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