Review of Tchai Ovna in Glasgow (Guest Blog by Caroline Corfield)

My friend Caroline Corfield (who will also be my guest on a special Lainie Sips podcast on Scottish Tea Culture this Wednesday) was kind enough to write up a review of another Glasgow tearoom, Tchai Ovna. (Her previous review was of Brewhaha.) Enjoy!

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It’s ‘summer’ in the UK and here as promised are my tea drinking experiences of Tchai Ovna in Glasgow’s Otago Lane. We often visit the west end shopping area of Byres Road, and what many visitors might not realise is the extent of the more general area around it. Otago Lane almost falls into this category but it’s more like a small group of shops and workshops in a residential area. Persevere with those worrying doubts as you stroll along the honey sandstone terraced townhouses ( now mostly student flats), because Tchai Ovna is worth the visit. It’s not new and bright, but it’s not in the city centre competing with other venues and beverages; next to a antique clock repairer and a bookshop called Voltaire, it is a bit hippy looking, however it is fastidious about its tea.

There is a A5 ringbinder of notes on their extensive range of teas, and they serve two Pu’ers; one of the teas I had looked for previously, having tried (sorry) tea-bags from the supermarket of a Pu’er and rather liking it. The waitress suggested a chocolate and mint tea for my non-tea drinking daughter, and again my mum and youngest chose the same tea, this time a Darjeeling. Tchai Ovna also serve hot and cold vegetarian meals (and they do shisa pipes too) so we ordered food. We settled down in the eclectic mix of second-hand comfy furniture and watched as more rain-soaked patrons arrived.

The Yunnan Pu’er was lovely and remained so, the Darjeeling did eventually stew, but long after we had finished our meal and the chocolate and mint went down well, having a lovely cool mint after-taste. It was very restful, the single waitress was helpful and efficient, and I would introduce other tea drinking friends to Tchai Ovna. We will be visiting the town centre tomorrow and may well give Brewhaha another crack of the whip. It’s great to know that Glasgow has the choice of two dedicated tea drinking establishments which cover such a broad clientele.

Tagged as: Caroline Corfield, glasgow, Scotland, Tchai Ovna, tea, tea rooms