Afternoon Tea at Cúpan Tae

afternoon tea cupan tae westport
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Afternoon Tea at the Delightful Cafe Cúpan Tae

I can’t believe I lived in China, India and England, three countries renowned for their tea, and it ended up being a small cafe in the west of Ireland which finally showed me the true beauty, depth and appreciation of tea. 

I lived in China as well as all around Asia including Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Laos, Nepal, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and South Korea and Irish tea was the only thing I ever missed. 

I lived in England for years trying countless teas and always thought they lacked such depth and flavour in comparison to Irish tea. 

I, of course, tried many different types of tea on my travels and have bought many over the years from online, but have always felt disappointed to a very lacklustre and watery taste. 

I also lived in India for a year, another country renowned for its love of tea. Indian tea, I preferred. It had more taste and more flavour but still paled in comparison to the satisfying feeling of a strong cup of Irish tea. 

afternoon tea cupantae westport
Escorted to our reserved table by the window

It was for these reasons I was delightfully shocked when I treated a friend of mine to afternoon tea in the Cupán Tae Café here in Westport. 

afternoon tea cupan tae westport

The teas we sampled were simply amazing and had such a smoothness, refreshing taste and depth, which I’d simply never tasted before. 

afternoon-tea-cupan-tae-westport-5
Delightful Darjeeling tea at Cúpan Tae

The only reason why we went was that my Indian friend had jokingly remarked she missed her local tea, Darjeeling Tea. 

Cúpan Tae menu

I had heard that Cupán Tae had a large selection of teas and googled to see if they had it – they did. 

afternoon tea cupan tae westport
Afternoon Tea at Cúpan Tae

So as a treat, we went there for afternoon tea where we indulged ourselves to sandwiches, cakes, pastries, champagne, and of course some delicious tea. I went for the Jack in my Pot Tea and my friend for her Darjeeling. 

Afternoon Tea at Cúpan Tae
Jack In My Pot Tea at Cupán Tae

Upon arriving, we were greeted by a friendly smile who escorted us to our table. The whole thing felt fancy and fun, and we eagerly sat at our table. 

champagne at cupan tae westport
Champagne over Afternoon Tae, Cúpan Tae

The waitress, then encouragingly and smilingly asked us did we want to start our day with a little bit of bubbly. We, of course, obliged. 

afternoon tea cupan tae westport
afternoon tea cupan tae westport
afternoon tea cupan tae westport

The table, atmosphere, and vibe of the cafe were fantastic. Fancy but not pretentious. The waitress explained their interesting menu and we made our selections. 

afternoon tea cupan tae westport
Delicious Desserts

Everything which arrived not only looked beautiful but tasted incredible. The most shocking item for me was the scone, usually such a simple bun found in every cafe in Ireland. 

scone and jam at cupan tae westport
A Fresh Scone, Home-Made Butter and Jam

With fresh butter and the perfect cup of tea my soft, buttery scone was a small piece of heaven. Feeling like kings and queens, we ate our pastries, desserts, and sandwiches in any order we saw fit. 

The expert waitress in perfect timing arrived to ask did we want another glass of champagne. Of course, we did. 

afternoon tea cupan tae westport
Homemade Desserts

Licking our fingers, we finished everything. But the winner for me, shockingly, was the simple scone and the tea, and both are two things I will be back to Cupán Tae for. 

Of course, the sandwiches, pastries, and desserts were unbelievable! However, I simply couldn’t get over how satisfying my perfectly baked scone was with my perfectly blended cup of tea. It hit the spot as did the entire Afternoon Tea experience. 

Paul Feeney
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