Rooms with a brew: The tea house revival

Nana Chan's fondest tea memory was going to stay at a tea plantation in Darjeeling, India. She was able to visit the tea factories, and stay at one of the tea estate's five bungalows, where the owner cooked for everybody and brought them tea every morning to drink in bed.

Born into a Taiwanese family that made it a tradition to gather every day to enjoy afternoon tea, Chan has been enjoying the drink since she was four. Her dream since she was 10, the year her family relocated to Hong Kong, has been to open her own tea room.

Just over a year ago, her dream came true. The cosy Teakha, tucked in a quiet corner on Tai Ping Shan Road in Sheung Wan, represents the Buddhist Chan's passion and ideal way of life. She is constantly striving to perfect her craft and knowledge, and whenever she travels, she tries to include a little tea discovery in her itinerary.

"My motto is to share the little surprises in life. I want to share something I'm very passionate about, and remind people to pay attention to all the little details in life that they neglect," she says.

"It's not something that I can put into words - you have to feel it yourself. But in general, it's a slow-paced lifestyle involving handicrafts and more organic stuff.

"Tea is not the focus, but a window to all that," says Chan, who keeps the menu - handwritten on a blackboard - limited to about 10 teas, which is sufficient to offer a taste of the world without hopping on a plane.