How do you drink tea? Milk, sugar, honey? In Yugen Tea Bar, you can't find anything.

Instead, tea taster Thibaut Chuzeville serves tea in the purest form in the way he thinks it should.

Given his extensive industry knowledge-he studies tea all over the world and recently served as a tea sommelier at Vue de Monde-Chuzeville is a trusted authority. At this tea bar in the Capitol Grand building in South Yarra, he provides a higher level of tea education experience.

"The idea when we first started was really like a bar," Chuzeville told Broadsheet. He wanted to show the nuances of this drink in a friendly and convenient space—according to the source and variety.

Just like the wine list, the menu is divided into different colors-white, green, oolong tea (between green and black), red (or black) and dark. The six different styles are distinguished by their degree of oxidation; for example, green tea is processed to prevent oxidation and maintain its bright color, while black tea is oxidized until the color becomes darker.

The only exception is dark tea (also known as Pu'er tea), which is oxidized and fermented to further deepen the color and flavor. "Pu'er is a type of green tea pressed into a cake, usually aged for many years," said Chuxavier. "Although in the 1970s, they developed a technique of putting tea on the floor, spreading it with a damp cloth, spraying it with water, and leaving it for 45 to 60 days."

The more subtle difference between each variety lies in how and where they are produced. "We in the tea industry said you need three things," Chuzeville said. "You need environment, you need trees, you need people."

In Yugen, there are more than 40 kinds of tea, spanning 10 countries and four continents-from the mellow green tea from northern Georgia, to the oolong Qilan (or "rare orchid") from Wuyi Mountain in China, to the tea from Teolo Smoked black tea from the mountains of Malawi.

For higher-quality varieties, such as the heavily aged Pu'er, the price ranges from US$6 to US$110. But because of Chuzeville's brewing style, you can get multiple cups from the same serving.

It is important to note that Yugen does not have a teapot. Instead, each type of tea is brewed in a small covered Chinese brewing vessel called a tureen and served in a locally made ceramic cup. “The idea is to put more tea into a smaller amount of water to shorten the steeping time, but you can repeat the steeping four to five times,” he said. "Every time you make tea, you will find that the tea tastes different."

To complement the drink, pastry chef John Demetrios offers an exquisite range of pastries; think of a calamansi meringue tart with caramelized coconut curd and matcha mousse on the bottom of a pineapple biscuit Dome. And, starting in December, the team plans to extend the bar’s opening hours and products, including cocktails with tea, such as Assam Highballs and Oolong Negronis.

The decoration of Lucienne Hemingway of Curious by Design is to reflect the mountainous areas where tea is usually grown. It is characterized by the angular rock-like structure extending from the ceiling, and shades of dark gray, charcoal, and black. Behind the bar seats are thick black velvet curtains, which can be drawn during dessert tasting or evening cocktail parties for added privacy.

Downstairs, a team led by Stephen Nairn, also the culinary director behind Omnia, is building a supporting Yugen restaurant, which will open early next year.

Yugen Tea Bar Capitol Grand, 605 Chapel Street, South Yarra