The city guide · United Kingdom
The city guide · United KingdomTea shops inSheffield.
Sheffield buys its tea from blenders and roasters rather than from tea houses: Birdhouse blends in the city centre and names half its range after the place (Kelham Island, Peace Gardens, Full Monty), Pollards has been roasting on Ecclesall Road for generations and keeps the deepest loose-leaf list in the city, and two refill-and-roastery counters on Abbeydale Road and in Hope Works sell leaf by the bag. Prices below are in pounds with VAT included, read on each shop's own site; Birdhouse sells in 20 g, 60 g and 75 g, Pollards from 125 g up to a kilo, and the Abbeydale Road shelf in flat 100 g bags.
Illustrative tea photograph
4 places we’d send a friend to.
Our Sheffield shortlist
Good tea is worth knowing where to look.
Places to explore, each with a different reason to stop by. See what to bring home before you go.
Showing 4 of 4 places
- 01Loose-leaf specialist
Pollards Coffee
Ecclesall Road
20 prices listedPollards Coffee
627 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield S11 8PT
The deepest loose-leaf list in Sheffield, sold by the 125 g bag from a coffee house that has been roasting on Ecclesall Road for generations.
In storeShips onlineRead the full shop note
The shop at 627 Ecclesall Road belongs to a house that has been roasting coffee since 1879, and its tea list is the one to beat in Sheffield: English Breakfast and Earl Grey at 3,30 £ for 125 g, Keemun China at 3,85 £, Kenya and Rwanda at 4,13 £, Russian Caravan at 4,95 £, Gunpowder at 5,50 £, Sencha and Japanese Genmaicha at 7,43 £, Pu-Erh at 7,70 £, Pai Mu Tan at 9,63 £ and an Iron Buddha oolong at 11,55 £. Every tea also comes in 250 g, 500 g and 1 kg, and each one has a plain-packaging option at the same price.
What to bring home
Website: pollardscoffee.co.uk 
02Loose-leaf specialistBirdhouse Tea Co.
Sidney Street, city centre
12 prices listedBirdhouse Tea Co.
Sidney St, Sheffield S1 4RG
A city-centre blender whose shelves read like a map of Sheffield, with a tea bar on Sidney Street open from nine every day of the week.
In storeShips onlineMon–Fri 9:00–16:00 · Sat–Sun 9:00–17:00
Read the full shop note
The city-centre blender on Sidney Street, whose tea bar opens from nine every day and whose shelves read like a map of Sheffield: Kelham Island, Peace Gardens and Full Monty sit next to the classics. Almost the whole range is 5,00 £ for the regular bag, which is 60 g or 75 g depending on the blend, with a 20 g taster at 2,95 £ and bulk bags at 16,50 £ to 25,00 £. Classics worth the trip: English Breakfast, Earl Grey and Lapsang Souchong at 75 g, a Sencha at 75 g, and pure chamomile, peppermint and rooibos.
What to bring home
Website: birdhouseteacompany.comThe everyday option
6 prices listedThe Bare Alternative
332 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield S7 1FN
The refill shop at 332 Abbeydale Road keeps a small tea shelf stocked with Pollards leaf, sold in flat 100 g bags and priced below anything else in the city: English Breakfast at 2,60 £, Gunpowder green at 3,60 £, Earl Grey at 3,70 £, Redbush at 4,10 £, and chai and chamomile at 4,60 £. It is the cheapest way in Sheffield to keep an everyday tin full.
In storeShips onlineWhat to bring home
Website: barealternative.co.ukThe everyday option
5 prices listedSmith Street Coffee Roasters
Unit 1 Hope Works, Sussex Rd, Sheffield S4 7YQ
The roastery and weekday coffee shop in Hope Works, off Sussex Road, carries a short tea range at a flat 5,00 £: Earl Grey, Full Monty and House Chai in 75 g, a rhubarb infusion in 75 g and peppermint in 50 g. Open Monday to Friday mornings and the second Saturday of the month from April to October.
In storeShips onlineMon–Fri 8:00–14:30 · second Sat of the month 9:30–14:30 (Apr–Oct)
What to bring home
Website: smithstreetcoffeeroasters.co.uk
Prices keep each product’s listed currency and pack size. Check current prices and hours with the shop.
A good cup, closer than you think
Find your tea in Sheffield.
These teas have an exact or close match in the local catalogue. Open a tea to see who sells it and at what price.
Also worth a visit
Beanies Wholefoods
Crookesmoor, Barber Road
Website: beanies.coopA worker co-operative wholefood grocer with organic veg boxes and a bulk aisle, a short walk from the university.
Ask for prices in storeLembas Wholefoods
The Old Tannery, Whiting Street
Website: lembas.co.ukA cash-and-carry warehouse open to the public since 1983, with a catalogue of several thousand wholefood lines sold by the sack and the case.
Ask for prices in storeNorthern Tea Merchants
Chatsworth Road, Chesterfield · 193 Chatsworth Road, Chesterfield S40 2BA
Website: northern-tea.comThe full-leaf merchant and café of the region, half an hour down the road in Chesterfield rather than in Sheffield itself, trading since 1926.
Ask for prices in storeA little local knowledge
Before you head out.
Currency, grams & tea bags
Each price keeps its original pack size. A box of bags and a pouch of loose leaf aren’t a like-for-like comparison.
Check the right location
Hours and visiting conditions can differ between branches. Use the address and details for the location you plan to visit.
Pickup and appointments
Some sellers operate pickup offices or showrooms. Read the shop note and check its visiting conditions before setting out.
A guide with a point of view
Tea specialists lead the discovery. Other retailers keep their own category, for familiar blends and everyday essentials.
Keep following the tea
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Photography & credits
Tea photographs are illustrative unless identified as a photograph of the shop. Images are cropped or framed to fit the layout.
- 五玄土 ORIENTO · Original photograph · Unsplash License