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December was the month to let loose, whether you grew a moustache in November or kept your zipper zipped, and judging by the steady traffic at our local Tops, it appears that Cape Townians got their drink on well this festive season. But now that January is here, it’s time to pay the piper.

Dry January may be a fad for some, but it’s an excellent time to give your liver and wallet a little break. Penance for all those piss-ups means no bar crawls, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get together for a ‘drink’.

A cup of tea can be just what you need to bring some dignity back into your life and finances, so check out these top tea destinations in the Mother City:

Nigiro Tea Café

Situated next to Nuri Sushi and Jack’s Bagels in Cavendish Square, you can sample teas from 18 different categories and over 130 kinds or dine on a tea-inspired menu with vegan and vegetarian options. There’s also something called a Chinese Flower Bud tea experience – not those buds!

If you want to bring a small piece of Nigiro home, its tea varieties and sets are available for purchase. If the tea leaf bites, you can join the tea club every first Saturday of the month.

Website: nigiro.co.za

Enmasse Tea Merchants

Enmasse Tea Merchants was founded in 2011 and offers 18 various types of finely picked loose teas, as well as a timer to brew them to your preference. All of the teas are blended in Cape Town, and products are acquired locally whenever possible.

If you want something different, try their brothy dinner produced by blending speciality teas with tiny amounts of dehydrated soup ingredients.

Website: enmassetea.co.za

Jasmine Tea Mill

This Chinese tea shop has everything a tea enthusiast could want, from oolong, pu-er, and herbal teas to white, black, and green teas, not to mention a large selection of glass, bamboo, ceramic, and cast iron tea ware and accessories.

If you live in the city, you can avoid the hellish N2 drive to Somerset West by visiting Jasmine Tea Mill at the Oranjezicht Market every weekend.

Website: teamill.co.za

Mainland China Food Market

Mainland China Food Market is not only a well-stocked supermarket for all of your Asian food, snacks, fresh or dried ingredients, and utensil needs, but it also features a section dedicated to herbal teas.

Its shelves are stacked high with jars and jars of loose tea leaves and boxes of tea-bagged leaves, as well as an assortment of teapots, tea sets, cups, saucers, and any other accessories you can think of as well as a few that remain a mystery to non-tea lovers.

Location: 12 Grove Avenue, Claremont

Peacock Tea and Coffee

Peacock Tea and Coffee Traders is a Cape Town-based company that has been supplying premium teas and coffees to since 1966 and offers a wide selection of tea-related machinery, equipment, accessories, and crockery from across the world to ensure that your tea ritual makes you forget all about the bottle of Veuve Clicquot in the fridge.

Website: peacockteaandcoffee.co.za

Giving yourself over to the world of teas doesn’t mean you are turning into a vegan, or that you have to start wearing hemp shoes, but it is infinitely healthier than alcohol, and you never know, you might find a better beverage to spend your hard-earned money on.

Still, someone might want to look into a tea-flavoured beer.

[source:food&home]