Photos: Guo Yingguang

The fun part comes when you leave the black-tea showroom and enter the gallery hall, where there are framed portraits and private tea rooms, including one for couples, one for three to four people, one for eight to 10 people, and a traditional Chinese VIP room for eight to 10 people. Between the rooms is a tiny garden with a gramophone. The rooms cost between 100 yuan and 280 yuan per hour, plus the cost of tea. Per five-gram serving, or pao, Assam and Darjeeling cost 68 yuan, Souchong costs 88 yuan and Keemun costs 128 yuan.

Qi gave us some tea drinking tips: for better visual effect, black tea should be served in chinaware. Three to five grams of tea leaves is sufficient, and the ratio of tea to water should be around 1:50. In addition, do not drink black tea cold, otherwise it will irritate your stomach.

Right now during its trial opening days, they have a promotion lasting until December 19, with all items having 5 percent off, and all VIP rooms 20 percent off. When the weather warms up in summer, they will serve milk tea on the patio.

Address: No. 108 of the E building of the World City, No. 10 Dongdaqiao Lu, Chaoyang district

東大橋路10號世界城E座一層商108

Tel: 8590-7974