The calming, invigorating charm of a good cup of tea gets lost in the hubbub of our coffee obsessed world. It seems to be hard to find good tea, and most places in Ubud will simply hand over a rather disappointing cup of boiling water and a bag for those who prefer the fragrant leaf to bitter bean.
I've listed here the tea houses of Ubud, along with great places for tea lovers further afield. Some of these would make a good day trip from Ubud; high tea, a spot of shopping and maybe a walk along the beach sounds like an amazing day out to me!
UBUD
Artteas
A convenient and perfectly relaxing shopping stop on busy Jl. Hanoman, Artteas has an amazing selection of teas and offers a very sweet ceremony-style experience in store. Its a very charming little teahouse, with a good selection of tea wares along with a large selection of Indonesian and imported teas. Website.
Dragon Tea Temple
This tea house next to Zest in Penestanan is a gorgeous sanctuary, redolent with the fragrance of artisanal asian teas from around the world. They have an amazing selection and offer group and individual tea ceremonies in a pseudo Japanese style. Note that the tea is sharing - you only need one serving for 2-3 people.
The ceremony is a little new age-y for me, with a bit of western style spiritual appropriation thrown in for good measure, and they are also pricey, starting at R1.5m for up to 4 people. But the tea is like heaven and the little gift shop is delightful. They also do lessons and workshops on tea. Instagram.
Ubud Coffee Roastery
UCR is of course a place of worship for coffee lovers, but they have a decent selection of artisan teas served in little french presses. Go to the larger UCR on the corner of the south end of Jl. Goutama. There are nice pastries here too, and you can come with your coffee-loving friend. Instagram.
Muse
The excellent Muse cafe in north ubud now has a very good loose leaf tea list. Predominantly Chinese, there are options in all colours for the connoisseur!
Kayon Jungle Resort
Canyon Jetty restaurant in this pricey resort does a lovely high tea for R175,000 per person. The surrounds are gorgeous and if you want to make a day of it, Kayon offers days passes to their pool. The little pods overlooking the Oos River are terribly romantic, but in fact you can order the high tea anywhere in the resort. Its a small high tea, but the location is spectacular. Website.
Copper Kitchen
In this very snappy restaurant, high tea is now served between 12 and 5pm. The usual three-tiers is strong on Indonesian flavours.
It's a little on the sweet end for me, and missing the all-important scones, but it's a decent meal and good value at only R100,000 per person.
The Library at Mandapa
High Tea at the Ritz Carlton is as expensive and gorgeous as it sounds. Still, at around R500,000 per person (US$35), it's cheaper that anywhere in Sydney or Singapore.
They do a choice of western or Indonesian style high tea, with all the trimmings, in the beautiful Library restaurant next to the pool and overlooking the rice paddies. Unfortunately you won't be able to use the pool as they don't allow outside guests, but this place is very close to central Ubud. Website.
Embers Restaurant
Review coming soon.
KETEWEL (GIANYAR)
Standing Stones
This is a beach / pool club in the Royal Purnama resort on the coast south of Ubud and slightly north east of Sanur. If you eat here, you can stay as long as you want and use the pool and lounges in this gorgeous spot, so this is amazing for a day out.
The delightful high tea is R175,000 per person, although you'll need to add an extra drink as the minimum spend for the pool bar is 200k. There are also keto and vegan high tea options. Website.
SEMINYAK
Biku
I've been going to Biku, often with a sister or friend in tow, for many years. It was setup decades ago in an old colonial-syle building by the Australian-born princess of Ubud. They serve their enormous menu of western-style teas in fine-bone china, and Asian teas in special glass or ceramics.
The high tea is amazing - I always go for the Asian version which includes Indonesian-style petit-fours, and mango jam for your scones. You can also get your fortune told and browse the gorgeous gift shop. Make sure you book on the weekends. Website.
CANGGU
Folie
A very instagrammable experience, the high tea at Folie is a delight and perfect for small groups. It is R150,000 per person, or R195,000 for the 'exclusive' version which includes a couple of extra items. There are only 6 tea options from Brew Me Tea but you can always order a glass of bubbles to go with!
Lovely tea, gorgeous china, proper scones and tasty petit fours, folie's high tea is very reasonable and a super fun shopping stop in the heart of Canggu. Instagram
KUTA / LEGIAN
Azul Beach Club
Like a high tea, but with booze, Azul's fun afternoon tea comes with instagrammable snacks and an amazing cocktail. It's very reasonable at R320,000 or R250,000 for the nonalcoholic version for 2 people, and there is the bonus of the beach view. I was able to stay at this nice resort during the pandemic at much reduced rates, but I think its still pretty good value for a good Kuta hotel.
JIMBARAN
Orchid Tea Lounge
I love the Indonesian-style snacks and beautiful garden surroundings at the Rimba resort in Jimbaran.
The high tea also comes with traditional scones, and is R200,000 per person.