Can you say...

 

 

 

 

I love it when a new tea place opens within walking distance from my job. It's not as close during a heat wave, but I stuck to the shade on Friday and was able to make it to TeaGschwendner (a tea company originally from Germany) for its grand opening in New York.

Located near the new Lego store in Rockefeller Center, now both tourists and natives can get their loose leaf tea fix. I'm pretty sure I saw some tea bags there too, but they were in the minority. In case one is not sure what to do with the loose tea, there are teapots and cups with strainers in the store. And on these especially gross summer days, if hot drinks don't appeal to you there's a case of iced teas on the right wall. I did buy the Grenadine-Elderflower Ice Tea White. Normally that would get on my nerves (it's technically iced, not ice), but not only am I not the foremost expert on spelling and grammar, but any place that offers Elderflower anything is okay in my book.

The staff were very friendly without being over-the-top, just as it should be. They let me sniff a good number of teas, and I was amused at a particular one that along with tea and fruit pieces had gummi bears. Why didn't I buy it? Well, there's always next time. I did buy Cranberry Orange green tea, Midsummer Night's Dream Black Floral tea (already a favorite, and its smell is enchanting), and Magic Flute, a flute I mean fruit tea named after my favorite Mozart opera. I haven't tried the last one yet, but it smelled good and I'm sure I'll belt out an aria upon first try (in my head anyway.) I got Bonnie a Flower of Hawaii black fruit tea. She likes it, though she personally prefers it with milk. To each her own.

The prices were relatively reasonable, the staff seemed knowledgeable though I didn't quite test them on the nuances of green teas and regions. I wasn't really in the mood to; I was just happy to be there, and it was Friday. I also got a free tea shirt!