Rosa Tea House

When Hue Phan Vuong (Phan) decided to change her life, she took up tea. Not just drinking it, as she has been doing that since she was at her father's knee - but selling it.

And not just any tea but oolong, her father's favourite. As a child growing up in Vietnam, Phan remembers her Chinese-born father as a devoted sipper, graduating to fine oolong teas long before the family migrated to Australia in 1978.

With this in mind, Phan bought Taka Tea Garden in September 2006 and renamed it Rosa Tea House. Now, she stands behind the long tea bar, beside her partner Quang Tuan Bui, brewing cups of the finest green, white, black and herbal teas imaginable for her loyal customers and telling them about her trips to the Alishan Mountain in Taiwan. The high mountains of Taiwan are where some of the world's finest oolong teas are grown and processed.

Oolong (also spelt wu long or wulong) comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant - as do black, green and white teas. The difference is in their degree of oxidisation or exposure to air. Green tea is unoxidised and black tea is fully oxidised. Oolong tea falls somewhere in the middle, anywhere from 20 to 80 per cent oxidised.

When brewing an oolong tea Phan begins by pouring boiling water over the dark green, rolled leaves in one of her many tiny clay pots. She discards the liquid, adds boiling water again, closes the lid and pours more boiling water over the pot. She then pours it into a small, tall cup before pouring the golden liquor into a tiny bowl. She hands the cup to her customers, whom she regards as friends, so that they can smell the aroma, then the bowl. It is very calming to drink the smooth, subtle brews that Phan offers. The tea is at once soothing and invigorating.

As for brewing your own fine oolong, Phan says you can use the tea at least three times - and fertilise your pot plants with the leaves when you've finished. She's not just passionate, she is also practical.

Phan has an extensive range of teas – everything from white, green, oolong and black, to herbal and fruit blends.