Even though it was their first location in New York City, I did not get to visit Le Palais des Thés on Columbus Avenue until just recently. This shop is quite a bit smaller than the Price Street location. It did have the same light and airy aesthetic which helped to keep it from feeling claustrophobic. The selection isn’t as large but all of the basics and most popular blends were there. They did have out their usual daily sample offering which was nice as that is one of my favorite things at their other store. I had run out of Darjeeling (tragedy!) so I picked up a bag of their Margaret’s Hope 2nd Flush.
The store had only one person staffing it that day since it is so tiny but she managed to juggle several customers easily. I really enjoy that their staff is always friendly and helpful but never pushy. While I was making my purchase, she generously offered a sample and let me choose from several different kinds (I opted for the Grand Yunnan Imperial). I really appreciated that because I’ve been to tea shops where they throw random samples into my bag that are usually not suited to my tastes. There aren’t many places nearby where you can buy loose leaf tea so a nice little shop like this was definitely needed.
You can find out more about this tea place here.