Fancy a brew?

North Tea Power in the Northern Quarter, Manchester

North Tea Power (@northteapower) is situated  on Tib Street, in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.  It also happens to be two doors down from my hairdressers. Having had my hair done yesterday, I needed a brew and North Tea Power was my first port of call.

I knew they were doing this place up some time ago (not long after Teacup re-branded itself – I don’t like Teacup, yucky cakes, weak tea and burnt coffee) and was quite excited for the arrival of a specialist tea shop, if a little envious.

 There’s enough room to seat around 26 people inside and there’s extra seating outside. It was fairly quiet for a lunch time yesterday, but it was busy enough so as to not feel uncomfortable. The decor is undeniably cool. It’s slightly rustic with its terracotta potted plants, smooth reclaimed wood furniture - apparently the large wooden table in the middle used to be a piece of scaffolding, nice! - and yet its exposed columns and pipes, naked bulbs and their steel kitchen lends to it an industrialised edge. For all its quirks: PG Tips memorabilia, wooden crates, old school chairs, bell jars and swing top milk bottles, it appears surprisingly clean and open and this sets the place up for the relaxed ambience it exudes.

Whilst I was there I had time for two English Breakfast teas (one a refill for 50p) and a slice of Pecan Pie. The tea is served in a cafetière, not something I’ve acome cross before, and I think they’d do well to invest in some proper glass teapots – especially considering they sell Jasmine Pearl tea. I could’ve done with a milk jug too because I had to keep getting up and faffing with the swing top milk bottle every time I wanted a fresh cup (four times!) The tea did make for a good quality cup that I enjoyed nonetheless. The Pecan Pie was a peculiar choice for me – I usually have something citrusy with tea – but it was a particularly delicious break from the norm that was served on a chintzy tea plate that seemed slightly out-of-place, belonging more to the likes of Bread & Butter further down the road. As far as I’m aware the cakes are bought-in, though I’m not sure where from. 

My cousin, who was there with me, had a Latte, decorated with coffee art and a slice of sweet and sickly Rocky Road, I warned him! Needless to say he wanted to share my Pecan Pie, but he didn’t get so much as a sniff, before I’d Fantastic Mr. Foxed the lot of it. He said the coffee was pretty good ‘better than Starbucks’ – hurrah! I’m always one to convert a Starbucks supper, whenever I get the chance.

The service was OK, if a little confusing. The staff are lovely but there’s an air confusion around whether you should wait for your drinks at the counter (I tried and was ushered to my seat only to have to get back up to get my drink) or if your drinks will be brought to your table.

Despite this minor discrepancy, and its other little downfalls, North Tea Power has already perfected the big things: decor, atmosphere, produce and it’s a tea shop I already want to revisit.

In its infancy, a mighty 4/5

North Tea Power - 36 TIB STREET, MANCHESTER, M4 1LA

Images: Natalie Basnett