Any thoughts on tea shops in NYC? I've visited Alice's Tea Cup and Tsalon,
both of which seem very good (and expensive).

Thanks!

"Lester Long" > writes:

> Any thoughts on tea shops in NYC? I've visited Alice's Tea Cup and
> Tsalon, both of which seem very good (and expensive).

If you can tolerate the prices at those two, you might as well get
better quality: Tea Gallery at 131 Allen St. Their hours are a bit
irregular, so phone ahead at 212-777-6148. Disclaimer: I'm very fond
of them!

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

"Lewis Perin" > wrote in message
news
> "Lester Long" > writes:
>
> > Any thoughts on tea shops in NYC? I've visited Alice's Tea Cup and
> > Tsalon, both of which seem very good (and expensive).
>
> If you can tolerate the prices at those two, you might as well get
> better quality: Tea Gallery at 131 Allen St. Their hours are a bit
> irregular, so phone ahead at 212-777-6148. Disclaimer: I'm very fond
> of them!
>
> /Lew
> ---
> Lew Perin /
> http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

Yeah, I was totally shocked at the prices....the pots of tea weren't so bad,
but the food added up quick! $80 for 3 people, and I left hungry!

"Lester Long" > writes:

> "Lewis Perin" > wrote in message
> news
> > "Lester Long" > writes:
> >
> > > Any thoughts on tea shops in NYC? I've visited Alice's Tea Cup and
> > > Tsalon, both of which seem very good (and expensive).
> >
> > If you can tolerate the prices at those two, you might as well get
> > better quality: Tea Gallery at 131 Allen St. Their hours are a bit
> > irregular, so phone ahead at 212-777-6148. Disclaimer: I'm very fond
> > of them!
>
> Yeah, I was totally shocked at the prices....the pots of tea weren't so bad,
> but the food added up quick! $80 for 3 people, and I left hungry!

It strikes me I may have given you a wrong impression: Tea Gallery
isn't mainly a place to sit and drink tea, though that does happen;
it's basically a place to buy (and try) tea leaves and gear.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

Hi Lester,
If not yet tried go for:

-Takashimaya in the cellar
-Ten Ren in Chinatown
-Ito En


Lester Long schrieb:
> Any thoughts on tea shops in NYC? I've visited Alice's Tea Cup and Tsalon,
> both of which seem very good (and expensive).
>
> Thanks!
>
>
>

KALLE GRIEGER > writes:

> Hi Lester,
> If not yet tried go for:
>
> [...]
> -Ten Ren in Chinatown

I think it is possible to get good tea at Ten Ren, but the staff are a
real obstacle: often rude and often trying to direct your attention
to what they're currently trying to get rid of.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

"Lewis Perin" > wrote in message
news
> KALLE GRIEGER > writes:
>
> > Hi Lester,
> > If not yet tried go for:
> >
> > [...]
> > -Ten Ren in Chinatown
>
> I think it is possible to get good tea at Ten Ren, but the staff are a
> real obstacle: often rude and often trying to direct your attention
> to what they're currently trying to get rid of.
>
> /Lew
> ---
> Lew Perin /
> http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

T-Salon didn't exactly have the best staff either, IMO.

Lester

Lewis Perin > wrote:
>KALLE GRIEGER > writes:
>
>> Hi Lester,
>> If not yet tried go for:
>>
>> [...]
>> -Ten Ren in Chinatown
>
>I think it is possible to get good tea at Ten Ren, but the staff are a
>real obstacle: often rude and often trying to direct your attention
>to what they're currently trying to get rid of.

I have never really had this problem, but then mostly I have gone in and
known what I was looking for to begin with.

I will say that the staff at the Ten Ren in Rockville, MD. does seem to
have more folks that actually know about tea than the people at the one
in NYC. But I have not found either store rude.

Often overpriced, yes. But they do have some excellent teas at reasonable
prices if you are careful to make sure you get the grade you want.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

See my review of places here
http://stratsplace.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=6980

Aeyal Gross

"Lester Long" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Any thoughts on tea shops in NYC? I've visited Alice's Tea Cup and
> Tsalon,
> both of which seem very good (and expensive).
>
> Thanks!
>
>
>

Lewis 12/29/05

> "Lester Long" > writes:
>
>> Any thoughts on tea shops in NYC? I've visited Alice's Tea Cup and
>> Tsalon, both of which seem very good (and expensive).
>
> If you can tolerate the prices at those two, you might as well get
> better quality: Tea Gallery at 131 Allen St. Their hours are a bit
> irregular, so phone ahead at 212-777-6148. Disclaimer: I'm very fond
> of them!


I concur with Lew; they are my first choice. For a sit-down tea and
snacks or light lunch you might also try Cha Do on Ninth Street
between Second and Third Avenues. Good and not so perfect
experiences have been reported there. Mine were fine.

Michael

Lewis 12/30/05

> "Lester Long" > writes:
>
>> "Lewis Perin" > wrote in message
>> news
>>> "Lester Long" > writes:
>>>
>>>> Any thoughts on tea shops in NYC? I've visited Alice's Tea Cup and
>>>> Tsalon, both of which seem very good (and expensive).
>>>
>>> If you can tolerate the prices at those two, you might as well get
>>> better quality: Tea Gallery at 131 Allen St. Their hours are a bit
>>> irregular, so phone ahead at 212-777-6148. Disclaimer: I'm very fond
>>> of them!
>>
[Lester]
>> Yeah, I was totally shocked at the prices....the pots of tea weren't so bad,
>> but the food added up quick! $80 for 3 people, and I left hungry!
>
[Lew]
> It strikes me I may have given you a wrong impression: Tea Gallery
> isn't mainly a place to sit and drink tea, though that does happen;
> it's basically a place to buy (and try) tea leaves and gear.

Hi again,

Another possibility for you is Wild Lily Tea Room on W 22nd Street -- or the
next street downtown -- off 10th Avenue. You can eat a light meal there as
well. None of these places are cheap, though. But, they are worth exploring.
(Personally, I usually keep my tea drinking explorations and my food
explorations separate.) In either of the places I mentioned it is possible
to sit down and have a cup or small pot of tea without food.

The Tea Gallery is a different kind of experience, as Lew said, and a
wonderful introduction to new Chinese teas as the owners, Michael and
Winnie, know their tea really well and are eager to share their teas and
their knowledge. Again, like Lew, I'm very fond of them.

Michael

Michael

KALLE 12/30/05

> Hi Lester,
> If not yet tried go for:
>
> -Takashimaya in the cellar
> -Ten Ren in Chinatown
> -Ito En

Hi Kalle,

Caveats regarding your suggestions: Ten Ren is way overpriced for the
quality of tea they sell, and for the most part they don't take good care of
their teas. Furthermore, if you don't speak Chinese, communication is at a
minimum. Ito En serves tea upstairs as well as *very* high priced snacks,
but they will not add more water to their little pots. A second steep is
usually appropriate. Therefore, I put them on my "don't go there" list.
However, their street level tea and gear sales area is pleasant and
interesting. They refrigerate their teas, and take *very* good care of them.
I am less familiar with Takashimaya, although I've had tea there twice. I
have no feeling for them one way or the other, which doesn't speak well for
them (or perhaps for me).

Ito En is on Madison Avenue at approximately 68th Street.

Michael

"Lester Long" > writes:

> Any thoughts on tea shops in NYC? I've visited Alice's Tea Cup and Tsalon,
> both of which seem very good (and expensive).

This just in: There's a new place in Williamsburg (Brooklyn) called
Roebling Tearoom, where my wife and I lunched on the last day of the
departed year. It isn't entirely focused on tea - it's kind of a
bohemian lounge - but they make an honest attempt at serving good tea.
The food, based on our one experience there, is pretty good, too: good
ingredients treated respectfully, if not necessarily with laser-like
concentration (the potatoes in the potato salad were underdone.) The
prices are surprisingly reasonable for that rapidly gentrifying
neighborhood.

The tea is served in a way I hadn't seen before, and I think it makes
sense for a place that wants to serve tea well but doesn't want to
attempt, e.g., gongfu preparation. They put the leaves into a T-Sac
(or some equivalent filter-paper sleeve) and infuse the leaves in a
tall glass topped with a saucer and wrapped with one of those
don't-burn-my-hand sleeves spread around the world by Starbucks. To
me, the benefit of this method is that the glass gets *completely*
cleaned between uses, so my Baimudan won't remind me of an earlier
scented whatever.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html