DenJ Tea Bar London

DenJ Tea Bar

In by Marianna Kisandraki

We are pleased to announce that Ayda Jabbari, one of our past attendees of the Food Business Course, opened her Denj Tea Bar in the heart of London.


We visited DenJ and now it’s the time to share our experience with you. 

Ayda and her husband Mohammad, both from Iran and brought up in Dubai, came to London in September 2017. Ayda is an Interior designer specialising in commercial design and Mohammad is an Entrepreneur with a great passion for start-up businesses. Denj is her first owned business and Mohammad’s third start up.   

Tea is a great part of Iranian culture and they have a strong connection with it. “I can proudly say we are still one of those countries that still enjoy black tea as loose leaf tea despite huge teabag marketing in today’s generation. During my masters in Milan in 2012-2013, I had the chance to work on a project with a group of my classmates and the concept revolved around Samavor (traditional tea brewing kettle from Russia and very popular in Iran and Turkey still now). The idea stuck with me for a very long time and I always remained fascinated with tea being part of so many different cultures and yet each one very different. Tea is definitely one thing that so many people can relate to and enjoy it despite being different and I thought rainy London along with its international population would be a great place for it.”, Ayda said. 

From 7:30am to 6pm weekdays and from 9am to 5pm on Saturdays you can taste the unique variety of teas, try the delicious options for breakfast, spend some time sitting in for a brunch with friends or pop in to grab your delicious lunch.

How was our experience?

The first thing that attracts your eyes when you go in is the big colorful counter which is full of yummy pastries, healthy salads, delicious pasta and sandwiches to die for. How can you resist? We couldn’t…

You can smell the different aromas from the unique variety of teas that sit at the end of the counter in big glass bowls which help the  proccess for the perfect hot or cold drink.

We tried a cold matcha tea that was very refreshing on such a hot day!

Ayda, explained to us how her initial idea about her tea bar was changed slightly in order to fit the commercial space: “The idea was always a tea bar but there were two different ways of serving it. I was eager to bring back the use of Samavor and the nostalgia behind it. But through my research I found some difficulties with the use of Samavor and being practical in a commercial space. I felt the quality that I am after will not be delivered. So I changed the direction of the serving and instead of admiring the Samavor I put my focus on appreciating the tea itself at its best. I put my studies on quality tea and the right way to brew each tea and that is exactly what we do at Denj and showcase it to customers as well, using the right amount of tea, temperature and steeping time.

At Denj we focus solely on Single Origin teas and we try to avoid blends as much as possible. There are some staple teas that the market demands which we serve that are not single-origin teas such as English breakfast and Earl Gery. But other than these two we stay pure to the origin of the tea and that is the beauty of our selection. I was never fond of a long menu for tea rather its quality and precision in their brewing and that is the best thing that our customer can take away from Denj, the precision and care of the way tea should be brewed. Although, the menu is created in a way that you get the chance to try different variations of Black, Green, Oolong tea and staple types for White tea and Tisane as well.”

Ayda and Mohammad combine their strenghts and enjoy their journey bringing to their customers a unique experience based on their culture and the good quality products.

If you look around for a cosy place with a relaxing atmosphere and a modern decoration but at the same time the quality of the food and drinks is your main goal, you have to visit Denj.

“We are looking forward to bringing more tea experiences as well as a touch of my culture and background to my customers, that is the individuality of Denj.”

Everyone is welcome!

Address:
67 Mortimer St, Fitzrovia
London W1W 7SE

Telephone:
020 7637 2985

Opening Hours:
Mon - Frid: 7:30am - 6pm
Saturday: 9am - 5pm
Sunday Closed

Follow DenJ on Instagram