Ten Ren question

Why not go to some other shops while in NYC? Check out Franchia for the food and the tea. Check their website:

And why not check out Takashimaya? A friend of mine brought me some wonderful cakes that are excellent with tea from there. Really terrific stuff. Of course, they have Japanese tea, and all that other stuff.

Takashimaya

Check out this review here:

And if you're in Chinatown, check out some of the bakeries there too as well.

Guangxi has a lot of bakeries, but they're nothing to get excited about. The baked goods in Chinatown taste much better. But they make bowls of rice vermicelli noodle soup here that are just fantastic.

Anyway, if I were to visit NYC, I would certainly visit these places.

Good tips all around Niisonge. I think Chinese bakeries are terrible in general but fortunately the Chinese food there is so good that one barely misses them.

Dominic I asked a Chinatown buddy where to go for traditional Chinese medicine and he said that he thinks the doctor (store, really) that he went to growing up is at Grand and Mott.

I don't know if Ten Ren lets you try, but the other tea places (Tea Gallery?) probably do - I would just sample as much as you can and then buy what you like.

Have a great time!

They are fine tips, however, I need to confine my shops to the three streets I mentioned and nearby area. Mott, Canal, and Mullberry. I do plan on hitting many shops (actually spending a day and a half at least in that area) By no means is Ten Ren it, I was just looking to find out if Ten Ren is particularly good for any specific types of tea or have any exclusive finds.

I think I'm off the Chinese medicine idea since the numerous comments about lead and other toxic substances. I may still give it a shot, and Mott/Grand is right where I'll be. We'll see, I may still give it a shot. (probably will, I live dangerously ;)

Yes Ten Ren offers free samples. I'm sure other shops do too, and like I said I will be hitting any and every smaller shop I can for good buys and such.

I plan on it! This will be my first time in NYC and I have always wanted to go there.

I'm still open to hearing specific types of tea/ shops that I should not miss. I'd really hate to miss the opportunity to pick up some unique and good teas while there. Anyone with specifics or their personal favorites, please speak up.

Thanks!

- Dominic

If you want good buys, try the Chinese supermarkets first. They usually have a whole range of teas to choose from, including herbal ones. Some might be kinds that you haven't tried yet. Most are pretty inexpensive. At least look in a few supermarkets first, to get an idea. And go to the supermarkets that are busy, not the ones that don't have so many customers. Hey, it might not be the best tea, but it's drinkable, and affordable.

When I want to buy some tea that's truely special and be of right price, I would not buy from Ten Ren. I don't know the TR store in NY, but from most of the posts, it's probably not any better than those in Toronto.

I would try to locate smaller, non-franchise tea stores to buy teas from. The sales/ owners there would usually be more friendly and more willing to spend quality time with customers.

BUT, Ten Ren should not be a bad place for bubble tea (but then of course, that depends on the young lad who mixes the drinks). I'd suggest, if you're still in the experimenting stage, go for the plain bubble milk tea (with black tea). In Toronto they have a Tie Guan Yin milk tea which is surprisingly good... if they have it also in NY, that'd be a good choice too.

Katie Tam

I agree, Ten Ren tends to be generic. They have a lot of stores in Toronto - but they all sell the same tea. If you buy from Ten Ren, only buy Taiwan teas, because it's a Taiwan tea store. And the mid-priced boxed, packaged teas to me are the best value.

But on the other hand, if you visit a lot of independently owned tea stores, the teas will be different from store to store, so you can buy the ones that interest you most. But in Toronto, some of those teas the stores have I don't think are really that great. They're just so-so. A few might be really good, but many are nothing to get excited about. At least, that's in my experience. If it's loose tea, try to sample before you buy. Then you know what you're getting. But I don't know if they may be that accommodating.

Haha, some of the people in those tea stores in Toronto don't speak any English. They only want to speak Chinese. The same might be true in tea stores in NYC's chinatown. But of course, they will be happy to sell you some tea.

Bubble tea, milk tea, iced tea from Ten Ren or some of those other shops tastes ok, but I also think it's not really that great either. Just to get out once in a while, and have a drink there is ok, but I can make better tasting tea drinks at home.

Great! This was along the lines of what I was looking for, a bit of inside info. I didn;t know they specialized in Taiwanese teas.

Without a doubt I will be spending the majority of my time in the small shops. That's more my speed. I tend to value the local shops and their people more than a chain or high-class environment. I am a very down to earth person and not hung up on pretentiousness or trends. I come from a family of lower/middle class means and while I have managed to elevate myself and my means I have never lost touch with my real roots. I value a cup of average tea with a shopkeeper far above a cup of ultra-high-end tea in a snooty tea shop.

My interest in tea is not focused on gathering an impressive list, but on tea that I enjoy and have a story or a memory attached. I tend to buy mid-grade teas and a few upper end ones each year to try out, and almost without exception none of the expensive ones hold my attention for very long. I liken it to my love of Kukicha, a tea made from essentially twigs that was given to the common workers and peasents and viewed as junk... now it can be highly sought after.

Bubble tea is just something I've wanted to try and not available where I live. I passed on it last year at a place that was selling it because I had no idea what it was and it seemed a bit strange... now that I know what it is though I want to try it. The other day I was trying to use up a Starbucks gift card and found they had a green tea frappuchino... it was made with real Matcha and was actually very enjoyable. I'd suggest trying one out if you get a chance...

Where I live in PA my options are limited, so most of my purchases are from online... This is my one time to actually first-hand enjoy shopping for tea. The sights, smells, people, etc. That is where the Internet fails, and is something I really look forward to. I'm like a kid before Christmas.

Thanks,

- Dominic

I'm in a college town recently and came across a store that sold all the necessary tea paraphernalia. I even picked up a nice big tea ball for the Brown Betty. They had a limited selection of commercial teas but I did pickup a 500g tin of Roberts Campbell's Perfect Tea from Dublin. Never know what you'll find in the Brick and Mortars.

Jim

PS Bubble tea is big with the college crowd. Every coffee shop I've been in can make it. I'd like to see the look on your face when you see the shelves with tea. My advice look for the apothecary glass jars with various teas.

Dominic T. wrote: ...

Dominic, do you live anywhere near Philadelphia?

Dean

They are a Taiwanese company, and they sell only tea grown in Taiwan. Sometimes they claim to sell only teas they grow on their own farms.

If you go there, try the Oriental Beauty tea. Stay away from the other black teas and the lapsang souchong. Try the lowest and second-lowest grade tikuanyin and maybe one of the other oolongs. Try the osmanthus tea... even if you don't like scented teas.

If you have only a few minutes, go for the Oriental Beauty and the Osmanthus.

--scott

Nope, other side near Pittsburgh. I wish because the drive to NY would be significantly shorter though.

- Dominic

Yeah it was at Penn State near State College (We are...) and the first time I saw it. I was a bit leary of the "balls" in the unknown fluid that didn't really resemble tea to me with an oversized straw... and when I asked the woman selling it she stated that they were "zhen zhu" which I had no idea of... hence why I passed on it. But now that I know what it is I'm looking forward to trying it.

I'm sure I'll go into some sort of shock from overload when I step into Chinatown, its like a dream come true. And compared to the small and basic places I buy tea locally it will be unimaginable. Heh, it's tough living in the middle of nowhere where I'm the only person for miles who has any interest in tea and seen as strange for not drinking coffee like normal people, or at least tea in bags... Pittsburgh is not a real diverse or cultural area. I can't wait. I'm heading home from work, finishing packing, and going to try to leave by about 5am tomorrow morning to get there by noon-1pm hopefully.

I'll post when I get back Monday or Tuesday with some info and photos of the trip. Thanks again to all that offered some guidance.

- Dominic

The Pu'er LiveJournal had a great series of photographs of one contributor's tea-trips around various cities. Do you have any plans for something a little similar? It's always fascinating to see what's available in cities that we've never been to, and you never know - they might form the basis for someone else's trip in the future. :)

Have a good time, anyway!

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Dominic, For trips to the city, I would go to Ten Ren, but they tend to be a little pricey. I would probably get their King's Tea Green(3rd or 2nd Grade) for Chinese/Taiwanese. But this board is right, there are other great places, and I would for sure stop at Takashimaya (downstairs Tea Box) and Itoen for interesting loose teas.

A

Dom> Sorry to inundate you all with my cluelessness on NY and it's

The reason I ask is because there's a good tea shop in Philly at 4th and Bainbridge (I think) called House of Tea. Nice selection, although prices are fairly high. The woman who runs the shop is idiosyncratic but knowledgeable, and if you show her that you are more than the run-of-the-mill customer looking for Constant Comment, she'll dig some treats out of her stash. I got some nice Taiwan jade and Wuyi oolongs from her that way that were great.

Dean