Physical GraffiTea

Cozy and cute, this has become one of my new favorite spots to relax. Employees are friendly and the atmosphere is calming. I liked the Paris tea so much I bought 2 oz immediately after finishing my teapot.

I really wanted this to be one of those mind blowing tea shops that you stumble into after a long day of being dazed and confused by the non-​linear streets of east village. At first, it was everything I wanted it to be, from the intimate, east village-​meets-​wonderland interior design, to the extremely long selection of unique teas, to the bold colors of the tablewear and hourglass used to time the tea brewing. However, I could have done without any of that if the tea was truly satisfying, which in this case it was not. Despite letting the tea steep for a good couple of minutes, faithfully using the hourglass that our hostess told us would give the perfect brew, the tea was not flavorful at all, and quite honestly, hot water with a muddled flavor. Maybe I simply didn’t choose the right flavor, but my friend and I both had the same complaint and ordered completely different teas (rose petal for my friend and ginger-​turmeric for me).

Got rudely thrown out for sitting down for 2 seconds whole drinking out it of one of their to go cups. The owner insisted I pay an extra dollar for a different tea to sit down. The shop was empty. I’m fairly certain the owner has a personality disorder, because this seems to be a recurring issue.
I will never go back after being rudely kicked out for getting tea to go, and then briefly sitting down while I warmed up. The counter person insisted I pay an extra dollar for more tea in a tea pot. I should mention the place was totally empty that day, and it’s not like I was taking up seats. Totally unnecessary.

I took a day trip to NYC mainly for biking and secondly for food and drink. On the advice of a friend, I checked out this tea shop located in the Bowery. It’s kinda cheesy that the store is named after the Led Zeppelin album since it is situated in the building which is prominent on the album art.
Anyhow, you walk down the stairs and enter tea shop and it’s really nice inside. This is an intimate location since there aren’t too many table, but I found the other customers accommodating.
I bought $ 50.00 bucks worth of tea, which my friend mentioned would last a long time. I’m not a big tea drinker per se, but let me tell you the tea here is amazing. I bought some first-​wash white tea as well as rooibos. My friend is a tea drinker and gave the tea her blessings.

Wonderful small tea shop! I was initially attracted to the shop because of the kombucha on tap but the cozy and quiet atmosphere keeps me coming back!

After the Tompkins Park Halloween Dog Parade, my mom and I stopped by, so I could get a chai. The air has been getting colder, so other people had the same idea to grab something hot to drink. The shop was half full, and their sidewalk sign boasted of their spiced chai, and what looked like a legit tea shop gave me high expectations.
The shop is extremely narrow with a few tables along the wall. Canisters labeled with a variety of teas line the shelves of the shop ranging from Chinese herbal teas to hangover cures to your usual Earl Grey or English Breakfast.
I go to the back as there is no signage or cashier to order, but the two girls who were manning the shop were towards back. I waited for a few minutes without any eye contact or «I’ll be right with you» from either of the staff. Finally, one girl asks what I’d like. The conversation goes like this:
Me: May I have a chai latte?
Physical GraffiTea Girl (PGG): Would you like regular, vanilla, or chocolate?
Me: Regular
I go to take my seat while I wait. Luckily, there is a small cushioned seat as there is no other space to stand and wait. 5 minutes pass.
PGG: What kind of milk did you want?
Me: What kinds do you have?
PGG: Almond, Soy, 1%, Whole
Me: I’ll take 1%
Another 5 minutes pass. Still no chai.
PGG: Did you say you wanted whole milk, right?
Me: No, 1%
PGG: Oh okay. Sure, no problem.
10 minutes pass, and I finally get a mediocre chai latte. No spice, no flavor. $ 5.17 for a small cup of blah. I’m not sure what could possibly take so long to make a chai latte as there were other customers waiting for their orders, but both girls seemed frazzled.
Slow service. Bad tea. High prices. Not worth it.

Staff very knowledgable and helpful. Great selection of tea. Everything we got was delicious!

Really not sure I could ask for anything more out of a tea shop. Incredible selection, super knowledgeable staff, delicious tea and good vibes. The tea isn’t cheap, but it’s not unreasonable for Manhattan.
They have a fair bit of seating, but they have little signs on all the tables requesting laptop users limit themselves to one hour.

All organic ingredients in their teas– the blends are well thought out and it shows. They sell by the oz but will be happy to brew a cup for u on the spot. All in all a very worthwhile experience.

This place is great. I’ve been coming for years, basically since they’ve opened, and have never had anything other than a great experience. The staff is incredibly knowledgable, and will never point you in the wrong direction with your tea choice.
Favorites are: Scottish Toffee Pu-​erh, Bourbon St. Vanilla Rooibos (great iced), Holy Basil, and of course Matcha Latte

If there are three things I appreciate, they’re Led Zeppelin, tea and puns. Physical GraffiTea is nestled at the bottom of the building on the namesake Led Zeppelin cover (albeit the spellings differ). Space is tight, and there are only a few tables and chairs inside the canister-​lined shop. But if you get there early, you just might get a seat. And if you do, Physical GraffiTea becomes an intimate spot to catch up with tea-​loving friends.
The selection can be overwhelming, but answer a few questions about your likes and dislikes, smell a few types that may match your tastes, and you’ll end up with the tea for you.
Green is my go-​to. I couldn’t count how many varieties there were, but I landed on the Bancha, a traditional green that the shopkeeper described as «oceanic.» It was bright and refreshing. Paired with two crisp dainty almond cookies, and it was the perfect start to the morning.

Neat little spot with a lot inside. I don’t know a lot about tea so this place was a big surpise, I never never knew so many types existed — black, white, green, fruit, decaf and much more. On my visit I had the tumuric and pomegranate oolong. Both were good and hot. They didn’t take too long to brew either, but as one would guess the 2^nd time around it loses a lot of the flavor. The woman on staff was extremely knowledgeable about the selection. She talked all about it and answered questions. She let us smell the various teas to get an idea of their tastes. The only downside I saw here was that there is no bathroom, now she seemed to have a valid reason which is health inspection won’t allow its proximity to the food or in this case drink. Ok, but how can you run a place where your product makes you have to use the bathroom and have no bathroom? Decent place otherwise and an absolute must visit it you’re a ‘tea drinker’.

Very cozy place located in a building with music history, Led Zeppelin LP front face pic. Wide variety of teas to pick. The employees really know about tea and have no petulant attitude because of that. You can try teas from multiple coutries, including japanese matcha. They also have some small stock of tea paraphernalia that is not mainstream production, but quite unique designs and shapes at very reasonable prices for such a lower east side place.
They will spend time with you finding a tea that you like. I have been here twice and they seem never to be in a rush, they spnd time to understand what you are looking for. Really peaceful place on a basement, makes you feel like time is going very slow.
Very small, not too much bakery/​pastry to accompany your infusion but definitely a good place to stop before or after brunch/​lunch/​dinner at the mear by restaurants. Not a cheap place, pretty similar prices to other hip good tea places in the opposide side Greenwich Village.
Very good for couples or small parties, no more than four.

Cutest spot in New York? Cutest spot in New York.
What’s better than a hot cup of tea on one of those Elsa inspired frozen New York nights? Not much, other than cuddles and kittens. Shoot that’d be a good idea for a tea house. You get your tea, and you get either a kitten or a cuddle. Although if you got a kitten you could get both!
But I’m getting off course here. Way off course. Physical GraffiTea was honestly one of my favorite places in New York. Like I just said, who doesn’t love a cup of some great tea. And that’s exactly what you’ll get here for a price that won’t kill your bank account.
Presentation is probably the coolest part of it all though. They do such a good job showing you exactly what to do with your tea. They give you a timer too so you can monitor how long you want your tea to steep for, depending on if you want a light or a strong flavor. Love the overall environment of the place too. It just feels like pure calm in here. Definitely could see myself kicking back with a book and some tea here.
Definitely a cool spot to check out in New York! Especially if you’re a tea lover!

Such a cute, awesome tea place.
It’s kind of hidden, you need to walk down some stairs to get in but the tea is wonderful and they have a great selection.
They don’t have bathrooms open to the public though…

This place is literally a hole in a wall, most tea rooms are, but its very warm (in people and in décor — woody) and delightful. Over 200 teas on the menu, and guess what if you are not a tea lover and want to make a tea lover happy meet them here for a catch up as they serve cappuccino and presso as well. Can’t tell you the quality but my friend didn’t seem displeased while drinking. Good company trumps everything anyway! :). ONE major downer — no bathroom.

This place is amazing! At first I was very creeped out by the OCD décor! Actually, I’m still creeped out by it! However… I stumbled in there around 5 minutes to 10:00 (they close at 10PM on Friday’s) and yes… Stumbled is the correct word! I was smashed… My friend had been here before and was raving about it. So… I let her guide me.
We get there and the girl behind the counter informed us they were closing soon. Instead of kicking us out, she asked what we’d like. I have to admit, I like tea, but I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to selecting something. I told this to the girl behind the counter (I SO wish I remembered your name) after asking me a few questions, she started pulling down a bunch of different cans, …BAM! She finds something I like the smell of and starts to make it!
Let me tell you… as I sat there and watched this girl interact with other costumers, I was thinking «This girl HAS to be the owner!!! HAS TO!». She was not! I was so amazed by the care she put into picking, helping choose and preparing the tea! I was taken aback by the deliberate way in which she took care of everything. I’ve never seen that from someone who did not have an equal investment in the business. I was very impressed by this girl and her care to make you feel cared for!
The place is small, and it’s perfect for an intimate encounter or to sit with a friends and chat! Oh yeah… and the tea was yummy! But… I’m not a tea expert, so don’t take my word for it… Go there yourself! I do remember the name of the tea i had… It was Paris!
I will be going back here!

This place is reminiscent of Teavana, except that they sell also sell you freshly brewed, individual servings of tea of your choosing. I ordered the genmai matcha tea, and she promptly brewed water, steeped it, and set a timer so I knew when to remove my tea bag. She also gave me a tiny cup-​container to keep my tea bag in, since I ordered a ‘premium’/pricier tea, and was able to resteep it for a later time. I loved how expert the lady was, and my tea was perfect — not bitter at all, not too hot, and delicious. I’m looking forward to resteeping the tea bag to enjoy another (and another) hot cup of tea.

I am so in love with this place I want to get a time share in the East Village so I can come here on a regular basis!
First off, it is just the coolest little tea shop! The vibe and décor is just nirvana-​esque!
And aside from them having what is literally verging on a hundred different teas in every category possible, the gal that was working, Carly, was amazeballs! She was so knowledgeable and engaging and you could just tell she was passionate about tea! She helped me make some very informed and excellent tea choices.
I even got a hot ginger turmeric tea to go that put a pep in my step when I went back out into the frigid, unforgiving New York streets to take on NYE in Times Square!
They sell tea servings in pots for singles, couples, or groups and they even have Kombucha!
Can’t wait to come back! I just wish they one in Austin! I found my tea heaven!

The name of this tea shop is named after the Physical Graffiti album by Led Zeppelin and it is the same building that is show on the album cover. I appreciate its historical and musical significance. It is a pretty cool album cover.
The vast selection of teas are quite extensive. I have been trying to get a hold of Matcha for quite some time. The owner explained to me how to prepare it. The staff know their products well and everything was well explained.
The place is great, my only complaint is that there are so many rare choices of tea, it’s hard to leave the store with only one type of tea. I ended up with four.
I will come back to try the latte