60 replies to this topic

[Orik]

Haven't been.

In Pursuit of Tea have a popup shop at 33 Crosby. Their stuff is very expensive but generally very good.

[Sneakeater]

A.C. Perch's Teahandel in Copenhagen = great.

[nuxvomica]

loved Maison Malleval in Lyon - tea, wine, spirits, chocolate, etc. very friendly and helpful staff. bought a ton of my favorite teas. if i had any room in our suitcases, i would have bought lots more stuff. great armagnac selection.

[ghostrider]

There are so many great, & more reasonably priced, teas available on line that I don't wonder that brick & mortar shops are having a hard time of it.

[StephanieL]

There are so many great, & more reasonably priced, teas available on line that I don't wonder that brick & mortar shops are having a hard time of it.

But tea shops can also provide beverages and snacks and serve as places to gather.

[ghostrider]

There are so many great, & more reasonably priced, teas available on line that I don't wonder that brick & mortar shops are having a hard time of it.

But tea shops can also provide beverages and snacks and serve as places to gather.

Oh yes indeed, & I value them for that. T Salon was always insanely expensive for that too, though.

It brings to mind one lovely tea shop in the East Village - I've probably ranted about this before - that had no clue about straining off the tea after it's brewed. They brought you a big pot of tea, 3-4 cups worth, brewed with loose leaves & a cup. Of course it was terrible after you'd finished the first cup. Idiots! I had no desire to buy any of their bulk teas after that.

The shop owners are probably related to the Mast Bros.

[prasantrin]

There are so many great, & more reasonably priced, teas available on line that I don't wonder that brick & mortar shops are having a hard time of it.

But tea shops can also provide beverages and snacks and serve as places to gather.

Oh yes indeed, & I value them for that. T Salon was always insanely expensive for that too, though.

It brings to mind one lovely tea shop in the East Village - I've probably ranted about this before - that had no clue about straining off the tea after it's brewed. They brought you a big pot of tea, 3-4 cups worth, brewed with loose leaves & a cup. Of course it was terrible after you'd finished the first cup. Idiots! I had no desire to buy any of their bulk teas after that.

The shop owners are probably related to the Mast Bros.

Loads of fancy schmancy hotels serve tea like that at their afternoon teas, including the Peninsula in HK. No idea why they do it, because if I'm paying an arm and a leg for tiny sandwiches, heavy scones, and mediocre desserts, then I think I deserve properly brewed tea.

[Suzanne F]

There are so many great, & more reasonably priced, teas available on line that I don't wonder that brick & mortar shops are having a hard time of it.

But tea shops can also provide beverages and snacks and serve as places to gather.

Oh yes indeed, & I value them for that. T Salon was always insanely expensive for that too, though.

It brings to mind one lovely tea shop in the East Village - I've probably ranted about this before - that had no clue about straining off the tea after it's brewed. They brought you a big pot of tea, 3-4 cups worth, brewed with loose leaves & a cup. Of course it was terrible after you'd finished the first cup. Idiots! I had no desire to buy any of their bulk teas after that.

The shop owners are probably related to the Mast Bros.

Loads of fancy schmancy hotels serve tea like that at their afternoon teas, including the Peninsula in HK. No idea why they do it, because if I'm paying an arm and a leg for tiny sandwiches, heavy scones, and mediocre desserts, then I think I deserve properly brewed tea.

That's why they're also supposed to provide a pot of hot water over a spirit lamp -- to dilute the now-overextracted brew. I believe all those fancy-schmancy tea services are supposed to have those, as well as a strainer (not shown in the pictured set) and a slop bowl.

Of course, those come from a simpler time, when the hipsters wouldn't tell you down to the degree F what temperature the water should be and down to the millisecond how long to brew.

[ghostrider]

There are so many great, & more reasonably priced, teas available on line that I don't wonder that brick & mortar shops are having a hard time of it.

But tea shops can also provide beverages and snacks and serve as places to gather.

Oh yes indeed, & I value them for that. T Salon was always insanely expensive for that too, though.

It brings to mind one lovely tea shop in the East Village - I've probably ranted about this before - that had no clue about straining off the tea after it's brewed. They brought you a big pot of tea, 3-4 cups worth, brewed with loose leaves & a cup. Of course it was terrible after you'd finished the first cup. Idiots! I had no desire to buy any of their bulk teas after that.

The shop owners are probably related to the Mast Bros.

Loads of fancy schmancy hotels serve tea like that at their afternoon teas, including the Peninsula in HK. No idea why they do it, because if I'm paying an arm and a leg for tiny sandwiches, heavy scones, and mediocre desserts, then I think I deserve properly brewed tea.

That's why they're also supposed to provide a pot of hot water over a spirit lamp -- to dilute the now-overextracted brew. I believe all those fancy-schmancy tea services are supposed to have those, as well as a strainer (not shown in the pictured set) and a slop bowl.

Of course, those come from a simpler time, when the hipsters wouldn't tell you down to the degree F what temperature the water should be and down to the millisecond how long to brew.

I never understood that kind of tea service either. THey lead only to diluted overbrewed bitter ultra-acidic tea.

Sad thing was, this shop was staffed with hipsters. The ignorant kind. I couldn't find anyone who liiked like owner or management so didn't bother to complain. I guess I should have but seemed pointless considering what I was dealin with.

[Suzanne F]

There are so many great, & more reasonably priced, teas available on line that I don't wonder that brick & mortar shops are having a hard time of it.

But tea shops can also provide beverages and snacks and serve as places to gather.

Oh yes indeed, & I value them for that. T Salon was always insanely expensive for that too, though.

It brings to mind one lovely tea shop in the East Village - I've probably ranted about this before - that had no clue about straining off the tea after it's brewed. They brought you a big pot of tea, 3-4 cups worth, brewed with loose leaves & a cup. Of course it was terrible after you'd finished the first cup. Idiots! I had no desire to buy any of their bulk teas after that.

The shop owners are probably related to the Mast Bros.

Loads of fancy schmancy hotels serve tea like that at their afternoon teas, including the Peninsula in HK. No idea why they do it, because if I'm paying an arm and a leg for tiny sandwiches, heavy scones, and mediocre desserts, then I think I deserve properly brewed tea.

That's why they're also supposed to provide a pot of hot water over a spirit lamp -- to dilute the now-overextracted brew. I believe all those fancy-schmancy tea services are supposed to have those, as well as a strainer (not shown in the pictured set) and a slop bowl.

Of course, those come from a simpler time, when the hipsters wouldn't tell you down to the degree F what temperature the water should be and down to the millisecond how long to brew.

I never understood that kind of tea service either. THey lead only to diluted overbrewed bitter ultra-acidic tea.

Maybe so, but it was authentic.

Sad thing was, this shop was staffed with hipsters. The ignorant kind. I couldn't find anyone who liiked like owner or management so didn't bother to complain. I guess I should have but seemed pointless considering what I was dealin with.

There's any other kind?

[Behemoth]

There are so many great, & more reasonably priced, teas available on line that I don't wonder that brick & mortar shops are having a hard time of it.

But tea shops can also provide beverages and snacks and serve as places to gather.

Oh yes indeed, & I value them for that. T Salon was always insanely expensive for that too, though.

It brings to mind one lovely tea shop in the East Village - I've probably ranted about this before - that had no clue about straining off the tea after it's brewed. They brought you a big pot of tea, 3-4 cups worth, brewed with loose leaves & a cup. Of course it was terrible after you'd finished the first cup. Idiots! I had no desire to buy any of their bulk teas after that.

The shop owners are probably related to the Mast Bros.

Loads of fancy schmancy hotels serve tea like that at their afternoon teas, including the Peninsula in HK. No idea why they do it, because if I'm paying an arm and a leg for tiny sandwiches, heavy scones, and mediocre desserts, then I think I deserve properly brewed tea.

That's interesting. Usually in China you get a smaller teapot (enough for 2 servings say) and they keep refilling with hot water. It works pretty well, that's the system I now use at home.

[ghostrider]

There are so many great, & more reasonably priced, teas available on line that I don't wonder that brick & mortar shops are having a hard time of it.

But tea shops can also provide beverages and snacks and serve as places to gather.

Oh yes indeed, & I value them for that. T Salon was always insanely expensive for that too, though.

It brings to mind one lovely tea shop in the East Village - I've probably ranted about this before - that had no clue about straining off the tea after it's brewed. They brought you a big pot of tea, 3-4 cups worth, brewed with loose leaves & a cup. Of course it was terrible after you'd finished the first cup. Idiots! I had no desire to buy any of their bulk teas after that.

The shop owners are probably related to the Mast Bros.

Loads of fancy schmancy hotels serve tea like that at their afternoon teas, including the Peninsula in HK. No idea why they do it, because if I'm paying an arm and a leg for tiny sandwiches, heavy scones, and mediocre desserts, then I think I deserve properly brewed tea.

That's interesting. Usually in China you get a smaller teapot (enough for 2 servings say) and they keep refilling with hot water. It works pretty well, that's the system I now use at home.

I think that Oolongs & such take to that kind of treatment much better than black teas, at least for 2-3-4 brews. After 7-9 minutes of steeping you're generally getting nothing but tannic acid out of the leaves.

[prasantrin]

There are so many great, & more reasonably priced, teas available on line that I don't wonder that brick & mortar shops are having a hard time of it.

But tea shops can also provide beverages and snacks and serve as places to gather.

Oh yes indeed, & I value them for that. T Salon was always insanely expensive for that too, though.

It brings to mind one lovely tea shop in the East Village - I've probably ranted about this before - that had no clue about straining off the tea after it's brewed. They brought you a big pot of tea, 3-4 cups worth, brewed with loose leaves & a cup. Of course it was terrible after you'd finished the first cup. Idiots! I had no desire to buy any of their bulk teas after that.

The shop owners are probably related to the Mast Bros.

Loads of fancy schmancy hotels serve tea like that at their afternoon teas, including the Peninsula in HK. No idea why they do it, because if I'm paying an arm and a leg for tiny sandwiches, heavy scones, and mediocre desserts, then I think I deserve properly brewed tea.

That's interesting. Usually in China you get a smaller teapot (enough for 2 servings say) and they keep refilling with hot water. It works pretty well, that's the system I now use at home.

I think that Oolongs & such take to that kind of treatment much better than black teas, at least for 2-3-4 brews. After 7-9 minutes of steeping you're generally getting nothing but tannic acid out of the leaves.

When I went to the Peninsula (more than 10 years ago), they did leave a pot of hot water on the table with which you could refill your pot, but yeah, after the first cup, all you got was tannin. Not tasty.

But when I went to the Intercontinental (or similar) in HK a few years ago, the server refilled my pot with water, and after a few cups, he changed the pot entirely. Much better tea (and service and food) there.

[Sneakeater]

Sad thing was, this shop was staffed with hipsters. The ignorant kind. I couldn't find anyone who liiked like owner or management so didn't bother to complain. I guess I should have but seemed pointless considering what I was dealin with.

There's any other kind?

Sure. There's the super-geeky kind.

I'd say that hipster service errs in being overly agressive about the minutia of food and beverage as often as it errs in being ignorant and inattentive.

You could just IMAGINE a hipster tea bar, where water temperatures are intensively monitored and the brewing periods for each different tea are calculated to the millisecond.

[Suzanne F]

Sad thing was, this shop was staffed with hipsters. The ignorant kind. I couldn't find anyone who liiked like owner or management so didn't bother to complain. I guess I should have but seemed pointless considering what I was dealin with.

There's any other kind?

Sure. There's the super-geeky kind.

I'd say that hipster service errs in being overly agressive about the minutia of food and beverage as often as it errs in being ignorant and inattentive.

You could just IMAGINE a hipster tea bar, where water temperatures are intensively monitored and the brewing periods for each different tea are calculated to the millisecond.

You're right, of course.

How nice that we now have this character, "the hipster," to denigrate -- a pejorative that encompasses all races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, and socioeconomic classes (they're not ALL trust-funded Williams dropouts, after all).