When you first became a tea lover, did you first try black teas? Did you then learn to love the taste of green teas? Now, tea lovers who want to expand their knowledge of tea and explore oolong teas in depth will want to make a visit to Te Company in the West Village in New York City. This Taiwanese tearoom in a tiny storefront has only a few tables, but the menu of Taiwanese oolongs is extensive and the service is impeccable.
My daughter-in-law Preethi knows how much I like to visit a new tea room every time I visit NYC, so in January she arranged a private oolong tea tasting at Te Company. What a special treat! The owner, Elena Liao, invited us into the shop that morning before it was open to the public. While we drank numerous infusions of five exquisite oolong teas, Elena gave us a tutorial on where these semi-oxidized teas are grown and how they are processed to produce the unique oolong flavor. To complement the tea service, Elena served us small sweet and savory treats. Our favorite was the pineapple Linzer cookie, an interpretation of the traditional Taiwanese pineapple cake. The cookie is made with two discs of hazelnut shortbread and filled with pineapple jam.
I can’t resist purchasing a variety of teas at new tea rooms when I travel. It doesn’t take much room in the suitcase, and it adds hardly any weight! And when I make the tea at home, it brings back instant memories of delightful tea times with family and friends in new tea rooms. I purchased three oolong teas at Te Company, two light roast oolongs and one medium roast oolong. Now I’m drinking these superb oolongs at home and reminiscing about the private oolong tea tasting at Te Company.
