Loose Tea in NYC

[Samantha]

Hi all,

I've been looking for a good source of loose tea in the NYC area, Assam tea in particular. I just don't like tea bags as much.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks,

Sam.

[foodpsycho]

T-Salon on 20th street between Fifth and Broadway

[jpr54_]

there are many places to purchase loose tea in nyc?

i would suggest checking frequently asked questions on news group rec.food.drink.tea and www.catteacorner.com

i would also check out teamail group on yahoo

joanne

Edited February 9, 2004 by jpr54_ (log)

[chengb02]

My two suggestions would be Ten Ren in Chinatown, which has a very good selection and Teany, which is the musician Moby's place on the lower east side. A great selection of teas and some interesting food options, and Moby often drops in...

[ghostrider]

T-Salon on 20th street between Fifth and Broadway

I will second that recommendation, particularly if you're searching for Assam.

McNulty, on Christopher St. west of Bleecker, is an institution, but with loose teas of varying quality.

Ten Ran has some wondrous teas but I don't believe you'll find any Assams there.

I personally am addicted to the Assam selection at Upton Tea. Since I don't drink coffee at all, I wake up with an Assam almost daily and go through a lot of it!

Ordering teas over the Net can be dicey but Upton takes the guesswork out of it as well as anyone can, I think. Both the range of teas they offer & the overall quality are superior to anything I've been able to find in over 30 years in the NYC area.

Simpson & Vail were my favorite city tea merchant in the 1970s, but they've been moving progressively further from NYC since then. Their Assam selection has improved in recent years tho!

Edited February 10, 2004 by ghostrider (log)

[Lisa1349]

A great selection of teas and some interesting food options, and Moby often drops in...

"Nobody listens to techno!" - Eminem LOL

[Suzanne F]

Tea Time, 74B Chambers Street, just west of Broadway.

[amaxdesign]

Hi Sam! The easiest source for loose leaf tea that I've found is an online source called Simplicitea. They sell over 50 varieties of loose-leaf tea (including assam). The apricot lavender and organic rooibus are incredible! Check out www.simplicitea.com and stop running around New York!

Amber

[jpr54_]

www.uptontea.com

www.specialteas.com

www.rishi-tea.com

www.sensationalteas.com

you can also check the frequently asked questions at rec.food.drink.tea newsgroup-

joanne

[wagyuboy]

The Itoen store on 69th might be cool, but I've heard it's very expensive.

[jpr54_]

it is a great experiience-

worth the money-

there is also takeshyama 0n fifth avenue-

i enjoy tea in at franchia on 32nd and park avenue(green teas from korea)

joanne

[Suzanne F]

FYI: "Tables for Two" in the current issue (March 22, 2004) of The New Yorker is about T Salon. And it is dead on.

And since I mentioned Tea Time, we got some Towkok Estate GFBOP Assam, that we are very pleased with; it's much better than the Taylors of Harrogate I get at Fairway.

[dfq]

Porto Rico Importing at 201 Bleeker St. in the Village (btw McDougal and 6th).

[LuckyGirl]

I'm bumping this topic up as I will be in NYC next week and am wondering if there are any tea shops of note others that those mentioned a few years back in this thread.

I have noted Tea Gallery from another recent post and will likely make a stop there.

I feel like the suggestions from this old thread are very limited. There must be a few really great shops that are missing from the mentions, no?

[baroness]

TenRen Manhattan Chinatown

75 Mott Street

New York City, N.Y. 10013

Tel: 212/349-2286 Fax: 212/349-2180

Ten Ren Tea Time New York

79 Mott Street

New York, NY 10013

Tel: 212/732-7178

TenRen Brooklyn

5817 8th Ave.

Brooklyn, NY.11220

Tel: 718/853-0660 Fax 718/461-9308

TenRen Lafayette

138 Lafayette Street

New York, NY 10013

Tel: 212/343-8098

[Will]

I have noted Tea Gallery from another recent post and will likely make a stop there.

Just note that they've changed locations recently, and are by appointment only. It's wise to give them a heads up, esp. since they're not always around during the holiday season.

[LuckyGirl]

Thanks, baroness. Ten Ren is on my list. I've enjoyed ordering from them in the past and am looking forward to checking out at least one of their shops.

Will, thanks for the heads up.

I'm surprised that I'm not finding more notable tea shops in NYC.

[Mjx]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Takashimaya is closed, and I couldn't find the T-Salon when I looked for it last week (it may have moved).

I love The way McNulty's smells, but the prices/range seem to be geared to the tourist. <sigh> I never did get my hands on a fresh tin of gunpowder, after all... I wish I'd seen this thread last week!

Edited December 17, 2010 by Mjx (log)

[Catew]

I saw online that Harney & Sons Teas has a new shop in NYC. I haven't been there myself (I wish), but the address is 433 Broome St in Soho (at Broadway & Crosby).

The Ten Ren in Chinatown is a lovely place as well. Worth stopping in just to see it!

[LuckyGirl]

It was a busy trip and I only had the chance to stop at the Ten Ren shop in Brooklyn and that was a big disappointment. I was immediately told that the smallest quantity I could purchase of any tea was 1/4 pound. I was surprised given that I can order sample quantities of any of Ten Ren's teas online but I wasn't going to argue with the women; I just left.

[Will]

Haven't been to either (I don't live in NY), but you can also check out Luh Yu and Fang Gourmet Tea if you can make it out to Flushing. I know folks who have spent time at both places.

By the way, Tea Gallery's new location is a joint venture with an old friend (Tim of http://themandarinstea.blogspot.com/ and http://www.themandarinstearoom.com/) who also sells his teas there, and who is sharing his work space with them.

[v. gautam]

Here is my strong recommendation for Darjeeling, Assam & Nilgiri, + Nepal, Sikkim & much more, including Oolongs,& greens,

http://www.silvertipstea.com/fusionecommerce/browse/

Makaibari Tea is an extraordinary tea estate in Darjeeling, West Bengal, my home state in India. I sing their praises because I know intimately the unbelievably horrific violence that has overcome this specific bit of territory for the past 50 years.

Makaibari Tea represents a very bold and exceedingly enlightened social experiment in the face of horrible odds. I urge you all to visit Darjeeling, in winter Nov-April, when the Himalayas are cloud-free & roads free of rain-sodden landslips, and enjoy the guest facilities. March is when the orchids, rhodies & azaleas are out in Darjeeling& Bhutan!!

I have zero commercial interest in Makaibari and no conflict of interest whatsoever. For years, I have been bugging the Govt. of India on my own [with NO success] to establish a tea research station dedicated to high altitude conditions i.e. Darjeeling teas, & especially their environmentally sustainable cultivation. India has 2 stations, one each for the lower altitude Assam & the Nilgiris, but none for the highest-value yet very fragile Darjeeling ecosystem! That is the basis of my connection with this Tea estate, which pursues organic practices; that plus my extreme concern for the agricultural development of West Bengal, very well known to the present Chief Economic Advisor, Government of India. All of this to express my strict neutrality re: Makaibari!!

I have not the slightest idea of how the renowned Makaibari Silver Tips, First & Second Flush taste, except by hearsay. What I cannot buy with my own money, I will not taste, PERIOD. I do know the Makaibari Autumn Flush, because that is the least expensive, and suits my pocket, and therefore my taste!! I recommend it as an easy drinking, everyday tea. I hear the Second Flush being praised, even above some of the Firsts, in certain years.

I urge you to look here:

http://www.silvertipstea.com/fusionecommerce/browse/Tea_RoomRestaurant/

This is an excellent Tea Room & Tea Retail Store in Tarrytown, a short ride away on the Metro North Hudson line, from NYC/Grand Central.

http://www.silvertipstea.com/fusionecommerce/browse/LocationHours/

http://www.silvertipstea.com/fusionecommerce/browse/Makaibari_Tea_Estate/

P.S. An apology to Richard Kilgore: a sample he sent me for review ended up in India!!! We sat down to do the tasting with friends, were interrupted by "guests"; long story! Still waiting to get my sample back!!

P.P.S. If you do go to Silver Tips Tea Room, please tell Ms.Anupa Mueller that Gautam press-ganged you into visiting. She knows that I have a thing for Bengal!!