Happy Earth Tea

Happy Earth Tea was an experience to savor. The space is open and filled with afternoon sun, and the tea master’s (Niraj) knowledge is excellent. We tried three different teas, each prepared in a different manner so we had a chance to observe multiple steeping techniques. I have an intermediate knowledge, and my partner is a novice, and Niraj presented information in a manner we both enjoyed. Hours are limited, but if you can sneak by well worth the trip.

Fantastic service. Wonderful, high quality and fresh products. Niraj is the tea expert in Rochester. I highly recommend using Happy Earth Tea for all your tea needs.

Niraj’s skill and love for his craft are more than evident. He’s truly a joy to interact with and really wants to help you on your tea journey. Happy Earth’s tea varieties are all of incredible quality, and he has the knowledge and vocabulary to tell you exactly why!
Price is very reasonable for such high-​end teas and handmade teaware.
One drawback is their very small stock. They are a small family-​run business and occasionally have no more than one or two of a product available.

Happy Earth Tea is a great place for finding exquisite tea in the Rochester area. I have bought from Naraj (the guy in the photo), the business owner, for quite sometime now, and surprised that no Unilocal review has been made yet. The reviews HPT receives is from the website, which all have wonderful things to say. Is the price a bit on the higher end… yes BUT I haven’t found many places in upstate NY that can match quality.
i first heard of HPT through a person working in the art field who specializes in making Japanese handcrafted tea ware. I still remember my very first purchase from HPT it was a Yerba Mate chai blend (about a year ago). This chai has a very «gingery» taste to it; to me it was perfect for a cold winter to sip on and get warm. Ever since then I’ve bought various oolongs, pu’er, and green tea from him. I guess I really should be trying the darjeeling HPT offers because this is probably his most exquisite/​selected from what I’ve noticed in his site. Again I have my subjective preference for Chinese teas, and when I can’t get it from a friend/​relative from China, I go to HPT because their teas are premium quality in comparison to most places in the upstate area.
I think the quality stems from he fact that A) is a family run business B) Naraj often goes to the source to get his teas (as in he actually travels to the tea plantations… HPT’s social media is often updated w/​their tea travels) C) is just well knowledgeable with tea. Now most of the tea HPT deals with are coming from the S. Asia area, although he does have some coming from China/​Taiwan. If you are into black teas (darjeeling seem to be HPT’s «crème de la crème»), then HPT is definitely your go to place. Would I say I am a self-​professed tea snob, somewhat yes and I have my preference for premium teas coming from China, in particular white tea/​green tea varieties which are very difficult to come by even in big Chinatowns in the US.
To this date the most expensive tea I’ve gotten from HPT was the «concubine oolong» from Taiwan, at $ 31 for 2 ounces it was definitely a shiny penny or two. Was it amazing, well it’s been gone for awhile now :-)
Some may wonder, «why 4 out of 5 stars? you too bourgeoisie to give a 5 star? Do you bite your thumb at me sir?» Well, no I am not biting my thumb nor will I be quoting anymore Shakespeare… I just wish there was much more option with Chinese teas
If you are looking for premium teas this is the place to go, but remember quality and price usually go hand-​in-​hand.