'I love talking about tea,” says Jon Cooper, “I love sharing it, drinking it, and exploring new things.” He is perched on a stool at the smart counter in his Leith Walk studio, from where he runs Pekoe Tea with his partner Esther Kungu-Cooper

His strong relationships with suppliers are the result of fifteen years of contact and access with some of the most impressive growers and merchants. “There is an ethical aspect,” Jon explains. “There is a lack of transparency in the industry and a lot of dubiousness. The barriers to setting up as a tea merchant are low, and tea can go through numerous suppliers and merchants before ending up in your cup. I know where our tea comes from and how it got here.”

Importing tea, and its rules of commerce, has shaped the modern world, from the colonisation of India to catalysing for the American revolution.

Leith plays a notable role in this story. The East India Company’s monopoly left little choice for consumers: the Company selected the tea, determined the price, and leveraged its political and military power to prevent competition.

An illicit trade flourished. Leith and Peterhead were well-known ports for landing contraband tea via Gothenburg, where the Swedish East India Company imported a stronger, darker tea than was fashionable in London. It found favour in Scotland.

When the Charter Act of 1833 finally broke the monopoly, Edinburgh-based Andrew Melrose was granted the first licence to import tea. His warehouse was on Coburg Street, and the business flourished. In 1906, the company opened a shop in the premises now occupied by Pekoe Tea’s neighbour, Krema Bakehouse.

“We’ve brought tea back to Leith,” Jon explains. “Once again, we are importing, blending and manufacturing tea.” As well as bespoke blending for commercial clients, Pekoe Tea sell to consumers from their shop next to the Central Bar. This little stretch of shops, with Argonaut Books and Logan Malloch, is rapidly becoming the kind of happening neighbourhood the travel writers at Time Out drool over.

Where the East India Company restricted choice for consumers, Pekoe Tea is opening it up, with between 70-100 product lines. India is the largest source of their tea by volume, with strong imports from China, Japan and Sri Lanka, and Kenya to be represented soon. There is a Scottish tea too, grown in tiny quantities in a Forfar walled garden.

With just over two kilogrammes produced a year, Kinnettles isn’t cheap. “People appreciate high-end whisky, but have a mindset that tea shouldn’t cost more than a fiver,” says Jon. “We are not elitist so cater to the market at whatever level, be that people looking for breakfast tea or exquisite handmade teas. We offer a broad spectrum, and I find that the best way. People are willing to try something new.”

Fruit infusions are also well-represented by Pekoe. Jon asks me to smell a small sample of the Cloudcatcher, made from apple, kiwi, cherry, coconut and cranberry. It is remarkable. This is not sickly sweet like some fruit infusions: it is well-balanced and refreshing.

I ask Jon how this all came about. He tells me that, as a student in Glasgow, he sat drinking tea in a west-end tea house, waiting for the next electronic engineering lecture. “Day after day, I read the menu and thought ‘that sounds interesting’ so I decided to source tea directly. I went to China and spent days on end just tasting tea, and it became a passion.”

The Leith Walk tea studio is high-end stylish. Esther has designed the counter to be deliberately off-centre, and surrounded by tasteful dark shelving and Japanese-influenced paper room dividers. The till is discreet, and there is a remarkable sense of calm once the door closes. Pekoe offer private tea tastings for small groups of three to five people. Over two hours, tea flights focus on a country or specific type of tea.

Speciality tea is a tiny part of a huge market dominated by five big multinationals, who operate numerous brands. Jon finds that industry practices are still informed by colonial attitudes, and thinks the tea industry should develop more cultural sensitivity.

Hot drinks brewed from plant leaves play a role in cultures across the globe: South American mate, Moroccan mint, Japanese matcha, Indian chai – and, here, the morning brew. In the tea studio, Jon and Esther try to brew teas in a similar way to the country of origin. Japanese teas are brewed in a side-handled tea pot; Chinese oolongs in a small terracotta teapot. “There is a cultural philosophy around tea drinking,” he says.

More latitude is permitted at home, although the boxes helpfully provide instructions on quantity, time, and recommended water temperature. I follow these instructions on the Karigane Kukicha, a name that means ‘twig tea’ in Japanese. This one is made using the stems of a gyokuro sencha from the Shizuoka prefecture. It is sensational: light, ethereal, grassy and startlingly green. I brewed this as instructed, for just a minute, using water off the boil. A second brew, for longer, releases a richer and stronger taste.

Next, I try Lumbini Golden Tips. This is a yellow tea from Sri Lanka, meaning it has been lightly heated in a closed container to remove grassy flavours. This is brewed for five minutes with boiling water. It, too, is remarkable. There is a slight caramel on the nose, with good structure and body. Although dark, it is not a strong tea, retaining a sweet and floral taste. Pekoe’s tasting notes say the mouth feel is almost fizzy, like drinking something sparkling, and I see where they are coming from. There is a slight, and pleasant, tannic finish.

This is tea that more people should drink, but Jon laments the challenge of business-to-business trade with Europe after Brexit. He has found a niche selling tea back to Japan. His five whisky-infused teas, with one representing each whisky region, has hit luck. The technique, believed to be unique, has real whisky added to black tea and botanicals. I am given small nose boxes and the regional differences are as clear as with the whisky itself. The Speyside Blend Whisky Tea has red fruit very forward on the nose, with flowery notes. The Islay includes star anise and mallow flowers, to withstand the peat’s medicinal burn.

Pekoe Tea is a company on the up. Jon and Esther have nurtured a superb business making top-class products, centred on Leith, but with global reach. The trams are bringing more people here, but Jon is critical of the poor execution of the low-traffic zone. “Sadly the perception is that Leith is closed. The council is giving mixed messages and they need to show Leith is open for businesses. Our area is missed off a lot of guidebooks. Tourists don’t know it’s here,” Jon says thoughtfully.

He tells me that every day is, for him, a learning experience, and I see why. “The term ‘tea master’ has to bestowed upon you. I am still a novice,” he offers up modestly, “even though I do this professionally.”

Pressed on what single tea he would drink for life, he won’t be drawn. He feels it is a near impossible choice, but settles on a roasted oolong from China. “They are a bit special.”

I make a mental note to pick up a box next time I am passing. love talking about tea,” says Jon Cooper, “I love sharing it, drinking it, and exploring new things.” He is perched on a stool at the smart counter in his Leith Walk studio, from where he runs Pekoe Tea with his partner Esther Kungu-Cooper

His strong relationships with suppliers are the result of fifteen years of contact and access with some of the most impressive growers and merchants. “There is an ethical aspect,” Jon explains. “There is a lack of transparency in the industry and a lot of dubiousness. The barriers to setting up as a tea merchant are low, and tea can go through numerous suppliers and merchants before ending up in your cup. I know where our tea comes from and how it got here.”

Importing tea, and its rules of commerce, has shaped the modern world, from the colonisation of India to catalysing for the American revolution.

Leith plays a notable role in this story. The East India Company’s monopoly left little choice for consumers: the Company selected the tea, determined the price, and leveraged its political and military power to prevent competition.

An illicit trade flourished. Leith and Peterhead were well-known ports for landing contraband tea via Gothenburg, where the Swedish East India Company imported a stronger, darker tea than was fashionable in London. It found favour in Scotland.

When the Charter Act of 1833 finally broke the monopoly, Edinburgh-based Andrew Melrose was granted the first licence to import tea. His warehouse was on Coburg Street, and the business flourished. In 1906, the company opened a shop in the premises now occupied by Pekoe Tea’s neighbour, Krema Bakehouse.

“We’ve brought tea back to Leith,” Jon explains. “Once again, we are importing, blending and manufacturing tea.” As well as bespoke blending for commercial clients, Pekoe Tea sell to consumers from their shop next to the Central Bar. This little stretch of shops, with Argonaut Books and Logan Malloch, is rapidly becoming the kind of happening neighbourhood the travel writers at Time Out drool over.

Where the East India Company restricted choice for consumers, Pekoe Tea is opening it up, with between 70-100 product lines. India is the largest source of their tea by volume, with strong imports from China, Japan and Sri Lanka, and Kenya to be represented soon. There is a Scottish tea too, grown in tiny quantities in a Forfar walled garden.

With just over two kilogrammes produced a year, Kinnettles isn’t cheap. “People appreciate high-end whisky, but have a mindset that tea shouldn’t cost more than a fiver,” says Jon. “We are not elitist so cater to the market at whatever level, be that people looking for breakfast tea or exquisite handmade teas. We offer a broad spectrum, and I find that the best way. People are willing to try something new.”

Fruit infusions are also well-represented by Pekoe. Jon asks me to smell a small sample of the Cloudcatcher, made from apple, kiwi, cherry, coconut and cranberry. It is remarkable. This is not sickly sweet like some fruit infusions: it is well-balanced and refreshing.

I ask Jon how this all came about. He tells me that, as a student in Glasgow, he sat drinking tea in a west-end tea house, waiting for the next electronic engineering lecture. “Day after day, I read the menu and thought ‘that sounds interesting’ so I decided to source tea directly. I went to China and spent days on end just tasting tea, and it became a passion.”

The Leith Walk tea studio is high-end stylish. Esther has designed the counter to be deliberately off-centre, and surrounded by tasteful dark shelving and Japanese-influenced paper room dividers. The till is discreet, and there is a remarkable sense of calm once the door closes. Pekoe offer private tea tastings for small groups of three to five people. Over two hours, tea flights focus on a country or specific type of tea.

Speciality tea is a tiny part of a huge market dominated by five big multinationals, who operate numerous brands. Jon finds that industry practices are still informed by colonial attitudes, and thinks the tea industry should develop more cultural sensitivity.

Hot drinks brewed from plant leaves play a role in cultures across the globe: South American mate, Moroccan mint, Japanese matcha, Indian chai – and, here, the morning brew. In the tea studio, Jon and Esther try to brew teas in a similar way to the country of origin. Japanese teas are brewed in a side-handled tea pot; Chinese oolongs in a small terracotta teapot. “There is a cultural philosophy around tea drinking,” he says.

More latitude is permitted at home, although the boxes helpfully provide instructions on quantity, time, and recommended water temperature. I follow these instructions on the Karigane Kukicha, a name that means ‘twig tea’ in Japanese. This one is made using the stems of a gyokuro sencha from the Shizuoka prefecture. It is sensational: light, ethereal, grassy and startlingly green. I brewed this as instructed, for just a minute, using water off the boil. A second brew, for longer, releases a richer and stronger taste.

Next, I try Lumbini Golden Tips. This is a yellow tea from Sri Lanka, meaning it has been lightly heated in a closed container to remove grassy flavours. This is brewed for five minutes with boiling water. It, too, is remarkable. There is a slight caramel on the nose, with good structure and body. Although dark, it is not a strong tea, retaining a sweet and floral taste. Pekoe’s tasting notes say the mouth feel is almost fizzy, like drinking something sparkling, and I see where they are coming from. There is a slight, and pleasant, tannic finish.

This is tea that more people should drink, but Jon laments the challenge of business-to-business trade with Europe after Brexit. He has found a niche selling tea back to Japan. His five whisky-infused teas, with one representing each whisky region, has hit luck. The technique, believed to be unique, has real whisky added to black tea and botanicals. I am given small nose boxes and the regional differences are as clear as with the whisky itself. The Speyside Blend Whisky Tea has red fruit very forward on the nose, with flowery notes. The Islay includes star anise and mallow flowers, to withstand the peat’s medicinal burn.

Pekoe Tea is a company on the up. Jon and Esther have nurtured a superb business making top-class products, centred on Leith, but with global reach. The trams are bringing more people here, but Jon is critical of the poor execution of the low-traffic zone. “Sadly the perception is that Leith is closed. The council is giving mixed messages and they need to show Leith is open for businesses. Our area is missed off a lot of guidebooks. Tourists don’t know it’s here,” Jon says thoughtfully.

He tells me that every day is, for him, a learning experience, and I see why. “The term ‘tea master’ has to bestowed upon you. I am still a novice,” he offers up modestly, “even though I do this professionally.”

Pressed on what single tea he would drink for life, he won’t be drawn. He feels it is a near impossible choice, but settles on a roasted oolong from China. “They are a bit special.”

I make a mental note to pick up a box next time I am passing. love talking about tea,” says Jon Cooper, “I love sharing it, drinking it, and exploring new things.” He is perched on a stool at the smart counter in his Leith Walk studio, from where he runs Pekoe Tea with his partner Esther Kungu-Cooper

His strong relationships with suppliers are the result of fifteen years of contact and access with some of the most impressive growers and merchants. “There is an ethical aspect,” Jon explains. “There is a lack of transparency in the industry and a lot of dubiousness. The barriers to setting up as a tea merchant are low, and tea can go through numerous suppliers and merchants before ending up in your cup. I know where our tea comes from and how it got here.”

Importing tea, and its rules of commerce, has shaped the modern world, from the colonisation of India to catalysing for the American revolution.

Leith plays a notable role in this story. The East India Company’s monopoly left little choice for consumers: the Company selected the tea, determined the price, and leveraged its political and military power to prevent competition.

An illicit trade flourished. Leith and Peterhead were well-known ports for landing contraband tea via Gothenburg, where the Swedish East India Company imported a stronger, darker tea than was fashionable in London. It found favour in Scotland.

When the Charter Act of 1833 finally broke the monopoly, Edinburgh-based Andrew Melrose was granted the first licence to import tea. His warehouse was on Coburg Street, and the business flourished. In 1906, the company opened a shop in the premises now occupied by Pekoe Tea’s neighbour, Krema Bakehouse.

“We’ve brought tea back to Leith,” Jon explains. “Once again, we are importing, blending and manufacturing tea.” As well as bespoke blending for commercial clients, Pekoe Tea sell to consumers from their shop next to the Central Bar. This little stretch of shops, with Argonaut Books and Logan Malloch, is rapidly becoming the kind of happening neighbourhood the travel writers at Time Out drool over.

Where the East India Company restricted choice for consumers, Pekoe Tea is opening it up, with between 70-100 product lines. India is the largest source of their tea by volume, with strong imports from China, Japan and Sri Lanka, and Kenya to be represented soon. There is a Scottish tea too, grown in tiny quantities in a Forfar walled garden.

With just over two kilogrammes produced a year, Kinnettles isn’t cheap. “People appreciate high-end whisky, but have a mindset that tea shouldn’t cost more than a fiver,” says Jon. “We are not elitist so cater to the market at whatever level, be that people looking for breakfast tea or exquisite handmade teas. We offer a broad spectrum, and I find that the best way. People are willing to try something new.”

Fruit infusions are also well-represented by Pekoe. Jon asks me to smell a small sample of the Cloudcatcher, made from apple, kiwi, cherry, coconut and cranberry. It is remarkable. This is not sickly sweet like some fruit infusions: it is well-balanced and refreshing.

I ask Jon how this all came about. He tells me that, as a student in Glasgow, he sat drinking tea in a west-end tea house, waiting for the next electronic engineering lecture. “Day after day, I read the menu and thought ‘that sounds interesting’ so I decided to source tea directly. I went to China and spent days on end just tasting tea, and it became a passion.”

The Leith Walk tea studio is high-end stylish. Esther has designed the counter to be deliberately off-centre, and surrounded by tasteful dark shelving and Japanese-influenced paper room dividers. The till is discreet, and there is a remarkable sense of calm once the door closes. Pekoe offer private tea tastings for small groups of three to five people. Over two hours, tea flights focus on a country or specific type of tea.

Speciality tea is a tiny part of a huge market dominated by five big multinationals, who operate numerous brands. Jon finds that industry practices are still informed by colonial attitudes, and thinks the tea industry should develop more cultural sensitivity.

Hot drinks brewed from plant leaves play a role in cultures across the globe: South American mate, Moroccan mint, Japanese matcha, Indian chai – and, here, the morning brew. In the tea studio, Jon and Esther try to brew teas in a similar way to the country of origin. Japanese teas are brewed in a side-handled tea pot; Chinese oolongs in a small terracotta teapot. “There is a cultural philosophy around tea drinking,” he says.

More latitude is permitted at home, although the boxes helpfully provide instructions on quantity, time, and recommended water temperature. I follow these instructions on the Karigane Kukicha, a name that means ‘twig tea’ in Japanese. This one is made using the stems of a gyokuro sencha from the Shizuoka prefecture. It is sensational: light, ethereal, grassy and startlingly green. I brewed this as instructed, for just a minute, using water off the boil. A second brew, for longer, releases a richer and stronger taste.

Next, I try Lumbini Golden Tips. This is a yellow tea from Sri Lanka, meaning it has been lightly heated in a closed container to remove grassy flavours. This is brewed for five minutes with boiling water. It, too, is remarkable. There is a slight caramel on the nose, with good structure and body. Although dark, it is not a strong tea, retaining a sweet and floral taste. Pekoe’s tasting notes say the mouth feel is almost fizzy, like drinking something sparkling, and I see where they are coming from. There is a slight, and pleasant, tannic finish.

This is tea that more people should drink, but Jon laments the challenge of business-to-business trade with Europe after Brexit. He has found a niche selling tea back to Japan. His five whisky-infused teas, with one representing each whisky region, has hit luck. The technique, believed to be unique, has real whisky added to black tea and botanicals. I am given small nose boxes and the regional differences are as clear as with the whisky itself. The Speyside Blend Whisky Tea has red fruit very forward on the nose, with flowery notes. The Islay includes star anise and mallow flowers, to withstand the peat’s medicinal burn.

Pekoe Tea is a company on the up. Jon and Esther have nurtured a superb business making top-class products, centred on Leith, but with global reach. The trams are bringing more people here, but Jon is critical of the poor execution of the low-traffic zone. “Sadly the perception is that Leith is closed. The council is giving mixed messages and they need to show Leith is open for businesses. Our area is missed off a lot of guidebooks. Tourists don’t know it’s here,” Jon says thoughtfully.

He tells me that every day is, for him, a learning experience, and I see why. “The term ‘tea master’ has to bestowed upon you. I am still a novice,” he offers up modestly, “even though I do this professionally.”

Pressed on what single tea he would drink for life, he won’t be drawn. He feels it is a near impossible choice, but settles on a roasted oolong from China. “They are a bit special.”

I make a mental note to pick up a box next time I am passing. ■