Beca Tea, pronounced Be-cha tea, might be the coolest tea bar in KL that I’ve been to.
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So it was our second week in Malaysia. We had just come back from Cameron Highlands, and I was really looking forward to exploring more tea places around KL.
Enter Beca Tea.
During my online search for interesting tea places in KL, I came across Beca Tea and, indeed, it looked very cool. My brother also highly recommended it, so off we went.
Earlier that morning, we had gone to Maya Bangsar and had the most amazing banana leaf breakfast. Highly recommend!
From there, we headed to the Beca Tea branch closest to us. Beca Tea actually has two branches, and the one we went to first is called Little Beca Tea. It’s located on the ground floor of The Vertical, a corporate office building.
Unfortunately, it was closed when we arrived, since we’d gone on a weekend.
But this actually turned out to be a good thing because it forced us to go to the bigger, main branch in Uptown Damansara.
While Little Beca Tea looked like a cute little place that I’m sure serves up all the same delicious teas, it seemed to have more of a grab-and-go concept.
The Uptown Damansara branch, on the other hand, is simply called Beca Tea (no “Little”), and this one was a whole experience.
Beca Tea is Calm with Vibes
The intention behind Beca Tea becomes clear from the moment you walk through the doors. They want you to experience tea in a completely new way.
The place is vibrant and fun, but also strangely calm and grounding at the same time.
As you walk down the hallway through the entrance, there are little compartments made with drapes, behind which people are sitting and chatting away. This gives the place a very airy atmosphere while still allowing people to have some privacy.
It looked like the light brown drapes had been dyed with tea, and they blended beautifully with the sand-coloured walls.
While researching for this article, I found out that the fabric installations were indeed dyed with 5 different teas: white, green, oolong, black, and puerh. These are the 5 teas that make up the base for all of Beca Tea’s drinks.
After walking a few steps down Beca’s entryway, on the left is a long, narrow room that feels a little more private. This is where we sat for the duration of our visit.
The walls are a warm salmon colour, with trippy projections dancing across the centre of the wall.
In one corner, there are bright, colourful tins of tea displayed in front of a tea-making station, although this wasn’t in use when we visited.
Soft, lo-fi beats were playing in the background, and as soon as you enter the room, there’s something about the combination of the colours, music, and atmosphere that just makes you feel uplifted.
The Little Tea Station
Going straight down the hallway brings you to the order counter.
To the right, there’s a little station where they display the different types of tea leaves in small glass bottles, each with its own little information card. I really liked this because you can actually smell the tea leaves before deciding what you want to order.
It’s a small detail, but it’s the kind of thing that makes ordering tea feel more like an experience rather than simply choosing a drink from a menu.
The Friendliest Service
The guy at the counter was super nice and helpful and was more than happy to answer all our questions.
He also gave us free samples of butter cake that were hot and freshly out of the oven.
I kid you not, I think it was one of the best butter cakes I’ve ever had.
It was so soft that it practically melted in my mouth. It smelled wonderfully buttery without being overpowering, and because it was still warm, it was just chef’s kiss.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to be thinking about the butter cake quite so much when I came to a tea shop, but here we are.
Beca Tea Menu
Next, we checked out the menu.
The menu itself is a treat for the eyes, with beautifully photographed tea cocktails in bright, vibrant colours.
And this is something I really liked about Beca Tea. Tea is treated here as something playful and creative, and they clearly have a lot of fun experimenting with different ways of presenting and serving it.
The menu was quite expansive, ranging from pure cold-brew teas to nitro-charged brews and a mix of fun cocktails. They also had several variations of the Malaysian classic Teh Tarik, both hot and cold.
Of course, I had to try several things.
The Teas I Tried at Beca Tea
Hot Teh Tarik: 5/5
The hot teh tarik was quite strong and the right amount of sweet.
There’s something very comforting about a good cup of teh tarik, and this one hit the spot most excellently. Definitely a 5/5 from me.
Iced Teh Tarik: 5/5
The iced version was equally good.
If you’re visiting on a hot day, which is really most days in KL, this would probably be my pick over the hot version. Again, 5/5.
Tuxedo No. 5 Black Tea Wanderlust Cold Brew: 5/5
This was one of the teas that really stood out to me.
The tea smelled lovely, with strong floral and fruity notes. They also added a little flower to the drink. I think it was an orchid, though I can’t say for sure. But it imparted a beautifully soothing floral scent and definitely made the drink look prettier.
The cold brew was incredibly refreshing. What I liked most was that it somehow felt both energising and calming at the same time.
Moonlight Jasmine Milk Tea: 4.5/5
This one was also really nice.
It was beautifully fragrant and very soothing. If you’re craving a milk tea that feels light and calming, I would highly recommend this one.
Amber No. 4 Musk Orchid Oolong Nitro Charged Tea: 1/5
Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me at all.
I found it too bitter and didn’t particularly enjoy it. I’m not sure if they didn’t brew it right that day, because oolong is not supposed to be bitter.
Blessed Fig: 4/5
The last drink I tried was a cocktail called Blessed Fig. This drink was cold brew Amber no.4 Musk Orchid Oolong Tea with rosemary and both fresh and dried fig.
It smelled really lovely, both floral and fruity, and was very refreshing. It was a little sweeter than I personally prefer, though.
If I ordered it again, I’d probably ask them to make it less sweet.
I also didn’t get as much of a tea flavour as I was expecting, so I probably wouldn’t order it when I’m having a really strong craving for tea.
But despite that, it was still a very good drink. And it was absolutely beautiful to look at.
Definitely one of those drinks that makes you want to take a photo before you take the first sip.
About Beca Tea | The Brand
Although Beca Tea feels like a very modern and playful take on tea, there’s actually a long family history behind it.
The Koh family has been in the tea business for 92 years, with their tea story beginning in Fujian, China, before the family eventually moved to Malaysia.
In the 1930s, PC Koh’s grandfather would travel around Kuala Lumpur selling tea from a tin trunk pulled behind a beca (pronounced be-cha), or trishaw, which is where the name Beca comes from.
Today, the fourth and fifth generations of the family are bringing that tea knowledge to a new generation, creating drinks that make tea feel more accessible, creative, and fun, while keeping the tea itself at the heart of what they do.
Beca Tea Overall Review
Overall, we had a great experience at Beca Tea.
What I really loved about Beca Tea was that the experience went beyond the drinks themselves.
Everything felt very intentional.
From the way the space was designed to the tea displays, the cups, the menu, and the way the teas themselves are presented, you can tell that a lot of thought and love has gone into the place.
Tea can sometimes feel like such a quiet, traditional thing, but Beca Tea manages to make it feel fresh and playful without losing the calming quality that makes tea so enjoyable in the first place.
And I think that’s what makes the experience so memorable.
Interestingly, KL has plenty of hip, modern tea places that make tea more accessible for the younger generation. Two of these that I loved were Niko Neko and Teapluz, if you want to check out my reviews.
If you’re looking for interesting tea places to visit in KL, especially if you’re someone who enjoys trying tea in different forms, I’d definitely recommend adding Beca Tea to your list.
And don’t forget to try the butter cake if they’re serving it fresh.
