Fang Gourmet Tea
“I have made two visits and each one is different depending on the tea expert you share your tasting experience with.”
“The sales lady ended up walking us over to her favorite restaurant.”
“They have great pu-erh tea cakes (my favorite) and delicious varieties of teas.”
Fang Gourmet Tea
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
3 reviews
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I discovered this hidden little gem in the back of a crowed, disorganized storefront collection of various businesses on a food tour about a year ago and it's going to get my business every time I'm in the city from now on. Haven't been here? One of the signature items of interest is that they will do a tea tasting with you. You select what tea, and the shop owner will sit with you and discuss the finer points. Takes about 30 minutes! How cool is that?
When this happened they asked what kind of tea I wanted to sample. Not prepared for the question I asked if they carried Pu-erh (expecting a "no") which is a funky, aged (usually) Chinese tea that where I'm from comes in only one or two forms at most. Here? They have probably 15-20 different ones, so every time I'm here I pick out a new one and they're superb. Slowly working my way through a terrific batch 1,300 miles from the purchase point. Side note: besides tasting good with a little caffeine kick the tea is filled with cholesterol lowering goodness.
There's something really special going on here. I won't pretend to know much about Chinese and other Asian teas but everything I've sample here is so much better than what I can get that it merits my return every time I land at La Guardia.
This place was awesome. Initially I went into their store but one of the sales lady there walked me over to the Sheraton Hotel where the tea tasting was taking place.
It was a nice way to spend the afternoon with a friend. They sat us down and suggested we sign up to be members which would enable us to buy tea samples for $3 instead of $5 per tea.
Now, that sounds expensive but it's actually a deal. They prepare the tea and they keep on pouring until you're satisfied so you get your fill. While you're tasting the teas, the host explains the tea history along with explaining how it should be prepared. The information was really useful.
I took away a star because after the tea sampling, my friend and I wanted to take a look at all the tea pots they had for sale. It's a bit suffocating when the host follows you around explaining all the history of the tea pots. I listened courteously for the tea sampling but would have appreciated a break.
Also, they really try to push products on you. I ended up buying one item but please don't push your luck.
All in all, it was a great and relaxing experience except for the sales pressure. I definitely plan to go again.
These ladies really know their tea! I had an excellent experience coming here for Valentine's day after a not so great lunch on a day when temperatures were in the single digits. The relaxing and nicely decorated store full of beautiful (and expensive) tea sets was stimulating and fun to look at during and after my tea tasting experience.
For the tea, I tried an Oolong one, which was really soothing, aromatic, and bold. But I would suggest you asking the ladies for their recommendations as they know the benefits of each of the teas. You can easily ask them for ones that will warm the body, ones that will speed up your digestive system (and help weight loss), or even ones that will help with health issues!
The tasting experience ranges from $5-$20 per person depending on the tea you select. It was a slow but relaxing process where they pour the tea for you to taste up until 4 times. If interested, the teas are all available for purchase as well, although they are quite pricey. Tea tasting here is definitely an experience that everyone should try out once.