On Saturday, I met up with Ethel (who blogs at flyeetelfly) for dinner and tea! I’ve been wanting to go to Hvala since I’ve heard of it and I was so glad that she agreed to come with me.

So about Hvala: it’s this cafe that focuses on Japanese teas. That’s not too unusual in Singapore, where Japan/Japan-inspired cafes are popular, but what is unusual is their range of teas. Apart from the usual matcha and houjicha, they also have Japanese oolongs.

I repeat: Japanese oolongs.

I didn’t even see these when I was in Japan! Obviously, I have to try them at least once.

We got to the cafe around 8pm on Saturday and it was bustling. I liked the decor but the music was a bit too loud for me. (but this isn’t a lifestyle blog so why am I even commenting on this?)

 We ended up getting seats at the counter, which gave us a good view of all the teas being prepared!

I ordered “Memories” ($6.80), which is an aged Japanese oolong. It’s described as:

“A lightly aged oolong that has been carefully stored for 12 years. The passage of time created a unique mellowness that balances with the slight green aroma.” 

First impressions: The floral scent I associate with oolong is very faint. The taste of the tea resembles the Ureshino black tea I have (I really need to try more Japanese black teas or this is going to be my only reference), but with a somewhat nuttier taste.

After some time: As the tea cools down, the floral notes started to develop and by the end of the cup, it felt like I was drinking a light oolong. The way the tea develops as it loses heat is pretty interesting, which makes it a tea to be savoured, not gulped.

Overall, this was a very interesting tea and I’m glad I tried it! I noticed that there are three other oolongs on the menu, which means that I’ll have to go back sometime to drink them.

On a different topic, Ethel also gave me teas!!

(A Thirst for Empire: How Tea Shaped Shaped the Modern World is the next book on my TBR pile so I thought it’d be fun to take a photo with it inside. CLEARLY, I have no eye for arrangement)

Ethel gifted me with some teas from Buckingham Palace, a black tea from Myammar, a “drip tea” (like drip coffee), and some flower teas! Thanks, Ethel! I can’t wait to try them(: