This is what jet-lagged traveler dreams are made of: Cathay Pacific’s newest and largest airport lounge in Hong Kong, The Pier, has a dedicated tea house.
Me sitting inside the tea house during a layover en route home to New York City
This teahouse is only open to Business and First Class airline passengers, but it begs the question: can I live here?
History
This lounge and tea house have been open since June 2016.
Teahouse entrance sign in The Pier Lounge by Cathay Pacific
Welcome to the teahouse! The staff was very friendly
It is part of Cathay Pacific’s huge lounge complex that includes a Food Hall, Bar, Coffee kiosks, Noodle Bar, Showers, Business Center, and Relaxation rooms (aka nap rooms).
There are so many things to do in this lounge!
Pictures of the rest of the lounge, including its swanky design, are included at the bottom of this post.
The Tea House
The teahouse can comfortably seat 40+ people.
A corner section, showing off the emerald wall tiles and modern seating of the tea house.
They serve JING-brand teas, with a fixed menu of 10 teas plus a seasonal special.
They have three serving methods: typical tea pot, glass tea carafe, and a gaiwan-like thing. Most all teas are served in the tea pots. The Iron Buddha and the Pu-erh are served in the gaiwan-like thing.
What is this called? Is it a gaiwan? They serve only 1 type of tea in this method.
Based on an informal survey of the staff, the JING 1990s Royal Loose Cooked Pu-erh is currently the most popular tea, followed by the JING Lemongrass & Ginger.
Each loose leaf tea is weighed on a digital scale before brewing. For breakfast tea, they do 8g. For Pu-erh, 4.2g. Sencha gets 5.6g.
Tea Menu
The tea menu, as of September 2017
- Ceylon Breakfast
- Earl Grey
- Chamomile
- Peppermint
- Lemongrass & Ginger
- Japanese Sencha
- Organic Jade Sword
- Traditional Iron Buddha
- Jasmine Silver Needle
- 1990s Royal Loose Cooked Pu-erh
Plus a seasonal tea, which at the time of my visit was Organic Bohea Lapsang Black Tea. Last season, it was Dragonwell Green Tea.
I ordered the Pu-er to start, then the Sencha, and finally another Sencha.
Sweets and Snacks
In addition to three fresh juice smoothies, there is a well-stocked sweets bar in the tea house.
Here are two options which are tea-themed:
The sweets and snacks area was well-stocked.
Jasmine Tea Butter Cakes
Teahouse Pictures
Wide view of the tea house, with more customers inside now.
Smell all of the teas from sample containers here.
These timers were used to make sure the tea did not over-steep.
Lounge Pictures
Very stylish and modern interior design.
Lounge area inside the Cathay Pacific Business Class area. Very modern furniture
Modern, minimalistic design reigns throughout
Serving dan dan noodles and more
Soy sauce containers at the noodle bar.
Lots of bread and carbs. There are many different snack stations like this, each with a unique theme
The Pier Business Class Lounge in Hong Kong is the nicest airport lounge that I’ve ever visited.
I loved this lounge so much that I asked if I could change my flight.
Between each tea serving, I visited the Noodle Bar to eat beef shumai and rice noodles.
Conclusion
This post has the most narrow audience: those interested in both tea houses and business class lounges.
Thanks to Karis and Phoenix, two of the tea stewards, for serving me multiple times during my layover en route home to New York City.
Thank you for hosting me and talking about the teas!
It was a damn pleasure to have a long layover here, and I would happily do it again.
More: Best Teahouse in New York City
Do you ever visit NYC? I think Té Company is the best tea house there.
Read my review and see the video here.