Rui Rocha, owner of the newly opened House of Rocha, expertly serves green tea while explaining the art behind the ancient tradition with the greatest proficiency.
“In China there are 136 varieties of green tea alone,” explains the Head of the Department of Portuguese Language and Culture of Portuguese-speaking Countries at City University of Macau.
Speaking about his new shop selling Portuguese confectionery and Asian teas, he describes how the teas on offer are mostly from China (with the exception of one or two from Thailand and Vietnam) and include eight of the best available, as well as two varieties of white tea, one of yellow tea, two oolong options, two red teas, two black teas – covering the entire spectrum of the classification of Chinese teas – as well as three varieties of floral teas.
Casa da Rocha (which owes its name to the “happy coincidence” of being located on Calçada da Rocha, rather than sharing the name of its owner) proposes a new concept, offering the opportunity to enjoy high quality teas, while at the same time introducing to Macau the delights of Portuguese convent sweets, thus appealing to the character of confluence of cultures, which is at the heart of the city itself
“I wanted to explore the Chinese tradition of teas with the convergence of something that was Portuguese, and as I am a gluttonous appreciator of our conventual sweets, this idea came to light.”
A longstanding enthusiast of the Chinese tradition of preparing and appreciating high-end tea, Rui Rocha explains the concept he wants to explore with his new shop: “A person can come to enjoy afternoon tea with friends. A pot of Xinyang Maojian (green tea), can be refilled four or more times, and only costs 40 patacas. And if people like it they can buy a pack of 50 grams to prepare at home for 90 patacas.”
Casa da Rocha also sells between seven or eight products originating from different regions of Portugal, including Ovos Moles from Aveiro, queijadas (cheesecake tarts) from Sintra, and pastéis de Águeda (pastels from the town of Águeda), amongst others.
