Concept Store for Shan Tea

Pu'er is an exquisite category of Chinese tea made only using leaves from the large-leaf tea trees that grow high in the remote mountains of Yunnan province in China. It is revered by enthusiasts in that, like fine wine, the quality, taste and value improves and accumulates with age, and each micro-climate brings unique subtleties in flavour.

The Shan Tea brand has become an important presence in China's growing Pu'er industry. The brand's ethos is unique in its synthesis of meticulous tea-making craftsmanship and knowhow, and its establishment of a scientific and transparent approach to the classification and analysis of Pu'er tea.

This concept store is located in Guangzhou city, China - the design language presents a juxtaposition of the contemporary and the timeless. Combining an open fire hearth, recycled stone, cracked bamboo, and natural timbers in a contemporary space, the store reinterprets the history of tea making within the remote mountain ranges of Yunnan province.

Inspired by the strong geographical features of Yunnan province, the interior incorporates various materials prevalent in the Yunnan vernacular architecture. Key elevations reuse heavy paving stones retrieved from mountain pathways. Others are adorned with hand-crafted cracked bamboo panels used in local/ethnic minority architecture. Old timber door panels are recycled and used as rustic creaking floor planks.

A tailor-made tea table and bar thus form the centrepiece of the space. Custom milled in solid walnut wood, its L-shaped configuration can serve two separate groups, and is in contrast to the familar long-table configuration found in most traditional tea stores. Fire represents Shan Tea‘s underlying passion for tea making and is a critical element to be communicated in the store. An open fireplace provides the assuring image of an ever-present flame flickering in space.