T2 Tea

T2 began in 1996 with a single store at 340 Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, founded by Maryanne Shearer and Jan O'Connor, and the Fitzroy shop still trades, open until seven on Saturdays. Nearly three decades on, the company sells online and in shops across Australia and abroad, and in central Melbourne it keeps four: the Fitzroy original, two inside Emporium and Melbourne Central, and this street-front boutique at 269 Little Collins Street, open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:30 and Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00.

Most of the loose leaf comes in the brand's cardboard cubes, 50 or 100 g sealed inside, and the plain classics are the shelf worth knowing: an English Breakfast and a Japanese Sencha in the 100 g box, a China Jasmine of green tea scented with the flower, a plain oolong, a Pai Mu Tan white in the smaller 50 g cube and the house chai. Many of the everyday teas also come as 250 g refills or in tins, and the same products ship from the online shop, with free delivery on Australian orders over A$ 50.

The boutique also sells the company's teaware, from cups and teapots to matcha bowls, and the gift packs and seasonal editions that make up much of a T2 window. Orders placed online can be picked up in store with Click & Collect, and same-day and express delivery are offered. If you are choosing among the four central shops, this one is the quickest stop on foot: a street door on Little Collins, no shopping centre to cross, and Sunday hours.