Spontaneous Series Post 3

Living in New York over the last couple of years I’ve gone on an expedition to check out as many tea shops I could.

Being that I’m very open about my love for good tea, I usually get asked my favorite hideouts by people trying to experience tea culture in New York City.

I thought putting together this guide would help both the tea aficionado and the newer subscribers to the tea life.

Here’s my list of my some of my favorite tea shops in New York City, sorted by some fun categories. Also for the record, I don’t truly know when to use tea house, parlor, bar, shop, or store, so you’ll see a little bit of all of those used.

Best place to take a date you kind of like

Here’s a list for some of our romantics out there. Don’t be embarrassed, tea is romantic and you shouldn’t be embarrassed to bring someone to have tea on a first, fifth, or fiftieth date.

My favorite

Bosie’s Tea Parlor
Where at?: West Village
What make’s it special?: Bosie’s Tea Parlor is an absolute gem. This French themed tea parlor gives you the right mix of great teas and some of the best macaroons in the city. They also serve beer & wine if you’re trying to spice up the night. Located right off of Bleeker, I stumbled upon it with my mom on Valentine’s Day back in 2013. Yes, my mom was my valentine in 2013. The tea menu is great, the jazz music is spectacular, and who doesn’t like a good macaroon with their tea.

Cha-an in the East Village

Runner-Up

Cha-an
Where at: East Village
What makes it special?: This Japanese inspired tea house in the East Village is straight fire.

While I haven’t particularly gone on any dates here just yet, I always imagine the perfect night at Cha-an to include any of the following: A pot of green tea, lots of cold sake, homemade mochi, noodles, and a great night of laughs and love. Try and grab a seat in one of their secluded tea booths, that’ll be the matcha powder on the mochi if you can pull that off.

I can’t promise you’ll have a great date, but I will promise that you have all the tools to set yourself up for success.

You’re welcome.

Not too far away: Tea & Sympathy, Alice’s Tea Cup, Two E Bar/Lounge, Sanctuary T

Best Tea

This is a hard section to focus on. There are so many good places in NYC that really do serve great tea, that I decided to be a little selfish here.

My Favorite

Ippodo Tea Co.
Where at?: Murray Hill
I’m a Japanese green tea guy. I just am. I like my green tea like I like my broccoli, steamed, and that’s all the difference between a Japanese Green and a Chinese Green. With an array of best matchas & senchas in NYC, Ippodo Tea just gets me. Sourced from it’s sister shop in Kyoto Japan, Ippodo shelves the highest quality green tea in the city. It’s a bit pricey, but you definitely get what you pay for here. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and the takeaway menu is great.

Runner-Up(s)

This is hard. I really don’t think I can (or want to) pick one. Bellocq(Variety), Puerh Brooklyn (Puerhs), Tea Drunk (Chinese Teas), and Te Company (Taiwanese Oolongs) all stick out to me over the last couple of years. T Shop and world famous Harney & Sons have to be up there as well.

Each one of these stores has a niche and if I’ve learned anything through-out my tea twenties it’s that we’re all entitled to our difference in opinions, tastes, and styles. Check all of them out!

Chillest Vibes

This might have been the toughest category to pick from. Tea Bars / Shops / Houses are experiential. The interior design (shelving, seating, bar setting), music selection, teaware, menu design are all taken seriously by shop owners universally. So picking my favorite was ridiculously hard.

My Favorite

Floating Mountains
Where at?: Upper West Side
What make’s it special?: Owners Elina Medvedeva & Roza Gazarian have a real passion for tea and they designed an experience on the second-floor walk up on top of an Organic Dry Cleaners to prove it. Don’t be intimidated by the shaggy entrance, the place is worth the walk up a flight of stars through a sketchy lobby.

From the moment you walk in, you’re kindly asked to take your shoes off, pick a seat (I like to choose the window ledge). From there, let the owners do everything else. They’ll prepare your tea, brew your tea in traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony, and have subtle yet thoughtful conversations along the way. The shop hosts beautiful natural light and shelving decor from local artists. It takes zen to a whole new level.

Side note: I’m always inspired by Elina, who recently left her job in corporate America, head first in daily spreadsheets to open Floating Mountains

Coming up on its four-month anniversary Floating Mountains is worth the trip to the Upper West Side. Grab a friend or go alone. Most recently Floating Mountains hosted a live performance by violinist Dina Nesterenko.

Runner-Up

Hideout Chai Bar
Where at?: Lower East Side
What makes it special?: Hideout Chai Bar is just different.

Located off the beaten path in the Lower East Side, you’ll need to walk down a small flight of stairs to find the best chai tea in NYC. Their chai tea, sourced from famous San Francisco based tea company Samovar Tea, is just incredible. Not your traditional tea bar, owner Chris will tell you that the cafe experience is the core value of Hide Out Chai Bar.

From the slanted chairs, beautiful murals from local artists splashed across its white walls, a minimalist menu, sleek design, and its booming underground hip hop music, this stop tops my list of places to kick it on the weekend. Their Oatmeal Chai on draft is might be my favorite beverages in NYC and their Wifi is A+.

Not too far away: Bellocq, Puerh Brooklyn, Tea Drunk, Tea & Sympathy

Best Place to Relax & Read

Tea and books are like peanut butter and jelly. Like oolong & Taiwan. Like Tom Brady & Giselle.

Here’s a list for our readers out there.

My favorite

Té Company
Where at? West Village
What makes it special?

When I say I really like Té, it’s because I really really like Té. Following the common theme of hidden tea shops, finding Te isn’t easy, but once you’re in it’s hard to leave. Their Taiwanese Oolong’s are some of the highest quality in the city, the service is absolutely phenomenal, and the food bites might be the best among any place on this list. Chef Federico compliments Elena’s Tea expertise to create one of the best pairs in the city. You’ll usually hear some Nat King Cole or Louis Armstrong light serenading you in the background.

Elena & Federico knocked it out of the park with this spot. You’ll generally find me here on weekends or after a rough day of work to decompress. I don’t have much else to add other then this place is sick!

Runner-Up

T Shop
Where at?: Lower East Side
What makes it special? T Shop is a hidden local favorite in the LES. Through a door and down a hallway, you’ll find the quaint tea shop living behind a glass door. It’s almost awkwardly quite in here and that’s good. The ultimate relaxing and soothing shop to buckle down with tea & literature. Their tea is incredible and they spend a lot of time tasting and sourcing their teas before they ever make it to the menu.

Close Third

Radiance Tea House & Books
Where at? Midtown West
What makes it special? Well, to start it’s literally called Tea & Books. This well-sized tea bar and restaurant masters both the restaurant concept and to go experience all in one store. Located a few blocks from Central Park, I’ll usually stop by here on my way to Central Park for a cup of cold-brew tea or I’ll order some tea & dumplings and bunker down in the corner with my most recent read.

Best Tea Shop to have a Deep Conversation

I’m a big believer that you can have just as good of a conversation over a cup of tea then you can a glass of wine, whiskey neat, or a pint of beer. So here’s a list for you people who just want to find a place to really get to know someone.

Puerh Brooklyn
Where at? Williamsburg
What makes it special? The tightest race of the day sits in this category. Between Tea Drunk in the East Village and Puerh Brooklyn in Williamsburg, you really can’t go wrong. At the end of the day, my hat went to Puerh Brooklyn. The owner, an Argentinian artist & fashion designer, really flexes his design chops with this shop.

What really did it for me was the Chinese sanctuary downstairs. Order yourself some of New York’s best puerh and head downstairs (shoes off of course) and take a seat in concrete-walled tea sanctuary. I recently came here with my buddy Christian and just the interior design of the store dug out some of the deepest darkest conversations we could imagine.

Tea Drunk
Where at? East Village
What makes it special? A great place to bring two or three friends along for tea after a busy day of work. Each table has four seats and a tea table at the center. If you’re looking for a place to sit back, enjoy some of the best Chinese teas in the city, and talk about the “tea”, go no further. The conversations will get richer through each round of steeps, until you realize you’re Tea Drunk.

Best tea bar to work remote

Today’s remote work life is real, so finding a place to get work done that’s not your bedroom can be tough. What makes it an even tougher category is that some shops don’t allow laptop use. While Starbucks is usually a fan favorite, I prefer the tea to guide me through my studies.

Side tip, I recommend using WorkFrom to find and tag great remote workspaces. I use this a lot on the road to find the right please to buckle down with my laptop.

My favorite

LUV Tea
Where at?: West Village
What makes it special?: Something about the interior design of LUV makes so much sense for working remote. The founders designed a sectioning concept that creates a series of little cubbies for you to zone into the tasks at hand. These little nooks are a great place to finish that thesis you’ve been procrastinating on or that client deliverable that’s due tomorrow. If you have a chance, try their Signature Cold Brew, one of my favorite iced teas in the city.

There is no WiFi but you can always tether your phone or use TWC WiFi. And no WiFi means no FaceBook, so maybe you’ll be productive this go around

Runner-Up

Argo Tea (Union Square)
Where at?: Union Square
What makes it special?: I walk in here a lot to clear my mind at the office. Every time I do, every table is packed with students from NYU or The New School. I’ve never actually brought my laptop in here to work, but from the looks of it seems to be a hot destination for students and professionals alike. They recently added draft Kombucha to their menu which makes it an even more enticing option for working remote.

Close Third

Hideout Chai Bar
Where at?: Lower East Side
What makes it special?: I know I already mentioned this spot, but The Hideout Chai Bar has the fastest wifi among the shops on this list and comfortable seating. The music can be a bit loud, so for the sake of your job security, you may not want to take a conference call here.

Some more options

Some other places I regularly find myself at include afternoon tea at Tea & Sympathy, any of the Alice & Tea Cups (Chapter I, II, and III), Harney & Sons Soho store, and Physical Graffitea in the East Village.

The tea movement in New York is a real thing. It’s crazy to think that four of these stores on this list opened in the last year. I look forward to more shops opening up over the next couple of years, including hopefully one day maybe my own.

What are your favorite tea establishments?

-Bia

Nicholas BiagioniOctober 27, 2017