I searched 'tea shops' on Google Maps and came across Camden Tea Bar in London with a very high rating and almost 1,800 reviews, so I went to their shop to check out what they had.
When I got there, their bar area to the right was filled with customers gulping down teas and shoving cakes into their faces. To the left, I saw jars of loose-leaf teas, where visitors could smell them before making a purchase. I spent half an hour sniffing about 20 teas to figure out which ones I liked and wanted to buy.
One tea that quickly caught my eye was the 'Ripe Mango Black Tea', as my side quest is to find a great-tasting mango-flavoured tea. I had tried the Ahmad Tea's mango and lychee green tea in tea bag form, which was okay, so I thought this loose-leaf tea would be much better.
Along with this tea, I had chosen about five others that I wanted to purchase that day. The only problem with buying tea at their shop is that the smallest quantity customers could buy was 25 servings for £8, which was way too much if there was a tea I didn't like.
I asked the lady behind the counter if they sold smaller serving sizes, and she said they sold five servings for a few quid, depending on which tea you bought. So, I went home, browsed their collection online for an hour or two, and bought 11 of their teas, which I picked up from their shop the following weekend. I will review them all in the coming weeks.
Just like Ahmad Tea's mango and lychee green tea, I could barely taste the mango in this loose-leaf black tea. It was fine, but I was expecting so much more, especially considering the company's great reviews.
After trying this one, I resigned myself to the possibility that I will never find a great-tasting mango-flavoured tea. I won't be buying any more unless I try them first.
Of the two mango teas I've tried, I preferred the taste of loose-leaf black tea. But if I had to buy either again, it would be Ahmad Tea's tea bags for their convenience.
Score: 3.4 / 5
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