Palais des Thes

They sold me a tea pot in Christmas to make tea without telling that it cannot go to the stove. My apartment almost blew from a gas explosion after the tea pot turn off the stove. After I explained this to the store manager they refused to return my money. What a Christmas gift!

This is a terrific shop. The staff is terrific. Super friendly, helpful and generous with samples.
The teas are delicious and terrific quality. Their green teas are great as their black teas. They have a great selection of both green, black, white and rooibos teas. We will definitely come back.

Greta is wonderful. She is very knowledgable about teas and even gave us a sample with our purchases. Wonderful place and wonderful teas. My fave is Fleur De Geisha, which is incredible.

I absolutely love their tea! So far I’ve tried their Pear Green Tea and Verbena Rooibos Tea, and they are sooo delicious. The smell is amazing too. I also like their tea bags, which are made of cotton-​like material that allows the tea to steep better and faster. While it’s on the pricey side, the quality of their tea definitely leaves up to your expectation. The staff is quite friendly and nice too.

I wanted to love this well-​reviewed tea shop, but unfortunately it’s the same song as all the rest, some pricey boutique teas in a storefront run by a condescending staff; won’t be coming back to redeem the Unilocal checkin deal.

Very good assortment of teas from around the world from this family-​owned business from Paris (in case the name didn’t give it away). Some estate teas were hand-​selected by the family, who have even had a portion of an estate named after them. Some of their blends are really unique, and as an Earl Grey fan, the Oolong & Sencha Earl Greys are a great alternative to the typical full-​bodied black tea version. There’s currently no café in either location, it’s purely a retail purveyor of fine teas. The staff is friendly & knowledgeable

If you love Earl Greys. you would love their Different blends of earl grey teas. My FAV is the blues of london… try it!!! also, i drink a lot of the pear flavored green tea in the summer time! its perfect for making ice tea.

Palais des Thes is a great addition to the UWS. It is the first Paris tea purveyor location to open in the U.S. (they now have opened a second store in Soho). I live only a block away and I am addicted. The shop is so small, it is easy to miss… but once you go in, you will go back. The teas are beautifully presented, and the staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. They always have a sample of tea at the door that helps a novice be introduced to the extraordinary world of tea. They take their time telling you the characteristics of each tea and let you smell them from the large canisters on the shelf.
Now, I have no less than 12 different teas acquired since the store opened last November. Once an Earl Grey or black tea drinker (and they have spectacular choices here), I’ve now expanded my palate to ng Pu Erh, Oolong, Greens, Roobois, Darjeelings, and many variations of blends, fruity, and floral teas. Some of the exclusive blends of Palais de Thea are truly magical. They have a wonderful selection of tea accoutements from tea pots and cups to storage containers. I’ve invested in the wasabi (beautiful paper over metal) canisters that store the tea conveniently and beautifully in my tiny NYC kitchen. Mornings are more fun opening up the cabinet to determine which tea I feel like today.
It is a also nice place to buy gifts, and they do a lovely job of packaging everything for you. The presentation is worth it and it is a luxy gift for tea drinkers or someone you want to introduce to tea.
I gave up coffee some time ago for health reasons, but found myself missing the ritual and decided to get more serious about tea. It was a tough conversion with limited tea purveyors in the city and only Whole Foods or Fairway options (although certainly not bad)…I had even taken to buying tea from the web, but not anymore since Palais de Thea has opened. If you want to really to experience tea properly, you have to get into quality loose tea and learn how to make it. Here’s an example of how I changed my mind about green tea: I read a zillion articles about the benefits of green tea, but always found it grassy and bitter and really never acquired the taste. With the proper preparation, and finding the type of green tea that you want (Chinese or Japanese… you’ll find a big difference), a new world has opened up to me. Now I’ve become a tea scholar, I seek out and read about teas and the many health benefits. White tea is good for digestion, oolong has weight loss benefits, and there is nothing like a cup of Chamomile or Jasmine tea to nuture the soul. Jasmine is a a favorite Chinese green tea, but I have also found a lovely Japanese green tea called Fleur de Geisha which is Sencha with Cherry Blossom. Very fragrant and special… a very nice afternoon tea. In the evening, I have tropical Wu Long (Oolong, very low in caffeine) or one of three variations of Rooibos (I espectially like the one with Verbena). My new favorite tea is the green and black proprietary blend Thea de Moines (a secret recipe of Tibeten monks,), and it hits that black tea richness with the added benefit of the green tea.
These are quality and fresh teas… and at first may seem expensive if you have been shopping at Whole Foods (or in Chinatown), but trust me, even if you buy the more expensive varieties, these are loose leaf teas and a little goes a long way. You will save money in the long run and increase your health. Coffee is wonderful, but it is a heavy beverage. Tea has a light and clean feeling on the palate, and because of the lower caffeine (depending on variety), you can drink it throughout the day and into the evening. I’ve even been able to reduce my wine intake by substituting these lovely teas with meals at home! Tea makes my mornings and evenings more enjoyable and my body and mind much happier.
Please tell everyone about this store, as I want it to be successful and here forever!

This UWS shop is the French Tea House’s first store in the US. A great selection of fine teas from all over. Perfectly packaged gift boxes come pretty handy for the holidays.
Green, black, white, oolong, pu erh, rooibos from China, India, Japan, Nepal, Taiwan and more. Limited, rare teas, small batches of the finest. Even matcha for cooking. You’ll surely find something for everyone.
Whether it’s loose leaf, single origin, pouch, tea bag or canister. Teaware and gifts from all price range. This is your one «steep» shop! =)
For full review and photos please check out my blog.