Västra gatan 62, 44231 Kungälv, Sweden.

I had never been to Sweden before and I knew I wanted to find places to blog about while I was there but I admit I was nervous. Going to Germany made me more aware of how differently the rest of Europe can treat tea compared to how we treat it. Anyway, I’m not ashamed to admit I packed some Clipper Fair Trade teabags in my luggage.

Heading out into Kungälv, the local town, I wanted to go to the local knitting shop and find some tea. I found the knitting shop and having spent far too much of my spending money in there I decided to go to the cafe next door as it had outside tables and was the busiest on the main street. The street this cafe was on had the highest proportion of cafes I’ve ever seen anywhere before. For every three shops, there was a cafe. They all congregated on the same side of the street so when walking down and looking to your left it was just a long line of cafes. Most coffee orientated but still, an impressive array that fitted in with the generalisations I’d heard about Swedes and their love of coffee.

The cafe owner spoke English and I asked what tea they had, he recommended one and I decided to try it. I asked to have one of the buns on display and he explained it was cinnamon and that it would taste better warm so he heated it up for me. I sat outside and he brought them out. All the cups in the cafe were big and beautiful. I tried to find some like it to buy and bring home but failed. The tea was black with fruit and flowers and came without milk but it was made with freshly boiled water and was loose leaf so I was happy.

Teapot? No.
Leaf tea? Yes, in one of those egg things.
Milk jug? No milk with this tea.
Price? 44 krona for tea and a bun.
Cake? Yes and lots of it.
Go again? Yes, but only if I happen to be in the area again.