I've been to three relatively new tea joints in downtown New York
recently. The bad news is that two of them were such that I didn't
even bother to sit down and order some tea. One of them is a keeper,
though.

Sanctuary T, at 337B West Broadway at Grand St., is basically a
typical swanky SoHo bar/restaurant/café with a tea around the edges.
They seem to use tea in some of the food recipes, if that appeals to
you, but there are very few unflavored teas on the menu, and nobody
was drinking tea when I happened by on a weekend afternoon.

Gramstand, at 214 Ave. A between 13th and 14th, is a hipsterish place
that serves tea among other things, but not many varieties and, once
again, most are flavored. What really discouraged me was that they
store their teas in lucite containers.

Saving the best for last, there's Amai Tea and Bake House, at 171 3rd
Ave. between 16th and 17th. It's a very peaceful, pleasant room to
sit in. The tea selection isn't large, but the unflavored teas seem
well-chosen and fresh. My wife and I had a lively Makaibari second
flush that must have been this year's and a not-too-subtle but quite
fresh maofeng from Lincang county, Yunnan. They serve the teas in Bee
House pots so you can avoid oversteeping. What's really remarkable is
their sweets: baked goods that tend toward dense textures and deep
flavors, not oversweet. Even if I hated tea, I'd go there for
dessert. Their prices are moderate.

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

Lewis Perin wrote in
news
....
Saving the best for last, there's Amai Tea and Bake House, at 171 3rd
Ave. between 16th and 17th. It's a very peaceful, pleasant room to
sit in. The tea selection isn't large, but the unflavored teas seem
well-chosen and fresh. My wife and I had a lively Makaibari second
flush that must have been this year's and a not-too-subtle but quite
fresh maofeng from Lincang county, Yunnan. They serve the teas in Bee
House pots so you can avoid oversteeping. What's really remarkable is
their sweets: baked goods that tend toward dense textures and deep
flavors, not oversweet. Even if I hated tea, I'd go there for
dessert. Their prices are moderate.

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

Thanks for mentioning that last, Lew, I'll definitely check it out.

Ozzy

Good review - thanks.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

"Lewis Perin" wrote in message
news
I've been to three relatively new tea joints in downtown New York
recently. The bad news is that two of them were such that I didn't
even bother to sit down and order some tea. One of them is a keeper,
though.

Sanctuary T, at 337B West Broadway at Grand St., is basically a
typical swanky SoHo bar/restaurant/café with a tea around the edges.
They seem to use tea in some of the food recipes, if that appeals to
you, but there are very few unflavored teas on the menu, and nobody
was drinking tea when I happened by on a weekend afternoon.

Gramstand, at 214 Ave. A between 13th and 14th, is a hipsterish place
that serves tea among other things, but not many varieties and, once
again, most are flavored. What really discouraged me was that they
store their teas in lucite containers.

Saving the best for last, there's Amai Tea and Bake House, at 171 3rd
Ave. between 16th and 17th. It's a very peaceful, pleasant room to
sit in. The tea selection isn't large, but the unflavored teas seem
well-chosen and fresh. My wife and I had a lively Makaibari second
flush that must have been this year's and a not-too-subtle but quite
fresh maofeng from Lincang county, Yunnan. They serve the teas in Bee
House pots so you can avoid oversteeping. What's really remarkable is
their sweets: baked goods that tend toward dense textures and deep
flavors, not oversweet. Even if I hated tea, I'd go there for
dessert. Their prices are moderate.

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