than willing to give advice on whether to put the milk in the cup first or not — among other tea related dilemmas.

Easily missed as it’s a few doors down on a side street off Lothian Road, this is a real revelation.
Service is enthusiastic, the envionment clean and homely, prices reasonable and the paninis are to die for.
Check it out!

This is the best tea shop in Edinburgh if not Scotland (although to be honest I have not been to many outside of the burgh). The first thing I noticed upon walking in was the incredibly cool décor, then the fantastic smell and that was before I ordered anything.
Upon reaching the counter I found that there are no Tea Bags what so ever, funny but having been a frequenter of starbucks and nero, I expected to see tea bags… not the masses of teas most of which I had never heard of let alone pronounce.
I ordered a lapsang and cinnamon tea latte which was fantastic. That was a year ago, I refuse to go elsewhere as the quality is untouchable and the staff friendly, knowledgeable and engaging.

This is the best independent coffee/​tea shop i ever had the pleasure to drink my espressos, some teas and a cheesecake to die for.
The staff and owners are a extremly friendly bunch of people. I been away for 3 month and from next week i know where i will be for my coffee breacks.