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Lovely Experience at Jin Yun Fu Tea Shop in NYC

I had a lovely experience at Jin Yun Fu Tea Shop in Manhattan. I attended their Mid-Autumn Festival Tea Gathering in early October 2025 with three members of my family.

The Space

Jin Yun Fu relocated about a year ago. They are now on W 29th Street in Manhattan (New York City).

Traci (a.k.a. Tea Infusiast) wearing a black shirt with white stripes and jeans and sunglasses in front of the sign for "Jin Yun Fu Tea Shop"

The teashop is below street level, but natural light still streams in through the big windows in the front of the shop.

Inside, there are long, wooden tea tables and gorgeous teaware. It’s a very calming and harmonious space. It’s much more spacious than their previous location, too.

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Blog Events

2025 Storytellers for ChariTEA Fundraiser

Meet the 2025 storytellers for Tea Infusiast’s annual chariTEA fundraiser!

On November 16, 2025, I will be hosting the fourth annual Story of a Teacup online fundraiser for a nonprofit organization. I’m excited to introduce you to this year’s storytellers!

Photos of all five 2025 storytellers for the Story of a Teacup chariTEA fundraiser--Kim, Shawn, Eve, Traci, and Marco.

Before I do–a quick word about this event. It’s an online tea party with storytelling! It’s an empathy-building event for tea lovers that raises money for a charitable cause. ALL ticket sales go to a designated charity.

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Blog Events

Story of a Teacup 2025

Join me at the fourth annual Story of a Teacup 2025 chariTEA fundraiser! Connect with other tea lovers over tea and stories while supporting a great cause. This is a live, online event!

World Central Kitchen (WCK) is the beneficiary of Story of a Teacup 2025. All proceeds go directly to this amazing nonprofit. WCK uses the power of food to nourish communities and strengthen economies around the world. They are first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. 

Story of a Teacup image--white Coalport two handled teacup and saucer with gold and sapphire colors
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Blog Tasting Notes

Review of Rose Label Gold from Nepal Tea Collective

I’m sharing my review of Rose Label Gold from Nepal Tea Collective. I’ve been lucky enough to have had two delightful tea sessions, on different days, with this tea.

This black tea is from a special cultivar (BB157). It was grown in Nepal. Despite not being scented or having any flavors added, this tea has heady notes of rose and other lovely floral, spice, and citrus notes. It’s the alchemy of cultivar, terroir, weather, and processing!

Rose Label Gold 2025 white and gold teacup with a saucer. Red rose petals and green ivy are nearby
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Blog

Review of Qahwah House on Long Island

I’m sharing my review of Qahwah House on Long Island.

Photo of Traci Levy, aka Tea Infusiast--a white woman with silver hair, wearing sunglasses and a red shirt with blue plaid. Her hands rest on a curved, glass teacup full of Adeni Chai at Qahwah House

It’s a Yemeni coffeehouse with over twenty locations in the USA. I have visited their Westbury, New York location several times.

Qahwah is the word for coffee in Arabic. I know, I know. You might be wondering why I am I reviewing a coffeehouse on a tea blog! It’s because they have several Yemeni tea offerings–and a surprisingly wide selection of other teas–that keep me coming back! There are other reasons as well.

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Blog

Tea on Long Island

Looking for tea on Long Island? Me, too! Here, I share reviews and/or videos about a number of places on Long Island (New York) where I’ve particularly enjoyed the tea that they serve.

Pudina Chai (black tea with milk and mint) in a clay cup with a black rim at Varli in Williston Park. A mint leaf floats on top of the tea.
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Events

Tea With Your Inner Critic

Inspiration

Join me at my October online workshop, Tea with Your Inner Critic.

Are you tired of battling or feeling belittled by your “inner critic?” I was!

For some time, I’ve worked to pay attention to that critical voice I often hear inside my head–the voice that critiques, questions, and makes me feel or act small. What’s more, I’ve managed to befriend my inner critic.

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Blog Tasting Notes

Chinese Yellow Tea Tasting Notes

This post shares my yellow tea tasting notes and explains what makes this less common category of tea so unique.

Glass, rounded fairness pitcher with pale yellow Chinese yellow tea sitting on a clay spoon rest with painted penguins
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Blog

My Week Ran Me

When my week ran me, I was stressed, tired, and demoralized. This post share the approaches I tried until I finally learned how to schedule my time in a more humane, joyful, and productive way.

Hand holding a white teacup that is mostly empty and tilted sideways. Inside the cup it says "I felt depleted when my week ran me."

I used to feel like my week ran me instead of like I ran my week.

I was productive–writing, teaching, grading, attending committee meetings, meal planning, organizing my kids’ activities, and so on. But, it all felt disorienting and exhausting.

I always knew, for example, that work was stressful. But, I vividly remember the day I deeply realized how it was impacting me physically, mentally, and emotionally. I was walking from my car to my office. It was a beautiful day. I was walking at a leisurely pace. Suddenly, I realized my heart was pounding in my chest as if I had had been sprinting instead of walking. My body was responding powerfully to the anticipated stress. I knew I HAD to make a change.

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Blog

The Wider World of Tea

Two specific experiences made me curious about the wider world of tea.

I grew up enjoying a cup of Lipton tea with milk and sugar. Sometimes, we’d have Tetley tea at a relative’s house. As far as I knew, tea always came in tea bags with very small, broken leaves.

cup of tea with milk in a white mug with yellow details next to a white and green cloth napkin

I also assumed almost everyone drank tea with milk unless they were drinking iced tea. Indeed, these styles of tea are great for making a hearty, malty cup of tea good with milk.

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