A decent cuppa… in Budapest?

Getting decent coffee in Budapest is virtually a given. Sure, the instant stuff from an office block will taste as watery as one from a similar machine in George Street, Luton but generally coffee is of a high standard throughout Hungary, regardless of what you pay.

Can you find a good cup of tea…in Budapest?

You must be joking! Would be my first response. Of course, in some of the expensive hotels or famous cafes you would undoubtedly find tasty and exclusive tea, with prices to match. But for the expat residing here or a thirsty visitor, it would be an expensive pilgrimage. How about ‘regular places’ encountered during daily travels? What are the chances of a decent cuppa? Not some Fancy Dan bubble tea or fruity concoction, but one that could pass muster in the UK or other tea loving nation. It’s got to be a black and hearty brew and able to accept a good splash of cold milk to bring out the flavour. Some would like it strong enough to trot a mouse across the tangy surface, but that’s not essential. My earlier experiences of cafe tea in the capital were not good but I am happy to be proved wrong.

I started my research with a name that doesn’t instantly resonate with the connoisseur: McDonalds. The branch at the western railway terminal- Nyugati, is possibly their most beautiful in the world. Housed in the station’s former ticket office, which is quite separate from the trains, its appearance is pure class. The Gustave Eiffel company built the station and created an ornate and lofty annexe where you could imagine purchasing tickets for the Orient Express. McDonalds have retained the essential characteristics of the original design. Downstairs it’s the expected burgers and fries for sale. Upstairs on the gallery, the McCafé is a brightly lit zone with comfortable seats and foreign tourists snapping away with their phone cameras in disbelief.

So, the environment is worth writing home about, but what about the cha? I chose a Tea House English Breakfast ‘filter’ (T bag) at 660 forints -roughly £1.50. The service was pleasant but apart from the usual honey or lemon offered, there was only coffee creamer available instead of fresh milk. The water was boiling hot when added to the cup but the T bag wasn’t added at this point. As usual in Budapest, it is offered to the customer to add later

According to the UK Tea & Infusions Association, black tea should be made with water just off the boil (90 - 98 degrees C). Despite this technical failure at McDonalds, their English Breakfast tasted relatively strong and malty with only the slightest suggestion of something inorganic present. If fussy, I would say that there was a tad too much tannin in the aftertaste. Frankly, I’ve paid a lot more for much worse cuppas in Hungary and couldn’t really complain at the home of the Big Mac. Considering the friendly and efficient service, amazing surroundings and low price in this no longer cheap city, it was a good start to my quest.

A few December days later my travels took me along swanky Andrássy út, one of the most expensive and stylish avenues in the capital. I selected the Flow Café, named after the famous Hungarian American psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. Try saying that after a couple of pots of Darjeeling! He was a founder of the positive psychology movement and coined the idea of ‘getting in the flow’, of finding satisfaction and contentment from virtually whatever floats your boat. I describe his theory rather simply here. But what about drinking tea inside these stylishly distressed walls decorated with modern artwork. Could I gain a sense of purpose, become completely focussed and lose my sense of time from the mere consumption of a humble cuppa? Or at least enjoy my beverage!

The omens were against me. This was definitely Flat White territory although they didn’t serve that particular emblem of hipster style. In a café almost too trendy to actually serve tea, the only offering was a Georgian black. Not a country I associate with a good brew. Priced at 1500 forints per serving, I was wondering if I should temporarily suspend my research and opt for coffee instead. I’m pleased I didn’t. The tea came in a small pot and was already brewed up rich and smooth, easily absorbing the milk that came alongside. Unlike most catering outlets in Hungary, the staff were familiar with that strange British trait of only taking cold milk with god’s own beverage. After ten minutes the tea left in the pot was still perfectly drinkable and sufficient for a second small cup.

I enjoyed watching the digital nomads and other international travellers at nearby tables. One hairy individual watched me surreptitiously and made notes on his tablet. I wondered what was he writing about this middle-aged alien seated amongst the beautiful people? Perhaps he had found his perfect ‘cool’ café and my presence had spoilt the whole experience for him, as he was describing on some social media platform I had never heard of. Certainly, I was a fish out of water but hardly suffocating in the trendy atmosphere and managed to enjoy some decent tea at a not unexpectedly high price for such an address. Possibly the taste was slightly too exotic for a standard British palate. Hardly Lapsang Souchong but definitely a hop, skip and a jump from PG Tips. And the price at approximately £3.40 was off-putting. Or am I just a Lutonian cheapskate? Expecting everything to be a bargain abroad. 

Back with the corporates. It’s Starbucks in the Mammut Shopping Centre with less than a week to go before Christmas. My previous experience of tea in this Gargantua of the café world was in a different branch when I was served outrageously expensive and chemical tasting Earl Grey by a surly operative. So, my expectations were low in this non-typical Starbucks store. Here you’re seated in a wall-less environment surrounded by the swirl of shoppers, whom on this particular day resembled nothing less than a herd of raging wildebeest in pursuit of presents for loved and unloved ones. Also part of the shopping herd, my wife and I elected for the medium sized English Breakfast tea at 1090 forints per cardboard cup. We could have gone gratuitously large for a mere 200 extra forints.

My expectations were initially confirmed when the tea failed the ‘off the boil’ test. Too much delay in getting the infusion started. Also, the seats were wooden and hard. At least Starbucks normally offer a decent level of comfort but they clearly didn’t want people lingering in this lucrative location. I was seriously looking forward to putting the boot in- only on paper of course! Surely the tea would be even worse than my previous experience across the river in central Pest. From this perspective I was disappointed. The offering was remarkably bland. I can’t say it was horrible because it was beige. Beige in colour, beige in taste, the whole Starbucks experience was an overpriced exercise in mediocrity. Any positives? For people watching, this is a good location. I wondered how many of the wildebeest had reached a state of flow in their Christmas endeavours. Apparently, the shopping centre was named after the discovery of dinosaur bones during its construction. I yearned for a Mammoth’s tusk to pierce through the tedium and send shoppers shrieking into paper cups of English Breakfast despair, before running away like frightened antelope towards the fire exit. Sanity only to return in the cold Buda evening.

A few days later, the Jurányi Suterene was a pleasant antidote to the horrors of Christmas shopping. It’s a rambling arts centre not far beyond the traffic nightmare of Széll Kálmán tér. Unlike the Flow Café, Jurányi is pure Hungarian in its hipness. There is a theatre, rehearsal rooms, an outdoor seated area for the summer and of course a café. Fashionable grannies and baby hipsters in their buggies were there alongside after-school theatre groups and lounging twenty-year olds, drinking beer in the early evening. Wizened artistic types sipped on red wine yet it’s not a boozy joint, they were simply lubricating their creativity. Even the dogs have a casual air about them as though their leads should be made of string. But this is Budapest, not Bristol, and they steer their owners here on perfectly respectable leather.

At the counter there are a variety of teas on offer. I opted for the Althaus Assam Malty Cup at 790 forints, which according to the packaging, suggests 3-5 minutes steeping in boiling water. The teenage server made my beverage at something close to a 100 degrees C and inserted the filter immediately. Full marks for her! It was good strong stuff, not unlike a best British Builders brew. And if you let it stand for five minutes it definitely passes the mouse test. The Jurányi Suterene seems a successful focal point for the local community- relatively cheap with a lively atmosphere. Budapest at its best.

At Szabo Ervin Könyvtár the café is well frequented by library users. Prices are reasonable here but my sole option is a Lipton Yellow Label tea bag priced at 595 forints. The café occupies the stable block once attached to the Wenckheim Palace, which now houses the central library. Large black and white prints decorate the wall with images of a city that can still be found if you look hard enough. The chairs and tables are communist era and hard but somehow more bearable than those at Starbucks.

Students exchange ideas about awaiting assignments, office workers grab a cup of excellent coffee before returning to their screens, tatty figures who could be homeless or professors, read through ancient tomes as they consume their sandwiches. The horses and carriages once stored here drove the rich and famous of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Now the space is filled with the sound of private language lessons and quiet discourse. I wait patiently for my tea to brew. Otherwise, this particular brand is quite insipid. Truthfully, the Lipton Yellow Label is not the best from my winter sampling. Well trumped by that excellent malty brew at Jurányi. After ten minutes though- it finally becomes drinkable. Quite acceptable in fact. Like a lot of life in Hungary, if you wait around long enough, things turn out well in the end. Even the humble cuppa.

McDonald’s at Nyugati Railway station. The most beautiful branch in the world?