Loose-Leaf Tea

Why tea, in a coffee bar

Most coffee bars in Amsterdam keep a box of teabags under the counter. We went the other way. The tea list is as long as the coffee list, everything is loose leaf, and each tea is named for what it is and where it comes from: an Alishan Jin Xuan from Taiwan, a Gyokuro from Uji, a pu-erh pressed in 2001. If you drink tea the way other people drink coffee, this is the room for it.

Matcha

Stone-ground green tea from Uji, whisked to order. Take it straight, as a matcha tea, or as a matcha latte. It is among the most ordered drinks on the board.

• Matcha Tea

  Japan

  €5.70

• Matcha Latte

  Japan

  €7.70

Black tea

Fully oxidised and the closest thing to a familiar cup. A brisk Ceylon, and an Earl Grey scented with bergamot.

• Ceylon

  Sri Lanka

  €5.00 / €9.50

• Earl Grey

  China

  €5.00 / €9.50

White tea

The least processed leaf on the list: young buds and leaves, withered and dried, nothing more. Light, sweet and quiet. Silver Needle is all bud; Bai Mu Dan adds the first two leaves for a little more body.

• Silver Needle

  Japan

  €6.50 / €12.00

• Fuding Bai Nu Dan

  China

  €6.00 / €11.50

Oolong

Partly oxidised, so it sits between green and black. Alishan Jin Xuan is a Taiwanese high-mountain oolong with a naturally creamy, milky finish. Phoenix Mi Lan Xiang, the honey-orchid Dan Cong, is the one to order if you like a tea that changes with every steep.

• Alishan Jin Xuan

  Taiwan

  €5.00 / €9.50

• Phoenix Milan Xiang Dan

  China

  €6.50 / €12.00

Green tea

Three very different greens. Jasmine pearls are hand-rolled and scented over fresh blossom. Genmaicha pairs green tea with toasted rice and a dusting of matcha. Gyokuro is shade-grown for weeks before picking, which is why it tastes closer to broth than to grass.

• Jasmin Dragon Pearl

  China

  €6.50 / €12.00

• Genmaicha Matcha Iri Uji

  Japan

  €5.00 / €9.50

• Gyokuro Uji Pinnacle

  Japan

  €6.50 / €12.00

Herbal

Caffeine-free. Honeybush is rooibos's sweeter South African cousin, good late in the morning or with something from the counter.

• Honeybush

  South Africa

  €5.00 / €9.50

Flowery

A blooming tea: a hand-tied bundle of leaves and jasmine and rose that opens in the glass. Order it for the table.

• Blooming Jasmine Rose

  China

  €5.00 / €9.50

Pu-erh

An aged, fermented tea from Yunnan. Ours is a 2001 Hai Wan cake: earthy, smooth, and served by the pot because it will keep going for many steeps.

• 2001 Hai Wan Tea

  China

  €15.05

How we brew

Water temperature and steep time change per tea, so we brew each one to order rather than to a timer on the wall. Pots come with enough leaf to steep again; ask for more hot water when you run low. If you do not know where to start, say what you usually drink and we will pour you something close, then something less close.

Questions

Do you serve loose-leaf tea in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid?

Yes. Every tea at Akhi 'n Friends is loose leaf, brewed to order and served by the cup or the pot. We list fourteen single-origin teas from Japan, China, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

What is the difference between a cup and a pot?

A cup is a single serving. A pot is a larger pour of the same leaf that you can re-steep at the table, which is how oolong, gyokuro and pu-erh are meant to be drunk. Prices on the menu are shown as cup / pot.

Do you have matcha?

Yes. We whisk Uji matcha to order and serve it as a matcha tea or a matcha latte. It is one of the most ordered drinks on the board.

Can I buy loose-leaf tea to take home?

Ask at the counter. We keep a small retail shelf alongside the bar with beans from roasters we rate, and sometimes tea; what is on it changes with the season.

Where is your tea house?

Ruysdaelstraat 15HS, 1071 WX Amsterdam, in Oud-Zuid between Museumplein and De Pijp. We are open Tuesday to Sunday from 7:00 to 15:00.