Friday Favorites: Tea in Brooklyn

May 10, 2019 |

As you might have guessed, when visiting a city I always check out the tea scene. Turns out Brooklyn has a lot of tea to offer!


I’d already done my research and planned three tea experiences ahead of time, so imagine my surprise when I randomly walked past this store on my first morning. T2 Tea is an Australian purveyor that has established three stores in California, five in New York, and one in Boston, MA. (You also can order online.) I spent a lot of time in the Brooklyn store and was able to sample various blends. Apparently they always have a couple of pots going and in most cases will brew you a sample of anything you wish to try. You could spend hours here studying the blends and enthusing over the tea ware. I tried to control myself but nevertheless ended up walking out with Irish Breakfast loose leaf, along with New York Breakfast and Just Chamomile teabags.

I also visited Chrysanthemum: Rare Teas and Flowers, which offers “Fresh cut flowers, Rare Teas, Exotic Plants, Art, Home goods, Handmade Chocolates, Jams & Jellies, all informed by the aeshetics of the Chinese Tea Ceremony.” Keep in mind that if you drop by the owner will interrogate you (kindly) in order to gauge what sort of tea drinker you are.


The only “sit down” experience I had was at Harvey Restaurant in the Williamsburg Hotel. They offer a high tea where the guest can order small bites a la carte. Isn’t the dining area lovely?


For my petite high tea I chose avocado toast and and a chocolate cherry cupcake. To mix things up a bit, I chose a tea cocktail instead of hot tea–more specifically the “Sunday Kind of Love” cocktail with Sigani 63, Aperol, hibiscus tea, honey, lemon, and Prosecco. I was amused to see it served from a teapot into a matching cup. It took me ages to get close to the bottom of that pot, and you’ll be relieved to know that I took a cab back to the hotel. (You can find an older version of the full “high tea” menu here.)

Ultimately, however, my most elegant and inspirational tea experience in Brooklyn was to be found at Bellocq in Greenpoint.


There’s no real storefront–the setting is more like a warehouse than a shop–and one must ring the doorbell to be let in. But once you’re inside, it’s absolutely magical. Truly, it’s one of the most elegant and delightful teashops I’ve ever visited.

They offer Signature Blends (black, green, white and herbal) along with Pure Teas (single estate black, green, white, herbal, oolong, puerh and yellow). You’ll notice in the featured image at the top of this post that each kind of tea is on display for study, and they are happy to let you get a nice sniff from within the airtight containers. I was in heaven!


A lovely sitting room beckoned, perfect for sipping tea. I did sit there for a moment, but all I really wanted to do was study the teas and ask questions. The staff members were very friendly and knowledgeable. I could have stayed there all day, but eventually I did make my purchases and leave them in peace.

I wanted to buy EVERYTHING but ended up settling on the Bellocq Breakfast and Nocturne in canisters, along with a bag of Little Dickens. Each is absolutely delicious, and I’m sure I’ll be ordering from them in the future.

That concludes my Brooklyn posts. Stay tuned for May’s “Tea and a Book” and more!

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