I thought this was a normal cafe, but it is this weird scam where they lie about prices and rush you to finish an ordinary cup of tea.
There was no a/c inside and the store is right by a construction site so I was sweating and could not relax at all due to all the traffic noise pollution.
The menu is confusing and the prices are absurd; They charged me $41 for one pot of mediocre tea.
To top it all off, the lady does not know English well and was not very welcoming. She shared very little about the cultural significance of the experience and rushed me out when I was done.
As other reviews mention, they charge a $10 fee per person, which is never mentioned and unreasonable.
All in all, a complete scam DO NOT BE FOOLED!!!
Donald Canard
This is the best tea shop I’ve been to. I go there every time I am in New York. It has a top selection of Chinese tea for the connoisseurs, and I especially love their Oolong tea and white tea a lot. Very elegant Song dynasty style decoration and tea ware. The owner is very knowledgeable about tea and tea culture. And the Northern Song Dian Cha is so unique not to be missed!
Isabel L
Bad experience, I would steer clear of this shop to save your time and money. The owner yelled at employees in front of guests, which made for a very uncomfortable and awkward atmosphere. There’s also a surprise $10 per person charge that was never mentioned beforehand. The teas themselves were also overpriced and they were pushy about us buying their teas, which made it feel more like a sales pitch than a relaxing tea session.
Or BD
Had a wonderful time this evening experiencing the gong fu tasting, there is such a great selection! It was both enriching and pleasant, we learnt a lot and enjoyed the atmosphere of the host and place :)
Melanie Feng
Overcharges 10x more for the exact same tea cups and sets sold in chinatown. Also shady behavior from the owner with mistreating her employees
Edit: in response to the owner- the tea and sets are imported from China- “sourced from abroad” lmao just like the sets in Chinatown priced wayyy more fairly- and I’m Chinese and can understand her being rude to her employees in mandarin. Bad vibes 👎
Bryan Ferraez
Truly authentic tea experience! First time I’ve ever had ground Chinese tea. Can’t wait to go beak for more. Top shelf teas
Mauricio Garcia Gojon
Excellent authentic tea gallery. I tried their Ali Shan Oolong to go, 10/10.
Mika Nessa Chandra
Tldr: Pricey gongfu tasting experience but the excellent service and quality tea makes it a worthwhile splurge for tea enthusiasts. Looking forward to coming back to try Song Dynasty style whisked teas.
I thoroughly enjoyed my tea tasting with Mei Ling (apologies if I misspelled). I typically prefer Phoenix Dan Congs, but I wanted to branch out a little. Mei Ling pointed out some alternatives and gave some brief tasting notes descriptions that were helpful. Based on those, I chose the Dong Ding Oolong. Previously, I'd been a bit reserved with Taiwanese oolongs, but I wanted to give them more of a chance.
Mei Ling was very accommodating with my photos, videos, smelling everything, and questions. I love sniffing the leaves after the steam (hot water is poured into the empty teapot to warm it and then discarded, then the leaves are added and allowed to "steam" for a bit). A yixing clay teapot was used, which I always prefer over other teapot materials. Surprisingly, we saved the rinse to drink last, which I had never done before. As a fan of Phoenix oolongs, I thoroughly enjoyed the 4 steepings of Dong Ding, which had evolving profiles of floral (osmanthus/lily?) and fruit (hawthorne?) notes. More extensive tasting notes are below. We also observed the differences in the aromas of the leaves, the glass carafe, the "tea soup", and the porcelain cup.
As much as I loved the tea, I attribute a good deal of my enjoyment to Mei Ling. We discussed our tea journeys and experiences with different teas, building a rapport I often miss in my tea experiences. Self-guided sessions can be relaxing, especially in contrast to some guided tastings that make me feel awkward or patronized, but also sometimes lonely. Chatting with Mei Ling was exactly the type of tea community I had been searching for.
I look forward to returning some day to try the whisked tea, which seems to be something truly rare and unique to experience with teas other than matcha. Thanks to Mei Ling, I even have an idea of what kind of whisked tea I'd like to try, based on what she learned about me :).
Tasting notes Aroma of dry leaves: subtle floral Aroma of leaves after steam: stronger and fruity 1st steep: milkier, osmanthus, a tiny bit of juiciness (red flat circle Asian candy... hawthorne candy?) 2nd steep: more hawthorne candy, juicier but with a bit of tart bite on the back of the tongue, floral aftertaste more forward 3rd steep: tartness subsides but fruitiness lingers, floral and creamier notes coming more forward again, cool down and fruity and tarty again 4th steep: floral and creamy with fruity aftertaste (fruit candy), a lot more blend of floral and fruiting Rinse (cooled): subtle osmanthus with the tiniest hint of fruit
Sang Eun
friend and i dropped by in in lieu of our usual dine and drink hangouts. this place is nothing short of perfection -- from the ambiance to the very sweet owner, this is a must try experience! it's a small shop but intimate and comfortable. Olivia is amazing and is clearly dedicated to her craft. my friend and i shared a pot of oolong tea and it was enough for the both of us. Olivia walked us through the history and the process of really enjoying the tea to its fullest.
i highly recommend this place. seriously, trust me. words can't describe what a cool experience this was.
Absolutely magical place and experience I will never forget. The owner is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about tea and teaching others how to cultivate a transformative ceremonial experience. The whisked white tea was light, sweet and like nothing I’ve ever tried. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
s
friend and i dropped by in in lieu of our usual dine and drink hangouts. this place is nothing short of perfection -- from the ambiance to the very sweet owner, this is a must try experience! it's a small shop but intimate and comfortable. you'll feel tranquil the moment you step in. Olivia is amazing and is clearly dedicated to her craft and knows what she's talking about. my friend and i shared a pot of oolong tea and it was enough for us. Olivia walked us through the history and the process of really enjoying the tea to its fullest.
i highly recommend this place. seriously, trust me. words can't describe what a cool experience this was, just see for yourself.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tea Tasting
Imogen
Always so pleasant
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rachel Callahan
Amazing tea. Services so fast and quick. Highly recommended!!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ross Jacobs
Authentic Gung Fu Cha. I got a citrus Pu Erh, and highly recommend the place. It has the best atmosphere of any tea shop I've been to in the US, beating places in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Austin, Boston, etc.
Overpriced scam.
I thought this was a normal cafe, but it is this weird scam where they lie about prices and rush you to finish an ordinary cup of tea.
There was no a/c inside and the store is right by a construction site so I was sweating and could not relax at all due to all the traffic noise pollution.
The menu is confusing and the prices are absurd; They charged me $41 for one pot of mediocre tea.
To top it all off, the lady does not know English well and was not very welcoming. She shared very little about the cultural significance of the experience and rushed me out when I was done.
As other reviews mention, they charge a $10 fee per person, which is never mentioned and unreasonable.
All in all, a complete scam DO NOT BE FOOLED!!!
This is the best tea shop I’ve been to. I go there every time I am in New York. It has a top selection of Chinese tea for the connoisseurs, and I especially love their Oolong tea and white tea a lot. Very elegant Song dynasty style decoration and tea ware. The owner is very knowledgeable about tea and tea culture. And the Northern Song Dian Cha is so unique not to be missed!
Bad experience, I would steer clear of this shop to save your time and money. The owner yelled at employees in front of guests, which made for a very uncomfortable and awkward atmosphere. There’s also a surprise $10 per person charge that was never mentioned beforehand. The teas themselves were also overpriced and they were pushy about us buying their teas, which made it feel more like a sales pitch than a relaxing tea session.
Had a wonderful time this evening experiencing the gong fu tasting, there is such a great selection! It was both enriching and pleasant, we learnt a lot and enjoyed the atmosphere of the host and place :)
Overcharges 10x more for the exact same tea cups and sets sold in chinatown. Also shady behavior from the owner with mistreating her employees
Edit: in response to the owner- the tea and sets are imported from China- “sourced from abroad” lmao just like the sets in Chinatown priced wayyy more fairly- and I’m Chinese and can understand her being rude to her employees in mandarin. Bad vibes 👎
Truly authentic tea experience! First time I’ve ever had ground Chinese tea. Can’t wait to go beak for more. Top shelf teas
Excellent authentic tea gallery. I tried their Ali Shan Oolong to go, 10/10.
Tldr: Pricey gongfu tasting experience but the excellent service and quality tea makes it a worthwhile splurge for tea enthusiasts. Looking forward to coming back to try Song Dynasty style whisked teas.
I thoroughly enjoyed my tea tasting with Mei Ling (apologies if I misspelled). I typically prefer Phoenix Dan Congs, but I wanted to branch out a little. Mei Ling pointed out some alternatives and gave some brief tasting notes descriptions that were helpful. Based on those, I chose the Dong Ding Oolong. Previously, I'd been a bit reserved with Taiwanese oolongs, but I wanted to give them more of a chance.
Mei Ling was very accommodating with my photos, videos, smelling everything, and questions. I love sniffing the leaves after the steam (hot water is poured into the empty teapot to warm it and then discarded, then the leaves are added and allowed to "steam" for a bit). A yixing clay teapot was used, which I always prefer over other teapot materials. Surprisingly, we saved the rinse to drink last, which I had never done before. As a fan of Phoenix oolongs, I thoroughly enjoyed the 4 steepings of Dong Ding, which had evolving profiles of floral (osmanthus/lily?) and fruit (hawthorne?) notes. More extensive tasting notes are below. We also observed the differences in the aromas of the leaves, the glass carafe, the "tea soup", and the porcelain cup.
As much as I loved the tea, I attribute a good deal of my enjoyment to Mei Ling. We discussed our tea journeys and experiences with different teas, building a rapport I often miss in my tea experiences. Self-guided sessions can be relaxing, especially in contrast to some guided tastings that make me feel awkward or patronized, but also sometimes lonely. Chatting with Mei Ling was exactly the type of tea community I had been searching for.
I look forward to returning some day to try the whisked tea, which seems to be something truly rare and unique to experience with teas other than matcha. Thanks to Mei Ling, I even have an idea of what kind of whisked tea I'd like to try, based on what she learned about me :).
Tasting notes
Aroma of dry leaves: subtle floral
Aroma of leaves after steam: stronger and fruity
1st steep: milkier, osmanthus, a tiny bit of juiciness (red flat circle Asian candy... hawthorne candy?)
2nd steep: more hawthorne candy, juicier but with a bit of tart bite on the back of the tongue, floral aftertaste more forward
3rd steep: tartness subsides but fruitiness lingers, floral and creamier notes coming more forward again, cool down and fruity and tarty again
4th steep: floral and creamy with fruity aftertaste (fruit candy), a lot more blend of floral and fruiting
Rinse (cooled): subtle osmanthus with the tiniest hint of fruit
friend and i dropped by in in lieu of our usual dine and drink hangouts. this place is nothing short of perfection -- from the ambiance to the very sweet owner, this is a must try experience! it's a small shop but intimate and comfortable. Olivia is amazing and is clearly dedicated to her craft. my friend and i shared a pot of oolong tea and it was enough for the both of us. Olivia walked us through the history and the process of really enjoying the tea to its fullest.
i highly recommend this place. seriously, trust me. words can't describe what a cool experience this was.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tea Tasting
Incredible experience
Restaurantji Recommends
Absolutely magical place and experience I will never forget. The owner is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about tea and teaching others how to cultivate a transformative ceremonial experience. The whisked white tea was light, sweet and like nothing I’ve ever tried. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
friend and i dropped by in in lieu of our usual dine and drink hangouts. this place is nothing short of perfection -- from the ambiance to the very sweet owner, this is a must try experience! it's a small shop but intimate and comfortable. you'll feel tranquil the moment you step in. Olivia is amazing and is clearly dedicated to her craft and knows what she's talking about. my friend and i shared a pot of oolong tea and it was enough for us. Olivia walked us through the history and the process of really enjoying the tea to its fullest.
i highly recommend this place. seriously, trust me. words can't describe what a cool experience this was, just see for yourself.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tea Tasting
Always so pleasant
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing tea. Services so fast and quick. Highly recommended!!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Authentic Gung Fu Cha. I got a citrus Pu Erh, and highly recommend the place. It has the best atmosphere of any tea shop I've been to in the US, beating places in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Austin, Boston, etc.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tea Tasting
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