5 of the best tea houses on the Gold Coast

STAND aside, coffee! We’ve found the best places on the Gold Coast where the art and craft of tea is serious business.

STAND aside, coffee! We’ve found the best places on the Gold Coast where the art and craft of tea is serious business.

Teavine House.

Teavine House

268 Tallebudgera Creek Road, Tallebudgera

Set in picturesque Tallebudgera Valley, this French provincial style cottage specialises in morning and afternoon teas (and there’s lunch in between if you’re particularly peckish). High tea is served in the dining room or on the patio overlooking the lush grounds. Owner Sonia Goldner took over Teavine in January after making a failed offer on the business seven years earlier — surely meant to be. “It’s just such a lovely spot for a cuppa,” she says. There are 13 selected loose leaf teas to choose from, sourced from around the world, and meticulously brewed and served in fine English china pots and cups (of course). “The house crockery has been collected from around the world over many years,” Sonia says. In-house chefs prepare the selection of sweet and savoury high tea delights from Thursday to Sunday.

Pomeroys Coffee Roasters.

Pomeroys Coffee Roasters

3G10/15 Via Roma Capri, Isle of Capri

Don’t let the name fool you; Pomeroys is not just about the coffee. Owner Nathan Ward is a serious connoisseur of fine tea. “Honestly, tea makes up about five to 10 per cent of our total sales but we have some real tea lovers who rely on us for a properly brewed cup or pot,” he says. There are 20 different teas on the menu: traditional blends, herbals and a range of no caffeine fruit teas. Pomeroys ensures each is meticulously prepared, with water heated to exactly the right temperature to bring out the leaves’ fullest flavours. “We have temperature gauges on our kettles because using boiling water can be a disaster for teas,” Nathan says. “It burns the leaves. The brew is just so important. We recommend all our tea customers get temperature-controlled kettles.” Nathan’s tip: they are a bargain at Kmart.

The Old Teahouse Gallery.

The Old Teahouse Gallery

7 Johns Road/Springbrook Road, Mudgeeraba

Owner of the Old Teahouse Gallery Ann Thompson began her love affair with vintage fine china almost 30 years ago and is happy to be able to share her collection with others. “People often remark they remember their grandmother or aunty had a particular pattern,” she says. “It brings back memories. I love to see other people enjoying it.” Ann and her team serve morning and afternoon teas and light lunches on the veranda of the elegant historical home, overlooking manicured gardens nestled in the greenery of Mudgeeraba. Those taking tea are encouraged to choose their brews by smelling jars of special blends including such concoctions as cherry ripe and brulee. Not surprisingly, the venue is popular for wedding and baby showers and with anyone seeking old world charm and hospitality.

Tea and Niceties.

Tea & Niceties

32 Eagle Heights Road, Tamborine Mountain

Backing on to Curtis Falls National Park, this Tamborine tea house is set in lush rainforest gardens. High teas are served in the vintage-inspired tea room with its lace curtains and fine china or you can take a less formal cuppa at the Garden Café, drinking in the tranquillity as well. Owner Steven Hibbard says there are up to 30 teas, tonics and infusions to choose from.

Tea and Niceties.

Medicinal herbal teas are popular with those taking the Well Being High Tea which offers vegan delights. “Tourists like the Australian outback breakfast tea which has a lovely hint of billy smokiness,” Steven says. Goodies for the high tea towers are baked fresh daily and for those lingering beyond teatime, a short walk through the gardens will have you stumbling on a pavilion bar serving local craft beers and ciders.

Hazel Tea Shop

Shop 9, RSL Centre, 9 Beach Road, Surfers Paradise

Hazel Tea Shop has been packing them in at the RSL Centre for 15 years. The house speciality is undoubtedly its bubble tea, popular in East Asia for around 40 years. Bubble tea has a tea base, mixed with milk or fruit and topped with chewy tapioca balls or fruit jellies. The balls, or pearls, are sucked through a straw and chewed while the liquid is swallowed. Hazel Tea Shop says its pearls are simply the best on the Gold Coast, made with sweet potato, cassava root and brown sugar and are shiny black in colour. They say bubble tea is definitely not a fad and warn it is highly addictive. Hazel Tea Shop has a full menu of teas, which can be served hot or cold, with or without milk, or fruit scented. With 14 different toppings, it could take months to try every combination.