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Review of Té Company Tearoom in Manhattan

Té Company is a tearoom in the West Village area of Manhattan in New York City. It specializes in Taiwanese tea and their own handmade and delicious tea snacks. You can also buy tea and snacks on their website. (Té is pronounced “tay.”)

Traci at Té Company in Manhattan, NYC, with her friend’s plushie bison (AKA a “luff”). Photo taken by Taniya Gupta.

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review of Té Company before! I have visited Té more than any other teahouse in Manhattan. The calm and cozy space, thoughtfully curated tea choices, excellent service, and delicious snacks keep me coming back. 

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Blog Events

Tea and Rest Practices

This post explains the relationship between my tea and rest practices, the journey they took me on, and how to register for the events they inspired me to create. My August and September 2023 events center on rest!

Traci Levy, a white woman with salt-and-pepper hair, wearing sunglasses and a black sweater, sitting outside and holding a blue and white teacup. Her face is serene and there are trees in the background.
Me–savoring a restful moment with tea.
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Blog

Supporting My Tea Work

Summer updates and information about a new way to support my tea work

Hello Tea Friend! Thanks for stopping by the blog. I have been focusing on several projects. This summer, I’ve held two tea meet-ups: weather and summer meant they were tiny, but lovely. I am about 60% through the online, 12-module meditation course I have been taking. (I mentioned it in my post, “Enticements to Speed Through a Mindfulness Course.”) Also, I’ve been at work planning August-through-December tea events. These projects have left me less time for posting on the blog lately. Thankfully, that is about to change!

Besides posting more on the blog, I am so excited to share my plans soon! You’ll usually find out first–and get exclusive discounts–if you subscribe to my monthly newsletter, Tea Infusiast News. Now for that new “support” part…

An image to represent "support my work:" Photo of two hands grasping beneath a lightbulb with a heart in the middle.
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Blog

Tea that Evokes a Non-Tea Memory

Have you ever sipped a tea that evokes a non-tea memory? It’s not uncommon for a specific tea to evoke a memory of a previous time or occasion when I have enjoyed it. Lipton, for example, will always remind me of growing up and having tea with my family. Black currant tea immediately takes me back to my bridal shower and that exciting time in my life. But, that’s not the kind of memory I’m exploring here.

Big and beautiful Qi Yun #23 leaves on the side of my tea bowl.
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Blog

Enticements to Speed Through a Mindfulness Course

In this post, I reflect on several enticements to speed through a mindfulness course.

My ever-evolving relationship with tea has been one of the main paths through which I have  deepened my mindfulness practice. I am also expanding my practice in new ways. Notably, I recently began an online mindfulness training program. The materials recommend we aim to complete the course in about three months, although we have flexibility. So far, I’m really enjoying the training program’s mix of information, stories, guided meditations, and journal prompts.

speed through mindfulness--icon of person running and person meditating
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Blog

No Input Experiment: Traci’s Perspective

What happens when you and a friend conduct a three-week “no input” experiment? In Part II of this two-part series, I share my reflections after blocking out at least 30 minutes every day not to read, scroll, or turn on anything to listen to. This experiment revealed some of my limiting ideas about when and how I practice mindfulness. It also pointed to a way that I was still buying into the cult of productivity. Changing my behavior gave me time to process my thoughts and feelings, find more contentment in the mundane, and (perhaps most surprisingly) cultivate a new relationship to traffic lights!

An icon of a book, a musical note, and a phone each with a red circle and line drawn through it. These symbols represent "no input."
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Blog

Tea as Art on the Trail

Tea on the Trail began on June 1, 2018 as an art project to drink tea and photograph thrifted teacups on hikes. Nicole McKinney is the talented photographer, ardent tea drinker, and kind soul who created it. In honor of the five-year anniversary of Tea on the Trail, I asked Nicole to reflect on her experience.

Tea on the Trail's Nicole McKinney--a blond woman, smiling, with sunglasses on top of her head, holding a footed pink teacup and matching saucer, in front of a field of bluebells.
Nicole McKinney of Tea on the Trail in her element!
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Blog

Information Rest: Taniya’s Perspective

GUEST contributor! In this Part 1 of a 2-part series, Taniya Gupta of YogaTeaPoetry shares her experience with “information rest,” a 21-day challenge we both embraced. Taniya reflects on her inspiration, process, and results of setting aside 30 minutes every day to not consume any new information–no media, no books, etc.

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Overview of Paquita Tea Room in Manhattan

Paquita is a tiny and lovely tearoom and shop in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. You can find them on Instagram @paquita.nyc.

Inside Paquita: Two white cups with blue rims and matching saucers sitting on a deep green table with a iron teapots and a small bouquet of dried flowers. One person is in the process of pouring some honey into one of the cups of tea.
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Blog

Tea in the Canyon

This post shares my three-week experience enjoying daily tea in a canyon. It also reflects on how an encouraging stranger inspired me to change how I prepare for outdoor tea.

Reed Canyon by the lake.