Paper & Tea

If you recognise this tea room, you have beaten 80% of the people living in Oslo in terms of knowledge of cool places in the city centre. This is the underground tea room of Paper & Tea, the Oslo shop of the Berlin-based tea brand, located right across Prinsens gate from Oslo’s landmark department store Steen & Strøm.

Inside the shop, teas are showcased in seperate sections based on their types and origins. The green tea section offers a wide selection of Japanese green teas whereas in the oolong and black tea sections can one find more teas of Chinese and Indian orgins.

The shop offers hot brews (50 NOK) where one can choose any tea on the shelf to brew in the shop. We came to the tea shop specifically to try their matcha (抹茶, 85 NOK), matcha latte (95 NOK) and hojicha (焙じ茶) latte (95 NOK). The tea drinks were first prepared by hand whisking the tea powder with a bamboo whisk (chasen, 茶筅)—a step that has largely been replaced by an electronic one in many other teashops in Oslo, before being mixed with oat milk (they only use plant-based milk at Paper & Tea). The tea will then be served directly in a tea bowl (chawan, 茶碗), accompanied by a small saucer of tea-flavoured chocolate.

All three drinks were exceptionally good, and one could immediately tell the tea powders are of premium quality. The matcha and matcha latte tasted very fresh, with a bright grassy flavour and a very strong umami aftertaste; the hojicha latte was equally good, boasting a mild, mellow and slightly darker roasted fragrance. Despite the price, we think these are some of the best tea drinks one can find in Oslo. The chocolate‚ on the other hand, complimented and further enhanced the tea taste.

The chocolate they served together with the tea was also from Paper & Tea. Further inside the shop, one can find a shelf of chocolate mixed with different types of teas. We were given some dark chocolate infused with sencha and it was pretty good, slightly on the sweet side, which somewhat overshadowed the faint sencha flavour.

In principle, we usually prioritise small, independent cafés and tea shops over chain stores. Yet—no matter the quality, the professionality of the staff, or the general atmosphere or environment—Paper & Tea is by all means a unique place, right in the Oslo city centre, that offers alternatives to a good cup of coffee. Give it a try, and you might love it.