Proper Tea

I love you his place (the sister to Northern Tea errr North Tea Power). First I walked through it! … to go downstairs to see the ‘hanging ditch’ arches and to visit the cathedral shop and second-​hand bookshop (both great), then the second time I had coffee and cake. Wow and what coffee and cake. But the best bit was the view. Here’s where we sat (do they even sell coffee?! Must have been tea and cake– it was a while back)

About time I updated my review for Proper Tea as since last time I’ve tried the tea and a bit more food!
I popped in last week as I really just needed somewhere that I could sit down and answer emails, instead I indulged in afternoon tea, alone, and it was fantastic.
The English breakfast tea I choose was great and the presentation is brilliant. 2 cute little teapots, one with your tea (fresh leaves) brewing and one ready for you to pour in through the filter when the sand timer is up!
Brilliant little touch that makes the whole experience more enjoyable! Match that with a big heart shaped scone with strawberry jam and clotted cream and what do you get? Ok yeah a potential heart attack but also crazy levels of satisfaction!
Really impressed with my latest visit to Proper Tea. Although it may have been just a tad too relaxing for a work day!

What a light, bright and thoroughly charming place this is — and one that focuses predominantly on my favourite hot beverage. Coffee drinkers equate to vegetarians here ;)
Late morning on a Monday (on a day off) I popped in to try them out and stay for a while with my Kindle in tow. It’s table service so the friendly waiter offered the menus and told me the specials. I was saving my food intake for later, so just opted for a loose leaf tea — Early Grey, natch. They had a few varieties to choose from so I ordered their Imperial Earl Grey which, at £4.20, seemed rather steep for a brew but I went for it anyway.
A few minutes later I was provided with the tea in a clear pot stewing away, a digital timer counting down from two minutes, an empty teapot to decant into and a tea cup and saucer. There wasn’t an offer of either milk or lemon (I tend to have either) and in hindsight probably should have asked but it was great tea nonetheless.
They offered to refill the pot with water to get a second cup from the leaves but I was ready to head out again — so bear this in mind when you first balk at the prices, you do get two cups-​worth.
With them playing upbeat tunes from the 1940s, you’d think you were in some time warp had it not been for the timer, the hipster wait staff and the counter made from repurposed wooden doors. A quaint spot on a quiet corner of the city for all the tea aficionados.

One of my favourite cafes in Manchester. Proper Tea is located next to the Cathedral and has been decked out really nicely. I love the clean lines, high ceilings and wooden tables. The counter is also raised so you have a good view of all the amazing cakes from where you are sat. The service is friendly and efficient and the atmosphere is really relaxed. I ordered the toasted brie and onion chutney sandwich which was delicious. The quality of the products was high and the red cabbage and beetroot side that accompanied it tasted very good. I also had a piece of carrot cake which was amazing. The slice was massive and I loved the coconut buttercream. I will definitely be back.

I’m following in Matt’s footsteps here and declaring the travesty straight up: did not drink a sip of tea in here. Sometimes (which is more often than not in my case) you need a harder hit of caffeine and, given limited time, I had to go full coffee. It was good, better than you might expect from a tea place, but I guess not the specialty. Whatever — that’s not what I came here to talk about.
Massive. Gargantuan. Radioactive-​coloured. Pistachio cake. Jeez, they give you a healthy portion of that! And even though we came at the end of the day, this lad was moist and fresh as you desire. I can’t abide dry cake (who actually can?!) so it’s a win for the baker. Kudos to them. Plus, that colour. Why am I attracted to vibrantly green food? Doesn’t matter. Get that cake. (Anyone else got that Nicholas Cage animation in their head now? I WANT THAT CAKE!)
Other things: cute tables, love the counter space, love the light and could imagine working there all day, it is hidden away — don’t be embarrassed to go through that museum-​looking place as that’s the right door, quaint location, and all round good folks. I’ll be back for the actual tea, especially as Leeds ain’t really got no tea places like it.
Winner.

This is a cute place tucked away in a part of Manchester I’d never been before, and I was absolutely ravenous when I arrived so I was super keen to eat as soon as humanly possibly. I grabbed a seat but couldn’t tell if it was table service or not. I grabbed a menu and had a look, and thankfully then someone came to take my order. I got the pastrami on ciabatta and a curiosity cola.
Food was quick and pretty damn tasty — a nice amount of pastrami and cheese, the gherkins were sliced a bit too thick though. I also got a flapjack which was pretty nice, maybe a little too sweet. All up, I definitely liked this place and the chilled vibe but I think the service was a little slow for this to be a 5 star review on this visit.

I’ve been here a couple a times now and because I’m sooo into my tea I LOVE IT! I’ve only ever ordered the Sunshine Earl Gray tea which is somewhat like a little taste of heaven!
The fact that all the teas come with a little brew timer means you get the perfect cup which isn’t too strong. Although slightly more on the expensive side you are getting lots of fresh tealeaves and a lovely clear teapot to admire your choice of tea!
This place also offers so many different cakes — from the huge ten tier rainbow cake to you lemon drizzle! It’s like my little slice of heaven…

Excellently placed next to Manchester Cathedral this lovely little tea shop is undoubtedly the best place for such an extensive menu of speciality teas.
With both outdoor and indoor seating, this was the perfect place for us to stop late afternoon on our walk around the city.
I ordered the Red Lychee tea (£4.20) which is a classic Chinese black tea and was sweet and thoroughly enjoyable.
Neil C opted for a coffee and a glass of white wine — both of which he enjoyed.
With it being late in the afternoon we decided not to opt for cake, but, next time!

I always come back for tea here when I am chilling in the city centre. It is by far the best one in its proximity. There are many good ones in the Northern Quarter but Proper Tea is the best one in the city centre. The staffs are friendly and they are very knowledgeable about tea so feel free to ask any questions if you want to know more about how teas are made and whats the difference between black and green tea. They also have small little red tables and red chairs similar to the ones in Northern Quarter outside the shop. A good place to just sit back on a nice sunny day.

My second visit to Proper Tea on Sunday, I was in town a little early and headed over for some tea and toast. I was greeted with a cheery smile and shown to a nice table, 10am on a Sunday and this place is pretty quiet. The Cathedral bells were in full swing as I walked over, but Proper Tea is pretty well insulated from the sound — the bells were audible but not deafening.
After trying the Sunshine Earl Grey tea last time I had to order it again, wonderfully fragrant with a really fruity taste and not too heavy on the bergamot. I love that you get a separate tea pot to decant your perfectly brewed tea into, no more bitter brews! There’s also loose leaf tea blends available to purchase — next time I’ll remember to get a bag of Sunshine Earl Grey for myself.
My toast was some rye bread that had fennel seeds in it and a pat of real butter, very tasty and gorgeously fresh. Luckily by the time I’d finished the toast my friend’s arrived. After seeing the impressive cake display on the counter we all opted for a huge heart shaped scone with cream and jam. Sadly the scone was quite dry, and I would have preferred a seedless jam. But the taste was good and worked out very reasonable with the cream tea option on the menu.
I’ve not has coffee here yet, but the table next us did and it looked great. The afternoon tea here is pretty good value after seeing how much you get on another table. Would be good to share for a lighter meal.
I noticed that there was a tea tasting in progress at the back of the room, it all looked very interesting and the smell of the different teas was wonderful. Luckily these sessions are a regular occurrence so hopefully I’ll be able to book on one soon!

I heart tea– fact! Being from a North East family where your mums answer to any question/​situation/​crisis/​issue what so ever is followed by «i’ll put the kettle on» I’ve been mainlining it virtually since I was born.
Most tea shops are all hearts and flowers (which i love being a hearts and flowers type of gal) but Propertea has a more simplistic interior which is a welcome alternative to fluff and frills. The dividers are old doors and the counter is made from some reclaimed wood which gives it a lovely aged feel and is in keeping with the location.
I was feeling a bit under the weather and in need of some vitamin C so opted for the hibiscus tea and a slice of carrot and coconut cake. The slice of cake that arrived was huge! I ended up taking half of it home with me. The hibiscus tea came in a glass tea pot so you could see the petals floating about in the water and was the prettiest rose pink colour. The waiter advised how long to wait for the perfect brew and i watched my egg timer with anticipation. Once brewed I tipped my tea into a little jug that was provided so that it didn’t stew. Waiter advised that i could have unlimited water top ups. But after 2 top ups and a massive bit of cake I was fit to burst!
I bought some hibiscus tea to drink at home and hopefully ward off any winter bugs that seem to be rife currently. At £12.50 its not the cheapest but decent tea isn’t cheap and its looks so pretty in a glass teapot :)

This is actually a 4.5 star.
Proper tea is just next to Manchester Cathedral, and it’s the sister venue of Teacup in Northern Quarter.
I visited Proper Tea on a cloudy day, which was not a perfect day to show the overall charm of this place. It has been packed and luckily we got a table. We had the afternoon tea for two with Jasmine Pearl and Organic whole rose bud tea. The afternoon tea arrived with two sets of three tiers finger sandwiches, three selected signature cakes with three biscuits, and a massive scone with preserve and organic clotted cream. We didn’t realize the portion of the afternoon tea in Proper Tea, which was definitely much larger than other places like Harrods, or Radisson in Manchester, etc.
We just managed to finish the scone with the preserves and the clotted cream, which was so great. It seems the scone is always the best in the afternoon selections. The freshness of this English classic seems always beat the intensive sweetness of others like macrons or cakes. The finger sandwiches included two basic varieties of sandwiches, which were delicious and fresh.
The second tier was the cake layer which included the lemonLicious cake, pistachios cake and flourless chocolate cake, alongside with three biscuits. I had reviewed the cake in the Teacup, and they apparently were the same cakes.
Overall, this is a very pleasant place: The view of the magnificent Manchester Cathedral through the window, chic while tasteful décor and attentive service. The massive selection of tea and other drinks, and the good quality food are perfect for someone looking for something simple but classic. I couldn’t think of a better place to represent Manchester Tearoom.
The portion of the afternoon is really big. If you go to have the afternoon after lunch, one afternoon tea and one cream tea for two people are really good choice.

Gorgeous selection of teas and cakes to die for
Okay, time to add to my coffee addiction: let’s be British and get some tea down us. Propertea is the local café to the cathedral, but it’s not like being in a Miss Marple novel. Propertea does exactly what it says on the tin, with all kinds of food on offer, from toasted sandwiches and soup of the day to nibbly toast with various toppings.
With giant servings of cake and free refills, what’s not to love? Bring a loved one, bring a date, heck, bring a stranger and fill up your tea tank.

I really want to loooove Proper Tea and it’s hard not to when it’s such a pretty little café with sensational views of the cathedral. Honestly, my sandwich was fine but not amazing, the rocket was a little past its best (although points for rocket over all other inferior leaves) and the couscous was basically quite lumpy and tasteless — bad value for £4 when you can get a vastly superior and gigantic sandwich for less at Katsouris. HOWEVER thanks to aforementioned view, general ambience, Australian root beer, some very impressive looking tea and very efficient service, I am loving it anyway.
Proper Tea has the most thorough sign-​posting to the toilet that I have ever experienced, it’s almost like being cheerleaded to the loo. Must be replicated everywhere immediately.

Despite not being a tea drinker, I do love this little place. The setting is lovely, it’s situated right beside the city’s majestic Cathedral and gardens and just a hop, skip and jump from two of its oldest pubs, The Old Wellington and Sinclair’s Oyster Bar.
The décor combines rustic with modern touches and offers a cosy but cool environment in which to kick back, watch the world go by and enjoy one of Propertea’s many fine beverages and a bite to eat.
Propertea is perhaps a little pricier than your average café but when you consider the location and the excellent, high quality food and drinks on offer, I’d say that’s fair play.
On my latest visit, my dad tried their green tea, which came with a timer, letting him know when the infused water had reached its point of being fully brewed. We’d never seen tea served like this before but agreed it was a nice — and different — way to do things.
I will definitely be returning to Propertea soon as I’d love to sample some of their cake. Mmmmmm… cake!!!

So #Happy! Found another hidden Gem in Manchester. Really growing to love this city #lovetea
Tip for tea: brew for 2 mins before serving to acheive the greatest taste and aroma.
I chose Rosy Grey, a lovely aromatic cuppa! It’s ceylon tea scented with bergamot oil, whole rosebuds and cornflower petals all on top of a earl greay base just like a floral garden in your teacup!

It is so nice to find another café in Manchester that sell quality, home baked cakes and offers such a wide range of teas. I came here with my new copy of Wuthering Heights on a rainy Saturday afternoon and sat on a comfy bench seat. I ordered their cream tea — a giant plain scone served with jam and clotted cream (yes!) and a choice of basic black and herbal teas. I chose the peppermint and it was served in a tea pot with loose leaf tea (finally another café that knows that tea is more than a bag) and there was enough for two cups. I was VERY happy when the friendly server also told me that I could have a refill if I wanted. Brilliant.
The scone was tasty although a little bit dry and crumbly. It was almost impossible to spread the thick clotted cream onto it as it just fell apart. It didn’t matter as it was delicious. For £4.90 this was a great deal.
The café space is open, bright and friendly and the other cakes looked very inviting. I am definitely returning.

Propertea is fantastic. A tea shop that’s not too over the top and girly, a place I can kick back and relax in and of course a place where their attention to detail on the teas and cake front really is second to none.
I’ve actually been here twice in the past week. Once was for a meeting which was really suitable (we had the excellent red lychee tea and Early grey — plus cake) and with my wife and baby daughter for breakfast tea, a cappuccino and a sandwich on Sunday afternoon. My point is that it’s the perfect place to go for any occasion — in fact on both times it was filled with an eclectic mix of hipsters, families, girls that do lunch, old folks and business men — all sucked in by great views over the Cathedral gardens.
Owned by the guys that run Teacup, it does a great job again in elevating quality snacky food above everything else on offer in the local area. The tea might be a bit more expensive than other places but you can tell they really know their stuff and it’s a quality product. The cakes are amazing and the selection abundant, while the pastrami, cheese and pickle toasted sandwich I had was amazing — and for only £4 great value.
Staff were friendly, my wife is keen to go back for afternoon tea (£16 per person) — and lovely on a sunny day. Propertea, it’s great to have you in town!

From the people who brought you Teacup on Thomas Street comes Proper Tea at Manchester Cathedral, which unlike its hipster and trendy brother, is a quieter, more relaxed, and traditional affair, facing Manchester’s grand cathedral, and occupying the space that was partly taken up by the cathedral’s visitors centre. As you walk in, you’re greeted by a grand airy and open space, shabby chic décor, and a striking black and white tiled floor. Gentle 1940s music plays, and on each table sits a jar of fresh flowers. The counter is made up of reclaimed doors, doorhandles, and doorknockers, which is a lovely unique design feature. Behind the counter stand shelves holding large tea caddies and tea making accoutrements.
Perusing the menu, I decided upon the cream tea, and although the listing mentioned a few teas that came with the cream tea, the friendly waitress had no problem in me having Earl Grey instead. She did inform me that sadly they had no clotted cream at the moment, but would substitute it with butter if that was okay with me (which it was).
Whilst I waited for my order, I asked where the toilets were as I couldn’t clearly see any signage. I was told they were «out this door, across the bridge, down the stairs, and along the corridor», which seems a bit of a trek, but due to the nature of the building when it was a museum, it’s understandable. Not ideal, but not a deal breaker by any stretch.
When I returned, the waitress smiled and said she was waiting for me before serving up. I was brought a lovely spread for my cream tea. I was pleased to see that the butter offered as replacement for the cream was actually in an individual high quality pack rather than café style butter blocks, and the jam came in a ramekin rather than a little pot, or plastic container.
I loved that the milk came in a little old-​school milk bottle, what a cute touch! Also the home-​made scone was massive! A timer came with the tea, to give you the ideal brewing time, but by the time the sand ran out, I felt my tea was merely very-​warm rather than hot. I could’ve mentioned this to the staff, but it really didn’t make much of a difference, as it was very tasty tea, and still very enjoyable. The scone was a touch dry due to the fact that I had butter rather than cream, but it was very tasty and very filling! As a taste preference, I prefer sweetener in tea rather than sugar, but sadly only sugar was available, in tube packets. With the nature and style of this venue, I was surprised not to be presented with sugar cubes, which would top off the «cream tea» feel. The cream tea came to just £4.90, which for Manchester City Centre is very reasonable indeed!
The selection of teas on the menu was vast, and included several variants of my favourite, Earl Grey. As I paid up, I mentioned how I liked this, and that I’d have to try the different varieties next time, and the friendly staff passed over the various tea caddies of Earl Grey varieties for me to see and smell, which was a lovely touch. The ‘rosey’ blend smelled wonderful, and as I’ll definitely be returning, I will have that next time! :)
The venue also does Afternoon Teas, sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, soups, and a lovely array of home-​made cakes, which sit on the counter looking seductive. Damn sexy cakes. Next time… next time!
I will definitely be returning here, as it gives the other Manchester City Centre tea rooms a run for their money, whilst maintaining good value, and a relaxed, quiet, and friendly atmosphere, which can be lacking in said other venues due to the resurgence in popularity of tea rooms.

I was waiting for a friend when the rain started and I wanted somewhere to hide. I spotted this cute little tea room and was immediately smitten. It’s been open about a month according to the lovely girl behind the counter.
The interior is gorgeous, comfy seats, warm and lovely attention to detail. Great menu of teas but they are for loose leaf connoisseurs I suspect as not cheap at all, up to £4.80 a serving. For someone like me who adores tea this is ok but a non teaophile may recoil from paying that for a brew. I was spoilt for choice with so many I wanted to try but went for the sunshine earl grey and wasn’t disappointed. I also had a Townie — a peanut butter and jam tart. Also delicious. I can’t wait to come back with my kindle and spend a day going through their whole tea menu. I’ve found my new happy place!