Boundary Art: Art Gallery and Tea Garden, Cardiff Bay

Boundary Art is a hidden gem in Cardiff Bay. They achieve exactly what it is they aim to. ‘Boundary Art intends to create a combined space that provides customers the opportunity to contemplate art works whilst enjoying tea in a fresh, unique and friendly atmosphere.’

Cardiff Bay is a place I’ve always avoided like the plague as I have no interest in microwaveable meals and poor drinks from commercial places. That is until I discovered Boundary Art. It displays stunning pieces of modern art and pottery but, more importantly to me, they offer great tea! Not only is the tea great, but you are able to experience a Chinese Tea Ceremony in the heart of Cardiff.

I’ve been witness to a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony (known as the Way of Tea) but have always known less about Chinese tea traditions. This meant I was really excited to learn that I could actually take part in a Chinese Tea Ceremony rather than just watch one.

Boundary Art isn’t far from Techniquest and is only a couple minutes walk from the nearest car park and from Cardiff Bay Rail Station. The entire gallery is an open and inviting space with the Tea Garden located in a room with lots of windows which let the light pour in. The light and minimalist nature of Boundary Art make it a tranquil place. This all adds to the special atmosphere of a tea ceremony and shows that tea can be appreciated like art.

We were greeted by Joan who was our tea guide for the afternoon. The traditional teaware was all meticulously set up and ready to go. After a brief walk around the gallery whilst the water was prepared we were asked to take our seats. We sat opposite Joan as she talked us through what she was doing and why. We learnt lots of interesting things such as how tea was timed before clocks. We were served a delicious Ali Shan Oolong (which is the first tea Jaye truly fell in love with) as we watched and learnt so much. When preparing tea at home I have a specific spoon I use to measure tea as I know how much of each tea it holds. Seeing the traditional tea instruments in use made me instantly want to buy some. All these elements add to the experience of drinking tea and the ceremony in Boundary Art really shows this. After the ceremony we sat at our own table and enjoyed preparing our own Dragon Well using the tips we had learnt.

As much as I’d love to write a very detailed description of everything I learnt, witnessed and experienced I feel I would rob you of the chance to enjoy the truly wonderfully experience I had. You don’t need to pay any extra for the tea ceremony as you are only charged for the tea.