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YOUNG or old, tea has been always part of our Malaysian culture. Be it at a cafe, a ‘mamak’, a ‘kopitiam’ or with all the bubble tea craze.
Even the invitation to ‘yum cha’, which translates from Cantonese to ‘drink tea’, involves the idea of tea – though you may not be consuming it.
Over the years, many tea houses and bars have cropped up. Infused within the array of cafes on the ground floor of 1970s apartment blocks of Happy Mansion in Petaling Jaya, sits four-year-old tea bar Tanah dan Air.
What started as a curiosity after an impromptu visit to a tea house, eventually became a passion and career in the years that followed.
Lau Siow Fei, co-owner and tea brewer of Tanah dan Air, ventured into the mystical realm of tea after her kung fu teacher invited her and a few friends to a tea house for a short brewing session.
There, they learned the basics of tea brewing, and to her amazement, everyone’s tea tasted different despite using the same tea leaves.
This piqued her interest. Soon she started talking to and building a rapport with tea merchants, going for courses, and eventually opened her tea bar.
As a tea bar where the brewer brews in front of customers, Tanah dan Air was among the first of its kind in 2018.
Mahenbala, the other half of Tanah dan Air, shared that before opening the tea bar, he and Siow Fei would organise tea experiences where people gathered at the comforts of their homes to experience a proper tea ceremony.
Only after that did they decide to open a place where the drink could be experienced in a more accessible way.
With limited space, Mahen, who took charge of designing the interior, decided that the shop should be done “in a way where priority is given to the person brewing the tea,” maximising everyone’s experience.
“We think of the place like a studio where everything emanates from the tea bar,” he said.
Both Siow Fei and Mahen are strong believers that tea has the power to bring people together, regardless of the environment they are in.
But, unlike the experience of drinking a pot of tea at a kopitiam, where the ‘responsibility of brewing the tea falls on the customer,’ a tea bar is where customers can enjoy the experience without worrying about brewing their tea.
But a one-of-a-kind tea experience is not the only thing Tanah dan Air creates.
The tea bar has indirectly become the bridge between generations and social groups.
“Tea itself is going through a transformation from the traditional kopitiam to a more modern aesthetic, so we bring in tea that is more modern,” said Siow Fei.
Apart from serving their array of tea, Siow Fei has gotten people who would come to the tea bar asking about tea leaves that they have gotten or inherited, hoping to learn about it and how to brew them.
She would then spend time learning, teaching and discussing the best ways to brew the tea leaves; indirectly creating a community of tea brewers and drinkers.
This generational gap is not the only thing Tanah dan Air has bridged.
“It can be very inaccessible and intimidating, to look at a tea shop and everything is written in a script that you don't understand,” said Mahen.
And with Siow Fei’s description of tea being "mystical and uncertain", drinking and understanding tea can be intimidating to most.
But with her and Mahen's dedication to ensure that Tanah dan Air is a place where anyone can enter, try and be guided through the process of discovery, they spend time explaining tea to their customers.
Bearing both a Malay and Chinese name, “坔茶舍”, Tanah dan Air embodies the core idea of ‘Satu Malaysia,’ not just by name but with the elements within its interior as well.
And by not limiting their clientele to a specific group of people, this tea bar focuses on the people who step through their doors, rather than focusing on bringing people through the doors.
“Usually when people start businesses, they would think of their market and the people they are marketing to. We decided instead to focus on what is right for the tea. And whoever finds themselves gravitating towards that, that will be our clients,” shared Mahen.
Moving forward, Siow Fei hopes that tea brewers will become as big a market as baristas.
At the moment, she has a couple of part-timers who not only come to help her out at the shop but also learn the art of tea brewing.
“For the past three years, it’s just been me brewing at the tea bar, but I would want to have more people interested in tea, to experience it or even build a career with it.”
For those who are intrigued by the world of tea, but have no clue where or how to start, the best way to start is to just approach the tea brewer.
As one herself, Siow Fei understands that many might be afraid to make a mistake, especially with something that we are not familiar with.
“Am I going to say something wrong or stupid?”
But with the vast variety of tea, even she is still learning about the different teas herself; so, there is nothing to be afraid of.
You could go up to the brewer and tell your preference and what flavours you enjoy. There are times where Siow Fei would even ask her customers what they are feeling that day to recommend the right tea.
So, go and explore your cup of tea. You might even be surprised. – The Vibes, March 6, 2021
