Discovering Tea (Properly!) at Tannin Hill
Visiting from London, I joined my mum, Nisha, and the Enak group for their November 13th outing to Tannin Hill, a contemporary Chinese tea gallery tucked away in Taman Million. I’ll be honest – this is not the sort of thing I usually sign up for, but by the end of the afternoon I’d gone from “tea is tea” to “tea has terroir and a storyline”, and I’m now plotting how to smuggle this new-found appreciation back to London.
Tannin Hill itself feels like a calm little sanctuary: sleek marble bar, warm tones, soft lighting and an easy, modern buzz – more chic café than old-school tea house. Their whole concept is to honour traditional Chinese tea while making it feel approachable and current, especially for people who might otherwise default to the classic coffee. The event was priced at RM60 per person and all 20 of us enjoyed ourselves
Our hosts, Carole and Tan, walked us through their innovative “one-second brew” technique – a surprisingly precise, single pour that somehow pulls out layers of flavour in no time at all. Tan’s depth of knowledge is impressive but never intimidating; he talks about tea the way a sommelier talks about wine, guiding us through body, aroma and finish as we tasted eight teas, from delicate, floral styles through to darker, smokier, full-bodied cups. All the teas are thoughtfully sourced and presented like a proper tasting flight.
The food pairings were playful and clever. We started with a nitro cold-brew tea – crisp, refreshing, and possibly the next big trend – followed by a modern tempeh dish paired with Qi Lan, an orchid-fragrant tea lifted with a touch of mint. The main was a creative take on chazuke: instead of the usual Japanese tea, they used their own blend to make a fragrant broth, poured over the dish at the table and matched with Da Hong Pao, a smoky, medium-bodied tea that tied everything together. It was perhaps a little light on the seasoning for my palate, but visually and conceptually it was a lovely show, and most importantly the tea did the heavy lifting.
Beyond the menu, what really stayed with me was the sense of care: the high-quality leaves, the thought that has gone into every pairing, and the way Carol and Tan have rebuilt an old tradition with a contemporary flair that makes tea feel exciting again. It was also a joy to meet the Malaysia Culture Group members and share something so distinctive together – a reminder that food (and tea!) is one of the easiest ways to connect across cultures and generations.
Huge thanks to Carol and Tan for such a warm, generous session, and to the Enak group for organising it all. I’m heading back to London with a suitcase full of tea, a new respect for that “one-second brew”, and a quiet ambition to start a tiny tea revolution among my unsuspecting London friends.
Many thanks to our special guest reviewer, Armaan Dobberstein.
