Dear tea friends,
Thank you so much for your patience as we keep working to make the tea room the best that it can be. I’m excited to let you know that we’ll be reopening our doors on Wednesday, September 17 and Thursday, September 18 for the next stage of our soft opening!
Because of our unique location inside an office building, we’re experimenting with finding a format that works best for everyone involved. For the time being, the tea room will be a private, members-only space, available by reservation only. The good news is that becoming a Tea Room Member is simple and free: just sign up for this newsletter, which you’ve already done — so you’re all set! Additional details regarding reservations and our tea service styles can be found on our booking page below:
Hours for Wed 9/17 & Thu 9/18:
11:00am–5:00pm → book a 1h15 or 1h45 session at the table of your choice
6:00pm–8:00pm → book a 2-hour evening session at the table of your choice
Our full menu will be available throughout the day, and I’m excited to share a brand-new addition: 2025 Champagne Empress, a top-shelf, first flush dongmei (東美) style tea that blew me away with its delicate yet rich honey-and-rose sweetness. The producer we usually source Classic Beauty from (our standard-grade dongmei) experienced unusually heavy early-summer rains this year, resulting in a very weak mid-summer harvest. Because this style of tea is bug-bitten, it’s grown more naturally and with fewer interventions (even if not officially certified organic) to attract the tea jassid insects. That natural sensitivity makes it more vulnerable to extreme weather — and this year, the harvest reflected that.
Although we’re unable to offer a standard-grade version of this tea at the moment, for customers looking for a more oxidized and fruity oolong, we’ve been pointing them toward Osmanthus Red, our own in-house blend and roast! And of course, we’re thrilled to introduce the new premium-grade Champagne Empress — available only in the tea room for now, with possible retail release later.
Hope to see you for tea again soon!
-Yin