Toward the end of my sophomore year, I started going out with friends multiple times a week, exploring New York City and discovering the many tea shops scattered throughout the city. Of all the teahouses I visited, three became my favorites: Té Company, Tearoom by Calmplex, and Kettl.
I first heard about Té Company through New York's tea community. It has something of a cult following, although whenever I visit, the tearoom is rarely crowded. I suppose that makes sense: the space is tucked away in what feels almost like an apartment in the West Village. The interior is beautiful, with wooden tables, comfortable lounge chairs, and a massive window overlooking the Manhattan street outside. They serve their tea in small, charming teapots—one of which I eventually bought for myself and still use as my primary teapot today.
The tea is affordable and delicious, and I have yet to encounter one that I dislike. I always order a red bean cake when I visit; I love the way its sweetness interacts with every tea I try. Even the flowers on each table add something special to the atmosphere.
I have never brought someone unimportant to Té Company. Everyone I have gone with has mattered to me in some way, whether a family member or a close friend. It has become one of my favorite places in the city. My favorite teas there are Jade Rouge and Tieguanyin.
Calmplex is both a tea studio and a pottery studio housed in the same space. The concept is simple and brilliant: you can make your own tea pottery and drink excellent tea while doing it. Once again, every tea I have tried there has been phenomenal.
The counter is beautiful, and the pottery is some of the finest I have ever seen, with rough-cut stone counters and incredibly polished, distinctive chawans and gongfu sets. As a blend of Chinese and Japanese tea traditions, Calmplex has become one of my favorite tea spaces in New York City. My favorite teas there are Samidori, Cloud Mountain, and Bulang Shu Pu-Erh.
Kettl is, to me, the quintessential Japanese teahouse in New York City. Its interior is beautiful, with wooden furnishings, tea pottery, and old tea artifacts that give the space a sense of history. Their tencha stone grinder is particularly beautiful. Their matchas and Japanese green teas are excellent as well, and absolutely worth trying. My favorite teas there are Shizuku Gyokuro and Shuichiro Sakamoto Saemidori.
These three places have all given me memorable cups of tea, but more importantly, they have become part of my life in New York. Some are places I visit to explore tea, while others are places I return to because of the people I associate with them. Together, they have helped make tea feel like a part of the city around me.