A taste of the exotic

Imperial Teas is one of the draws to Lincolnshire; people come here from around the country to buy exotic teas from all over the world. What people might not have realised is that tucked around the corner is a spacious tearoom, where tea-lovers can sample the delights on sale in the shop next door.

Situated on the historic Steep Hill, Imperial Teas occupies a Norman House and the entrance to the Tea shop is on the far end of the building. It was a little daunting, as it looks rather like a cathedral vault, entered through big heavy wooden double doors.

Inside, however, the atmosphere was surprising. It has been decorated with a modern, fresh touch, and the décor feels slick and contemporary. One wall is lit entirely by fairy lights, while the colour scheme is green, with surrounding tranquil images of tea leaves and tea fields. We were immediately made to feel at ease.

One of the features of the tearoom is their tea-tasting experience, where you can select a range of teas to try and each comes in a miniature teapot, enabling you to sample snippets of the unusual flavours. While this looks fascinating, and as a tea-addict, I will certainly be returning to give this a go, on this particular visit, I just wanted a cup of tea and a piece of cake.

Despite my unadventurous requirements, we were treated warmly and were talked through the different teas on offer. If you are unsure of the different flavours, you can simply tell them what type of tea you like and they will select a variety based on that. If your tipple is bog-standard English Breakfast tea, they are more than happy to provide this for you!.

Being the only couple in the shop for the majority of our visit, we felt a little self-conscious, but the spacious, peaceful space soon put me at ease. When our tea arrived, we were shown how long each tea needed to infuse, and then advised to remove the infuser, so that the tea did not get too strong. We were even provided with a little timer that beeped when 'the specified infusing time was up', as our waitress explained. Personally, I am unable to go to a tearoom without sampling their cake, and I couldn’t resist a piece of Victoria Sponge that looked home made. Although there wasn’t a wide selection of cakes available, they looked fresh and tasty. In fact the sponge was slightly on the dry side, but accompanied by the tea, was perfectly edible.

While Imperial Teas is not the cheapest tearoom in Lincolnshire, a pot of tea provides roughly four cups, so you certainly get your money’s worth. For a truly unique tea experience, I can highly recommend a visit, particularly if you are a more adventurous tea-drinker than I am.

Tea cup rating:

1 Pot of Darjeeling Avangrove £3.00
1 Pot Earl; Grey Gold £3.50
1 Slice Victoria Sponge £2.00

Imperial Teas of Lincoln
47 Steep Hill Lincoln
LN2 1LU
01522 560008
http://www.imperialteas.co.uk/