potsy
Rambler
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Next time you're in Manchester you could treat yourself to a pot of this
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Restaurant sells rich tea at £25 a pot
One lump or two? Petra Dubecova pours a cup of Mariage Freres Sacred White at Kitchen at the CircleTea billed as the most expensive brew in Manchester is being sold at £25 a pot.
The Mariage Freres Sacred White tea is being served up at Kitchen at the Circle restaurant in the city centre’s Barton Arcade. And the high price means it is about £1 for each slurp of the brew.
Bosses at the trendy restaurant said the reason behind the expense is the way the tea is made.
It is farmed at a secret estate in Sri Lanka and according to ancient tradition only women can pick the leaves using gloves and golden scissors.
It’s also said to contain more antioxidants than any black or green tea.
Kitchen bosses believe there’s a gap in the market for its extensive speciality tea menu.
And they say plenty of diners are prepared to stump up the eye-boggling amount – just to sample something a bit out of the ordinary.
Kitchen at The Circle managing director Craig Ince said: "We love our tea here so it made sense to really go for it and pull together a full menu of teas that aren’t on offer anywhere else in Manchester, as well as the more traditional brews.
"When we were tasting them we just fell in love with the Mariage Freres because it is such a refreshing taste and also so good for you.
"We know it’s expensive but we think you could get six cups out of one pot."
For those punters less than impressed with the price tag, the extensive tea menu starts at £2.25.
Or you could pop across to the nearby Greggs – where you can buy 30 cups of their cheapest 85p cuppa for the same price as the posh pot at Kitchen.
Dianne Bourne takes the taste test ...
At £25 a pot, it's fair to say I'm expecting something akin to liquid gold when I sample the new purse-busting tea at The Kitchen restaurant.
But when I pour out the char I'm surprised to see the liquid is almost clear.
I'm assured that is purely because this is ‘white tea’ rather than the more traditional black tea we’ve all come to expect inside our PG Tips tea bags. And when I admit I’m a two lumps of sugar and milk kind of girl, staff look aghast – for this brew is said to be best taken on its own. There’s something that reminds me of Earl Grey about the taste, a fragrant, slightly herby concoction.
But yep, it still tastes pretty much like tea. And while nobody was looking, I did slip in my two lumps of sugar after all – and then it was just about perfect.
Restaurant sells rich tea at £25 a pot
The Mariage Freres Sacred White tea is being served up at Kitchen at the Circle restaurant in the city centre’s Barton Arcade. And the high price means it is about £1 for each slurp of the brew.
Bosses at the trendy restaurant said the reason behind the expense is the way the tea is made.
It is farmed at a secret estate in Sri Lanka and according to ancient tradition only women can pick the leaves using gloves and golden scissors.
It’s also said to contain more antioxidants than any black or green tea.
Kitchen bosses believe there’s a gap in the market for its extensive speciality tea menu.
And they say plenty of diners are prepared to stump up the eye-boggling amount – just to sample something a bit out of the ordinary.
Kitchen at The Circle managing director Craig Ince said: "We love our tea here so it made sense to really go for it and pull together a full menu of teas that aren’t on offer anywhere else in Manchester, as well as the more traditional brews.
"When we were tasting them we just fell in love with the Mariage Freres because it is such a refreshing taste and also so good for you.
"We know it’s expensive but we think you could get six cups out of one pot."
For those punters less than impressed with the price tag, the extensive tea menu starts at £2.25.
Or you could pop across to the nearby Greggs – where you can buy 30 cups of their cheapest 85p cuppa for the same price as the posh pot at Kitchen.
Dianne Bourne takes the taste test ...
At £25 a pot, it's fair to say I'm expecting something akin to liquid gold when I sample the new purse-busting tea at The Kitchen restaurant.
But when I pour out the char I'm surprised to see the liquid is almost clear.
I'm assured that is purely because this is ‘white tea’ rather than the more traditional black tea we’ve all come to expect inside our PG Tips tea bags. And when I admit I’m a two lumps of sugar and milk kind of girl, staff look aghast – for this brew is said to be best taken on its own. There’s something that reminds me of Earl Grey about the taste, a fragrant, slightly herby concoction.
But yep, it still tastes pretty much like tea. And while nobody was looking, I did slip in my two lumps of sugar after all – and then it was just about perfect.
We could do a blind taste test. 
It is not a pretty sight. Indeed it is an entirely gross sight. 
. Old friends should know better 
