Tea Bar

In a land fuelled by coffee, Sara Verver and Fenje Bolt have taken the bold step of opening a tea bar. Located on the lovely Haarlemmerdijk, Tea Bar sells over 50 different loose natural teas, ranging from black to green to herbal.

The idea behind Tea Bar is to turn tea-buying into an experience: customers can smell the teas before they purchase, select the tea they want themselves from the transparent bins and create their own mixes.

A small selection of tea-related items is also available. These include teapots from the Japanese brand Zero and body lotion containing tea extract. The owners are currently developing a tea chocolate, in partnership with patisserie experts Unlimited Delicious.

While the concept is mostly geared towards take-away, there's a small reading table and chairs on the slightly cramped mezzanine level, which has a view of the street on one side and a floor-to-ceiling picture of a Malaysian tea plantation on the other. It's possible to drink tea here while nibbling on an organic biscuit, Belgian chocolate or muffin. Bocca coffee is available for the caffeine junkies who absolutely can't do without.

The modern, predominantly white interior was designed by Dutch architect Hubert Crijns who is known for his innovative use of small spaces - an asset in overcrowded Amsterdam. In the Tea Bar, this is evident in the supporting pillar ringed by round shelves and the wall covered with white cubes of different depths that serve both as a quirky design feature and as display cases.

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