NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

One of the intentionally aged teas, Pu-Erh has a loyal following.


Aug 21st, '13, 21:51
Posts: 338
Joined: Jul 13th, '13, 19:11

NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by AllanK » Aug 21st, '13, 21:51

Hello, I am planning a trip into Chinatown, New York City to go to a few tea stores looking for Puerh and Tea Wares. Does anyone have any suggestions for good stores that sell Puerh or have a particularly good selection of Tea Wares? In particular I would like to find a good Yixing clay pot that I can actually see before I buy.

I have read online that Sun's Organic Tea Shop and Ten Ren Tea are good.

User avatar
Aug 22nd, '13, 07:16
Posts: 682
Joined: Mar 10th, '11, 08:17
Location: on top of a mountain.

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by gasninja » Aug 22nd, '13, 07:16

Fang gourmet tea in Flushing is the best place I have found. Ten Ren tea is definetly not a good place for Puerh. Happy hunting for Yixing There is a kiosk in the flushing mall that specializes in yixing and has a couple of Puerh cakes. But I didn't find anything I was really impressed with. If you really want a good yixing pot and excellent tea in NYC. Your best bet would be a certain board members tea room. http://www.themandarinstearoom.com/

User avatar
Aug 22nd, '13, 13:45
Posts: 91
Joined: Oct 24th, '11, 14:31
Location: Brooklyn, NY

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by iGo » Aug 22nd, '13, 13:45

+1

Aug 23rd, '13, 07:12
Posts: 338
Joined: Jul 13th, '13, 19:11

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by AllanK » Aug 23rd, '13, 07:12

gasninja wrote:Fang gourmet tea in Flushing is the best place I have found. Ten Ren tea is definetly not a good place for Puerh. Happy hunting for Yixing There is a kiosk in the flushing mall that specializes in yixing and has a couple of Puerh cakes. But I didn't find anything I was really impressed with. If you really want a good yixing pot and excellent tea in NYC. Your best bet would be a certain board members tea room. http://www.themandarinstearoom.com/
While this Fang tea is not in Chinatown I am interested. Do they carry Puerh tea cakes, they are not on their website?

User avatar
Aug 23rd, '13, 10:47
Posts: 1247
Joined: Nov 7th, '07, 12:23
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by JRS22 » Aug 23rd, '13, 10:47

I can't speak about the shop but NYC has several 'Chinatowns', of which Flushing is one. Like many ethnic groups when people moved out of their original neighborhood base they often remained clustered together in new and improved neighborhoods. That's what NYC used to be like - its how I grew up, and parts of it still are. If you go to Flushing you'll find lots of restaurants, grocery stores etc. My favorite restaurant in Manhattan's Chinatown is an outpost of a Flushing restaurant.

User avatar
Aug 23rd, '13, 14:12
Posts: 1487
Joined: Sep 25th, '07, 19:51
Scrolling: scrolling
Been thanked: 1 time
Contact: brandon

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by brandon » Aug 23rd, '13, 14:12

Fang carries puer tea cakes.
Manhattan Chinatown is not good for buying tea seriously, but it might be fun to look anyway, for grins.

Aug 26th, '13, 21:59
Posts: 338
Joined: Jul 13th, '13, 19:11

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by AllanK » Aug 26th, '13, 21:59

brandon wrote:Fang carries puer tea cakes.
Manhattan Chinatown is not good for buying tea seriously, but it might be fun to look anyway, for grins.
I do not agree that Manhattan is not good for buying tea seriously. Today I got to Ten Ren Tea, Sun's Organic Tea, Harney and Son's, McNultys Fine Tea and Coffee, and a British place called Tea and Sympathy. All but Tea and Sympathy qualified as full service tea stores. Sun's Organic Tea had over 1000 teas of every imaginable sort. It was very no frills and the owner was knowledgeable. Ten Ren Tea is a pricy chain store but very nice. Harney and Son's was upscale with about 200 teas sold in tins, and McNultys was excellent with about 150 teas or so. I was impressed with each of these four tea shops but not with Tea and Sympathy. Although Tea and Sympathy was the place to get a somewhat tacky English teapot. I didn't buy one but they had a lot, all with British motifs. I will admit that only Sun's Organic Tea was a reasonably good place for Puerh, the best non-internet place I have found with about 15 or 20 different Puerhs available, most in either full cake or broken form. I bought two whole Puerhs at Sun's Organic Tea and one at Ten Ren Tea as well as some loose Puerh at Sun's Organic and Harney and Son's. If this place in Flushing is that good I will have to check it out in a couple of months after I have the money.

Between these five stores I also bought a number of varieties of Rooibos tea, decaf black tea, and Oolong tea. None at absolutely horrible prices although I think the Oolong I bought from Ten Ren Tea was a bit over priced.

Mar 10th, '14, 18:03
Posts: 338
Joined: Jul 13th, '13, 19:11

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by AllanK » Mar 10th, '14, 18:03

gasninja wrote:Fang gourmet tea in Flushing is the best place I have found. Ten Ren tea is definetly not a good place for Puerh. Happy hunting for Yixing There is a kiosk in the flushing mall that specializes in yixing and has a couple of Puerh cakes. But I didn't find anything I was really impressed with. If you really want a good yixing pot and excellent tea in NYC. Your best bet would be a certain board members tea room. http://www.themandarinstearoom.com/
I finally made it to Fang's Gourmet Tea. I was quite impressed in some ways and not impressed in other ways. I was impressed by the quality of what I tasted. Theresa, a staff member or owner, not sure which, did an elaborate sampling of an expensive oolong I was interested it. It was some of the best tea I have ever tried. I bought it at $54 for 100g, along with another oolong, a liu bao, and a loose ripe longan puerh. All her tea was similarly pricy and I hope just as good. She had teawares, but very expensive including some interesting rock mineral teapots for $3000. What she didn't have was a large selection of tea compared to what I am used to in a tea store. I had hoped she would have a selection of Yixing teapots but she had none. She was also out of ripe puerh cakes. It is too expensive to go to regularly but a store I will want to return to. It is worth a trip if you live in New York or New Jersey just for her sampling which she does as a Gonfu tea ceremony. She is clearly an expert at brewing tea. I am going to try the Liu Bau tomorrow.

User avatar
Mar 10th, '14, 20:38
Posts: 1591
Joined: Jul 21st, '10, 02:25
Location: Oz
Been thanked: 3 times

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by bagua7 » Mar 10th, '14, 20:38

Thanks for the detailed review :). If I ever happen to land in NY, I will certainly check them out.

User avatar
Mar 10th, '14, 21:50
Posts: 1657
Joined: Sep 2nd, '13, 03:22
Location: in your tea closet
Been thanked: 1 time
Contact: kyarazen

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by kyarazen » Mar 10th, '14, 21:50

fang's gourmet has some really nice teas :) i wouldnt consider $54/100g that pricey though if its good and the half-life's long.

User avatar
Mar 11th, '14, 03:56
Posts: 2061
Joined: Mar 15th, '06, 17:43
Contact: MarshalN

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by MarshalN » Mar 11th, '14, 03:56

AllanK wrote:
brandon wrote:Fang carries puer tea cakes.
Manhattan Chinatown is not good for buying tea seriously, but it might be fun to look anyway, for grins.
I do not agree that Manhattan is not good for buying tea seriously.
He said Manhattan Chinatown. I think for the stores you listed only TenRen and Sun's qualify as being in Chinatown - and I'd dispute that TenRen is a good place for tea, having no experience with Sun's

Mar 11th, '14, 06:23
Posts: 202
Joined: Mar 1st, '09, 05:32

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by zencha » Mar 11th, '14, 06:23

AFAIK , NYC has 3 Chinatowns .
Manhattan , Flushing Queens and Sunset Park Brooklyn .

Mar 11th, '14, 18:53
Posts: 338
Joined: Jul 13th, '13, 19:11

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by AllanK » Mar 11th, '14, 18:53

AllanK wrote:
gasninja wrote:Fang gourmet tea in Flushing is the best place I have found. Ten Ren tea is definetly not a good place for Puerh. Happy hunting for Yixing There is a kiosk in the flushing mall that specializes in yixing and has a couple of Puerh cakes. But I didn't find anything I was really impressed with. If you really want a good yixing pot and excellent tea in NYC. Your best bet would be a certain board members tea room. http://www.themandarinstearoom.com/
I finally made it to Fang's Gourmet Tea. I was quite impressed in some ways and not impressed in other ways. I was impressed by the quality of what I tasted. Theresa, a staff member or owner, not sure which, did an elaborate sampling of an expensive oolong I was interested it. It was some of the best tea I have ever tried. I bought it at $54 for 100g, along with another oolong, a liu bao, and a loose ripe longan puerh. All her tea was similarly pricy and I hope just as good. She had teawares, but very expensive including some interesting rock mineral teapots for $3000. What she didn't have was a large selection of tea compared to what I am used to in a tea store. I had hoped she would have a selection of Yixing teapots but she had none. She was also out of ripe puerh cakes. It is too expensive to go to regularly but a store I will want to return to. It is worth a trip if you live in New York or New Jersey just for her sampling which she does as a Gonfu tea ceremony. She is clearly an expert at brewing tea. I am going to try the Liu Bau tomorrow.
The Serenity Liu Bao is very good, almost worth the price. I have taken it to seven steepings so far. It has the most potent qi of any tea I have tried. I used 6g of tea in a 150ml gaiwan and have kept the steepings short. I figure it is about $3 a tea session at that price. Not as expensive when I think about it that way. I wouldn't have paid that price on the internet from any source but she was willing to sample any tea she had for $5. She did the sampling as a full gongfu tea ceremony. The place is worth the visit just to have a tea session and look at the most unusual teapots. All still there, they were beyond what I was willing to pay. I think her cheapest teapot was $500 or $600.

Mar 11th, '14, 19:37
Posts: 338
Joined: Jul 13th, '13, 19:11

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by AllanK » Mar 11th, '14, 19:37

[/quote]
The Serenity Liu Bao is very good, almost worth the price. I have taken it to seven steepings so far. It has the most potent qi of any tea I have tried. I used 6g of tea in a 150ml gaiwan and have kept the steepings short. I figure it is about $3 a tea session at that price. Not as expensive when I think about it that way. I wouldn't have paid that price on the internet from any source but she was willing to sample any tea she had for $5. She did the sampling as a full gongfu tea ceremony. The place is worth the visit just to have a tea session and look at the most unusual teapots. All still there, they were beyond what I was willing to pay. I think her cheapest teapot was $500 or $600.[/quote]
I took the tea to 12 steepings and had I wanted any more caffeine, could have thaken it to 15. Most tea I have bought gets weak after 4 to 6 steepings. At 12 steepings this tea still had a nice amber color and looked like tea, not weak tea. I would buy this tea again if she doesn't raise the price.

Mar 11th, '14, 19:50
Posts: 1274
Joined: May 9th, '09, 15:59

Re: NYC Chinatown Tea Stores

by shah82 » Mar 11th, '14, 19:50

If you're willing to pay 50 cents a gram for Liu Bao, you certainly have options...

+ Post Reply