Yumchaa Tea Shop

FOR THE TEA FANATICS EVERYWHERE

Instagram appeal: 5/10
We made the error of sitting near the cake display, so people were constantly in the way.
Edginess: 5/10
Brimming with tea geeks and strainer snobs, Yumchaa is more Covent Garden than Shoreditch.
Good for:
Unusual teas, homemade sandwiches and Nutella-y cakes.
Most Likely To Meet:
Tea try-hards and solo readers craving a cuppa.
Affordability: 5/10
It’s not ridiculously cheap, but definitely doesn’t break the bank.

Quite embarrassingly, considering this is only my fourth For Goodness Cakes review, I managed to run out of willing friends (or friends without actual jobs) and resorted to forcing my boyfriend (who doesn’t actually drink tea) to come and eat cake with me at Yumchaa Tea Shop and have his photo posted on Instagram.

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I’d heard from a guy at work (funnily enough I actually work in a coffee house) that Yumchaa is the absolute dream for tea fanatics who love their loose-leaf tea, get excited by strainers and filters, and know their ‘Chai Black’ from their ‘Walk in the Woods’ and their ‘Russian Caravan’ from their ‘Lapsang Souchong’. Don’t get me wrong, the absolutely huge selection of loose-leaf teas (white, green or black) on display in little white jugs for you to smell was pretty impressive and I do love a good cup of proper tea, but their anti-teabag policy and ridiculous tea knowledge struck me as just a tiny bit pretentious.

After much deliberation, I actually avoided having to decide between a million different types of tea by going for a chai latte – mainly because I was starting to feel slightly Christmassy, it was really cold outside and I’m a sucker for anything involving cinnamon. Served in a rather fancy filter specifically for chai lattes, my posh chai was fresh-tasting, slightly unusual but a little too sweet for my liking.

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If there’s one thing you absolutely must try at Yumchaa, it has to be their Nutella and banana bread. Whilst Justin’s cinnamon and apple loaf was pretty tasty, the Nutella and banana combo was just incredible and I could’ve eaten at least three more pieces. Although it wasn’t the best-looking cake on display, it was probably one of the best banana-based cakes I’ve ever tried and obviously anything involving Nutella is an instant winner.

With its slightly vintage décor, chilled tunes (Justin was a fan), and ridiculously good cake, Yumchaa is definitely worth a visit. Although their slightly pretentious tea selection attracts tea snobs left right and centre, don’t let it put you off – its laid-back vibe makes this place perfect for an afternoon of procrastination or a quick visit between seminars.