Travel & Food
So Now We'll Be Taking Tea Breaks?
Tearooms are spreading across the nation, as Americans discover the health and relaxation benefits of an ancient drink
mt1254@nyu.edu
A young couple lounged on a couch beneath intimate lighting, sipping their drinks and checking the free wifi, as jazz music played. But they weren’t savoring wine, espresso or mocha lattes. Here, the main drink was tea.
The tearoom has taken off: there are some 2,400 in the United States today, up from only 200 a decade ago, according to Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Association of the United States.
Tea is almost as old as the world, but rising interest in healthy consumption, the creation of fetching cafes and innovative marketing are together driving its explosive recent popularity in the United States, Simrany and other tea experts say.
“There’s been a newfound consumer interest, because of the presumed health benefits,” Simrany said, noting that sales of canned and bottled teas are likewise growing.
“Beyond the health benefits, it’s where you experience the tea, how you experience it,” added Richard Salem, owner of Gramstand in New York. ” That’s kind of a huge thing. If you’re drinking a tea with a teabag, you know, in a stuffy coffee-room, and it smells like coffee, it’s cluttered, a lot of people, it’s a lot different than lounging back in a chair with tea.”
And lots of young men and women think drinking tea is romantic, said Elizabeth Knight, author of “Tea in the City: New York.”
“There are literally a hundred different ways. There’s the Chinese experience, the Moroccan experience, the Indian experience,” she said.
A World Tea Expo was founded in 2003, as the industry’s marketplace for showcasing teas and related products.
As awareness of organic ingredients grows, and the popularity of green tea, especially, expands, more and more customers are choosing tea over other beverages, tea experts said.
They fancy the endless variety of teas, which come from all over the world: India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, and South America. According to Knight, there are five main types: white tea, green tea, oolong, black tea, and pu-erh, which is made from a wild, large tea leaf.
Teas are often blended, and scents or herbs added. White tea and fruit flavored-teas are the latest buzz, Knight said.
The variety of tearooms is another draw. They can range in style from urban, country, Victorian, or classic English teahouse. Most also serve coffee and other beverages, and small lunches or snacks.
A relaxing, colorful environment is a big draw, said Anne Lolli, owner of Serendipi-Tea, of Oxford, Pennsylvania. Her shop offers lunch three days a week. But it specializes in throwing birthday parties for girls.
Sapna Gandhi, owner of Tea Exotica in Chicago, puts her Chinese and Japanese teapots in prominent view, to help attract customers. And she sells tea-scented incense.
Gramstand was created as a “modern-day retreat,” a casual environment that tends to attract many college-aged students, owner Salem said. Board games and Lego are strewn around the shop, and customers can reserve space for weekend parties. Some 50 types of tea are on offer, including chai latte, where tea leaves are steeped in cream, and green roasted tea Kyoto roast.
SweeTea of San Mateo, California’s has tea luncheons and books parties, said owner Julita Lee.
At Tea Spot, a snug tearoom in Greenwich Village, New York, the young woman at the counter rushes back and forth, opening and closing aluminum cylinders of teas. The soft scent of strawberry lingers in the shop.
College student Kioka Wlliams talked about a favorite flavor she had at Tea Spot a few days before — chocolate mint iced tea — and about why she continues to visit Tea Spot.
“They had instrumental music playing, so it was really relaxing to study,” Williams said. “I think the smell of tea is also more sensual. When you smell tea, that’s just so nice!”
Some 2,400 tearooms have sprouted around the country, most over the past decade. Photo by Mehrnoosh Torbatnejad.