From a young age, Hongkongers have been steeped in tea culture. Customs such as family dim sum lunches – or yum cha – and greeting elders during special holidays like Chinese New Year all involve the act of serving tea. And let’s not forget the almighty ‘24 flavours’ – a type of tea made with 24 medicinal herbs that is every Cantonese grandmother’s go-to remedy for treating minor ailments such as a sore throat and the common cold.

There’s a diversity of Chinese teas to choose from. Whether your tipple of choice is Yunnan’s pu’er, Hangzhou’s longjing or the humble chrysanthemum tea, Hong Kong is blessed with a wealth of shops in which you can pick out your favourite brews. Yannie Chan Sin Yan, author of Tea is for Everyone: Making Chinese Tea Accessible, gives us a rundown of her go-to shops to buy tea in Hong Kong, as well as tips on how to improve your tea-making skills.