New York City Tea Tour and other New York City Tea Places

New York City is a great place for all different types of tea experiences.  I just returned home from the International Association of Culinary Professionals National Conference which was held there.  A colleague and tea friend of mine Judith Krall-Russo and I were chosen to lead a tea tour for the conference.  We had a great group of new tea enthusiasts that were eager to learn. 

We toured the "World of Tea" without ever leaving Manhattan!  Our first stop was Chinatown for a Gongfu Chinese Tea Ceremony.  It was wonderful to have the attendees experience tea in this way with the small Chinese teapots and many infusions of oolong.

Our next stop was to visit Soho for some more tea education.  Judith and I taught for about an hour about tea as the attendees tasted Chinese white tea, Japanese green tea, Taiwanese oolong, and Sri Lankan (Ceylon) black tea.  We of course needed to cleanse the palate in between tastings and what would be more befitting, but some yummy scones. 

As we left Soho, we waved goodbye to China, Taiwan, Japan, and Sri Lanka.  We then walked to our next stop which was France.  We organized a tea inspired lunch at Bosie Tea Parlor in Greenwich Village.  We had a three course lunch there along with a bit more education on caffeine and antioxidants.

Not only is their food amazing, but their pastries are just as good. Many of them are tea infused to add to the uniqueness.  The problem was which one to choose. 

Just down the street from Bosie is a new tea chain that has just opened up in the US.  Davids Tea is from Canada and has just opened two stores in New York City.  The vibe in the store is contemporary and the clientele was young.  It was great to see middle school kids still in their uniforms ordering tea at the counter!

Our last stop around the world was right here in the USA.  We stopped in at the oldest running tea and coffee shop.  They have been in the same location since 1895. 

We want to thank IACP for allowing us to share our love of tea with its members.  We had loads of fun planning, taste testing, and leading the tour.  I just thought I would share a few bonus tea places that we couldn't include on the tour.

Judith and I decided to do a private Japanese tea excursion the next day since we both had traveled to the tea fields of Japan together in 2010,  Our tour included Kinokuniya Books.  It is not just a bookstore, but has a lovely selection of Japanese gifts.  If you have time, go upstairs for a cup of tea. 

We also stopped off for a authentic Japanese breakfast.  Doesn't that look good?  It was....

Next on the our list was Cha An Tea House.  If you get the chance, you won't want to miss Cha An.  It only seats 12, so get there early.  We spent the afternoon with another tea friend eating, laughing, and drinking tea!  After all, isn't that what having tea is all about?

I hope you enjoyed the tour of New York City's tea places.  There are many more to share, but that is for another blog.  Follow me as I take you to Sri Lanka next-the land of Ceylon Tea which I toured in January! 

Happy Sipping from New York City, Lisa

Day 3 Japanese Tea House and Temple

Today was a rainy day, but I decided to venture out in the morning before going to the O-Cha (Tea) Festival.  Since I have been traveling with a group, it was nice to take a walk by myself.  It was really the first opportunity I had the whole trip to be alone.  One of the members in our group told us about a temple behind our hotel that she could see from her window in her room.  On my journey, I stumbled upon this small teahouse just behind the hotel.  Although it wasn't open, I could just imagine the tea ceremonies that have taken place there through the years, can't you?

My journey then took me to a very interesting site and my emotions took me off guard.  Although I didn't enter through these big heavy wooden gates, I just thought the entrance was so inviting.  The roof over the doors was so ornate.  My husband is a builder, so I am always interested in how things how built and the work that is involved. 

What was so fascinating about this temple is that is it was preserved down through history.  As you can see, it is surrounded by a city that was built around it and yet the temple and the beautiful zen garden remained intact or so I thought.  Although I was in a city full of tall buildings and not far from a major train station, the gardens remained peaceful.

Below you can see the carpet of stone that has been manicured so nicely with even rows and sculptural rocks and plants to accent the rock carpet. 

Everything was kept so nicely as to show respect for each part of the garden as an individual place.  However, I kept wondering why I had this sense of sadness walking though the garden.  

 

Even the raindrops landing in the pond added to the serenity of the garden in a unique way.  The place held such beauty, that I desired to know more.  I wondered if I may be allowed to enter the temple. The picture below shows the temple beyond the pond.  I went through the doors and there was a kind gentleman with a jacket on that had a "Georgia" emblem on it.  I thought great, we have something in common, he has a jacket from my home state!  He spoke some English and  told me that his son was in Georgia and worked for Coke.  It is a small world, isn't it? 

He allowed me to walk around inside the building. It was lovely inside although it didn't appear that old. He told me that the temple was rebuilt, but that the original one and the gardens were over 600 years old. Here is a view from inside the temple out to a lovely courtyard.  I longed to know more about this place that had not been taken over by city buildings. 

On the side of the garden and temple is a cemetery.  It is evident that loved ones still come visit the ones they have lost. 

Upon my return, I wanted to find out more about its history. Our host's daughter and interpreter for the trip, Kazuko found out more information for me through her father. He actually went over to the temple especially for me to find out more! The building is Buddhist temple named Hodaiji. The original temple used be be very large and was built in 1381. During the edo period (1600-1850) the Joseon mission came from Korea and stayed there on their way to Tokyo. They were duly impressed by its beauty and architecture. 

The building was completely destroyed by an aerial bombing during World War II in 1944.  It has since been rebuilt on the site, but much smaller in scale.  There are 40 small stone figures throughout the garden.  They are placed in the memory of the spirits of the dead children that were lost. 

I was moved by this story and I think that explained some of my sadness through all the tranquility I felt while walking through the garden.  If you are ever in the land of tea in Shizuoka, be sure to take time to walk through this beautiful garden. 

Happy Sipping and Serenity, Lisa