In 1991, Ip Wing-chi, who has always been fond of tea appreciation, Chinese calligraphy and Chinese music, set up Lock Cha, which was relocated to its current Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware in Hong Kong Park in 2003. “Lock Cha means the joy of drinking tea whereas Ork Cha (another Cantonese pronunciation for the character “lock”) means music and tea—I’m fine with both,” says Ip. In this cream-coloured colonial building surrounded by birds and flowers, diners get to choose from a long menu of 60 types of tea while listening to Cantonese naamyam songs or gu qin music by So See Dai, an expert of the ancient Chinese string instrument (unavailable temporarily due to the pandemic). “I look for the tip-top qualities in both the food and drinks,” Ip says. Each table has its own kettle to brew hot tea, which is served in porcelain cups and clay kettles of various sizes according to the tea leaves’ nature. Ip recommends the aged Zhen Shan brown pu’er, which has a mellow and clean taste and a smooth texture. The old Liubao, Lion Peak Mingqian Longjing, white peony, old tree Shuixian and narcissus white are all popular choices due to their rarity in the city.